A rehabilitation assistant is responsible for assisting therapists, guiding patients, performing therapy techniques on recovering patients, and performing a variety of administrative tasks. The education and training requirements for this profession vary location, but a high school diploma is almost always required. Many rehabilitation assistants continue their education and obtain a degree in a medical-related field as a result of their involvement with patients. A rehabilitation assistant is usually involved in healing the whole patient, not just the physical afflictions, in addition to physical activities with patients.
The leading therapist supervises this position, which is usually part of a medical team. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), physiotherapists (PTs), and occupational therapists (OTs) are among the therapists for whom assistants work (OT). The acting therapist often determines the type of therapy to be used, which is then carried out the rehabilitation assistant. Teaching the patient life skills such as eating, bathing, dressing, writing, reading, and math is one of these tasks. Physical, mental, cognitive, and communication rehabilitation are all options for patients depending on the severity and type of injury.
Life skills are only one aspect of this job; an assistant is also in charge of patients’ physical activities. Physical therapy is usually provided in the office, but the assistant will need to go over exercises with the patient that should be done at home. Because certain activities should be supervised, and home-based therapy is generally less strenuous, safety procedures are extremely important. The patient’s assistant may also need assistance with meal planning and other home management techniques. One of the main goals of a rehabilitation assistant is to help these patients relearn how to perform a variety of tasks while taking their disability into account.
Students usually need a degree to work for a variety of therapists because there isn’t a universal set of requirements that can be met solely through experience. A rehabilitation assistant must be extremely knowledgeable about the various aspects of therapy, and there are programs that teach and train assistants in a variety of fields. Scheduling appointments, keeping inventory of supplies, data entry, filing, and other office tasks are examples of administrative responsibilities. Because the profession requires constant communication with patients and medical professionals, assistants should be caring, patient, and have excellent communication skills.