Therapeutic Animal-Assisted Activities Coordinator

Career Guide

Plans and runs animal-assisted activity programs in hospitals, schools, and senior care. Coordinates therapy animal-handler teams, schedules visits, ensures safety and compliance, and tracks outcomes to support participant well-being.

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Key Responsibilities

Design and schedule animal-assisted activity sessions
Recruit, screen, and train volunteer handler–animal teams
Maintain animal health/vaccination and handler documentation
Ensure infection control, safety, and risk management compliance
Coordinate with clinical/educational staff on participant needs and goals
Track participation, incidents, and program outcomes; report to stakeholders

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Animal-Assisted Programs Manager

Volunteer Services Manager/Director

Patient Experience Program Manager

Transition Opportunities

Recreation Therapist (requires CTRS)

Community Outreach Coordinator

Animal Shelter/Rescue Program Manager

Behavioral Health Program Coordinator

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Infection control practices specific to clinical environmentsTherapy animal behavior assessment and team screeningProgram evaluation and data trackingVolunteer training curriculum design

Development SuggestionsComplete an AAI foundations course (e.g., Pet Partners) and shadow a hospital pet therapy program; build a simple outcomes tracking dashboard (e.g., in Excel/Sheets) for a pilot at a senior center.

Market Intelligence Report

Therapeutic Animal-Assisted Activities Coordinator is part of the Therapy & Rehabilitation category.Explore our market intelligence report to see how AI and hiring demand are shifting for these roles.

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Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry Level$38,000–$48,000

Mid Level$48,000–$60,000

Senior Level$60,000–$75,000

Growth Trend

growing: Expanding use of animal-assisted programs in healthcare and education

Companies Hiring

Industry Sectors

HealthcareSenior Living & Long-Term CareEducationNon-Profit & Community Services

Recommended Next Steps

Volunteer as or partner with a registered therapy animal team (Pet Partners, Alliance of Therapy Dogs) to gain hands-on program experience.

Earn the CVA or complete a recognized AAI course, plus hospital onboarding (HIPAA/infection control).

Design and run a small AAI pilot with a local senior center or school; collect participation and satisfaction metrics to showcase impact.