Offered by Okanagan College in Kelowna, Canada, Recreation Therapist Assistant Certificate is a certificate in Rehabilitation Sciences programme. The programme runs for 10 months, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 2,200 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Certificate
Field:Rehabilitation Sciences
Duration: 10 months
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 2,200 / total
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The Recreation Therapist Assistant Certificate (RTAC) will prepare you to work as an Assistant to Recreation Therapists and as Recreation Therapy Workers. It is a ten-month certificate of full-time study including two semesters of coursework plus 8 weeks of practical experience in clinical settings. Recreation Therapist Assistants help to plan, coordinate, and deliver recreation-based treatment programs for people of all ages, with a variety of disabilities, injuries, or conditions, in many healthcare and community settings. Principles, theory, and practice will be taught at the Assistant level in the discipline of Recreation Therapy. Students will obtain an academic and practical foundation in the areas of health and recreation. Students will graduate with a Recreation Therapist Assistant Certificate (RTAC) which will enable them to work at an entry-level as an assistant in the area of recreation therapy and as a recreation and/or activity therapy worker.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Domestic applicants only, per the College's program page.
Academic base: B.C. secondary-school graduation or the equivalent, or being 19 or older and out of secondary school for at least a year by the first day of classes, plus English 12 at 60 per cent or an accepted alternative.
Other admission requirements: current Red Cross or St. John Ambulance standard first aid and current CPR level C; tuberculin testing done no more than six months before the application date, with evidence of follow-up if the result was positive; and criminal record check clearance through the B.C. Criminal Records Review Program, started only when Admissions instructs you. Current immunisations and hepatitis B vaccination are strongly advised, and missing a documentation deadline can cost you the place.
Before clinical placements: the Okanagan College immunisation record, the online Student Practice Education Core Orientation (SPECO) required by B.C. health authorities, the in-person Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum, and fit-testing for an N95 respirator mask.
The College also advises arriving with at least beginner-level computer and word-processing skills.
Application Details
Start Date:Intakes published by Okanagan College for this program: September 2026 (Kelowna). Campus availability differs by intake and the program page shows which are still open.
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants: there is no fixed closing date. Okanagan College opens applications on October's first business day each year, and programs that run several intakes across the year - Entry-Level Trades Foundation and health programs other than Nursing and Dental among them - keep taking applications for those intakes over the following ten months. Most programs accept applications right up to the start date and close only when the seats are gone, so apply early and check each intake's status on the program page. Apply through EducationPlannerBC; the fee is $30 CAD. This program is offered to domestic applicants only.
