- What the 14-Section Outline Actually Is
- Seven Topics vs. Fourteen Sections: Reading Both Lists
- Foundation Domains: Legal, Communication, Terminology, Anatomy, Disorders
- Workplace Domains: Administration, Interviewing and Professionalism
- Emergency and Safety Domains: CPR, First Aid, Safety
- Hands-On Care Domains: Transfers, Vitals, Devices, Patient Care
- Sequencing the Domains in Your Study Plan
- Format, Fees and Renewal: What Is and Is Not Verified
- Where These Skills Get Used
- FAQ
- The Rehabilitation Therapy Technician (RTT) outline from AECA lists 14 content sections, and no percentage weights are published for any of them.
- AECA's credential page separately lists seven broader topics, so treat the 14-section PDF as your detailed checklist.
- Hands-on sections (patient transfers, vital signs, assistive devices, patient care) are core to the technician role, so study them as procedures, not...
- The current question count, timer and passing score are not publicly verified; a 2016 handbook listed a maximum of 100 questions.
What the 14-Section Outline Actually Is
The Rehabilitation Therapy Technician (RTT) credential is issued by the American Education Certification Association (AECA). In AECA's certification directory it appears with the abbreviation CRTT, and its credential page uses the title Certified Rehabilitation Therapy Technician. The first thing to clear up is identity: this is not respiratory therapy, not radiation therapy, and not a different physical therapy aide credential. If you are comparing it against other rehab-adjacent credentials, our guide to what RTT certification is covers the basics.
The 14 domains in this article come from the top-level "Content Section" rows of AECA's linked document, Rehabilitation Therapy Technician Exam Content Outline According to Industry Standard Needs Study. It is a three-page PDF with no publication date. A few honest caveats shape how you should use it:
- The sections are unweighted. AECA does not publish a percentage allocation, so no source supports a claim that any domain is "worth the most" on the exam.
- "14" is a heading count. It describes how many content sections the outline lists, not 14 separately scored domains.
- The PDF names the credential explicitly. AECA's outline hub also links the same PDF from a Physical Therapy Aide entry, but the document itself names Rehabilitation Therapy Technician, which is why it is the controlling source here.
Seven Topics vs. Fourteen Sections: Reading Both Lists
AECA's public credential page describes the exam with seven broader topics: Anatomy and Physiology; Medical Terminology; Legal Issues; Infection Control; Patient Care; Therapeutic Modalities; and Administrative & Clerical Skills. The detailed PDF, by contrast, lists 14 sections, and the issuer does not explain how the two structures relate.
| Source | Structure | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| AECA credential page | Seven broad topics, including Infection Control and Therapeutic Modalities | High-level orientation; confirms the exam is clinical and administrative |
| Content outline PDF | 14 unweighted content sections | Your primary study checklist |
Notice that the seven-topic summary mentions Infection Control and Therapeutic Modalities, which are not named as standalone rows in the 14-section PDF. Rather than guess how AECA reconciles them, cover them as adjacent material: infection control fits naturally with safety and patient preparation, and modalities with patient care and assistive devices. Do not assume any specific modality subtopics are tested, since the sources do not list any.
Foundation Domains: Legal, Communication, Terminology, Anatomy, Disorders
Five of the 14 sections build the knowledge base that everything else sits on. They are the most "textbook" parts of the outline.
Domain 1: Legal & Ethics (Healthcare)
A rehabilitation therapy technician works under professional supervision, and this section is where scope-of-practice boundaries live. Be ready to separate what a technician may do under delegation from what requires a licensed therapist.
- Scope limits: delegated care versus independent practice
- Patient confidentiality and respectful handling of health information
- Ethical conduct and appropriate professional boundaries
Domain 2: Communication
In rehab settings, communication is a clinical tool: explaining an exercise, reassuring an anxious patient, and reporting changes to the supervising therapist accurately.
- Clear instructions to patients and families
- Reporting observations to the supervising professional
- Courteous, professional communication with team members
Domain 3: Medical Terminology
Learn word parts (prefixes, roots, suffixes) rather than memorizing isolated terms. Rehab charts and therapist instructions are dense with directional and anatomical language.
- Common prefixes, suffixes and root words
- Directional and positional terms
- Standard abbreviations used in clinical documentation
Domain 4: Anatomy & Physiology
For a rehab technician, the musculoskeletal and nervous systems carry the most practical weight, because they explain why a movement is assisted a certain way or why a positioning precaution exists.
- Major bones, joints and muscle groups
- Basic nervous, cardiovascular and respiratory function
- How body systems relate to movement and mobility
Domain 5: Common Disorders
Expect to connect conditions that bring patients to rehabilitation with the care considerations they imply. Study each disorder by what it limits, what a technician should watch for, and when to alert the therapist.
- Conditions commonly encountered in rehabilitation settings
- Typical functional limitations associated with each
- Observations that should be reported rather than handled alone
Because the sources do not publish sample items, how these topics are phrased on test day is not confirmed. A 2016 AECA handbook (an externally hosted historical copy, not verified as current) described multiple-choice knowledge questions, so build recall and application practice rather than essay-style preparation. Our RTT study guide covers how to turn this material into a plan.
Workplace Domains: Administration, Interviewing and Professionalism
Two sections cover the non-clinical side of the job, and candidates with clinical backgrounds sometimes underestimate them.
Domain 6: Basic Administrative Role
This section reflects the clerical duties that come with the role, which the seven-topic web summary labels Administrative & Clerical Skills. Think scheduling, record handling, supply and equipment tracking, and front-of-clinic support.
- Basic documentation and record-keeping habits
- Appointment and workflow support
- Accuracy and confidentiality in handling patient paperwork
Domain 13: Interviewing Skill/Job Application, Professional Presentation
This is an unusual heading for a credential outline, and it signals that AECA treats employability as part of competence. Prepare for questions about presenting yourself professionally, preparing application materials and conducting yourself in an interview.
- Professional appearance and workplace conduct
- Application and interview preparation basics
- Presenting credentials and experience clearly
These two sections are often the quickest points to secure, because the content is common-sense workplace practice. Candidates who skip them to spend more time on anatomy are trading easy review for hard review.
Emergency and Safety Domains: CPR, First Aid, Safety
Three sections form a safety cluster. They matter because rehab patients may be medically fragile, and a technician is often the person physically next to them when something goes wrong.
Domain 7: CPR
Review the sequence of recognizing an emergency, summoning help and starting compressions, and know that the content here is knowledge-based. Reading about CPR does not substitute for hands-on training, which many employers require separately.
- Recognizing cardiac and respiratory emergencies
- The basic order of response actions
- When and how to call for assistance in a facility
Domain 8: First Aid Training
Expect basic response to injuries and sudden illness: bleeding, falls, burns and similar situations. In a rehab gym, falls are a realistic scenario, so connect this section to patient mobility.
- Initial response to common injuries
- Responding to a fall or sudden change in condition
- Knowing when to stop an activity and get a licensed professional
Domain 9: Introduction To Safety
This section covers general safety practice in a care environment, including the infection control themes that the seven-topic web summary highlights.
- Hand hygiene and standard precautions
- Safe use of equipment and a hazard-free environment
- Protecting both the patient and yourself from injury
Hands-On Care Domains: Transfers, Vitals, Devices, Patient Care
The final four sections are the heart of the technician's daily work. Study these as step-by-step procedures with safety reasoning behind each step.
Domain 10: Patient Preparation/Transfers
Patient transfers are among the highest-risk tasks in rehabilitation, for the patient and for the person assisting. Be able to explain preparation before any move: checking the environment, confirming the patient understands the plan, and securing equipment.
- Preparing the patient and the area before a transfer
- Principles of safe body mechanics for the technician
- Common transfer scenarios, such as bed to chair, and the precautions each involves
Domain 11: Vital Signs
Know what each measurement is, how it is taken, and what an abnormal reading means for the next step. Vitals often decide whether a session proceeds, so questions may frame them as go/no-go judgment calls.
- Pulse, respiration, blood pressure and temperature
- Correct technique and common sources of measurement error
- Recognizing readings that must be reported before activity
Domain 12: Assistive Devices
Expect to recognize devices such as walkers, canes, crutches and wheelchairs, and to understand the basics of fit and safe use. Questions in this area tend to reward practical familiarity.
- Types of assistive devices and when each is used
- Basic checks for a safe, properly adjusted device
- Guarding and cueing a patient who is using a device
Domain 14: Patient Care Skills
This section ties the others together: positioning, comfort, hygiene support, observation and documentation of how a patient responded to care.
- Positioning and comfort measures
- Observing and reporting patient response
- Maintaining dignity and respect during care
Key Takeaway
Rehearse the hands-on sections out loud, step by step, as if coaching a patient. If you can narrate a transfer or a blood pressure reading in order, with the reason for each step, you are prepared for scenario questions in Domains 10 through 14.
Sequencing the Domains in Your Study Plan
Because AECA publishes no weights, order your study by dependency: vocabulary and anatomy first, because they make everything else easier to read, then the procedural sections, then the quick-win workplace topics. This is the one place a schedule helps, so here is a compact version tied to the outline.
Language and Body
- Domain 3: Medical Terminology
- Domain 4: Anatomy & Physiology
Conditions and Rules
- Domain 5: Common Disorders
- Domain 1: Legal & Ethics
- Domain 2: Communication
Safety Cluster
- Domains 7, 8 and 9: CPR, First Aid, Introduction To Safety
Procedures
- Domains 10, 11, 12 and 14: transfers, vitals, assistive devices, patient care
Workplace and Review
- Domains 6 and 13: administration and professional presentation
- Mixed practice across all 14 sections
Adjust the pace to your background. An experienced aide may shorten Weeks 3 and 4, while a career-changer may need to expand Week 1. For a quick final pass, see the RTT cheat sheet, and use the RTT practice tests to find which of the 14 areas still cost you points.
Format, Fees and Renewal: What Is and Is Not Verified
Several details that candidates most want are not published in a current, verifiable form, and it is better to know that up front than to rely on an unsourced number. Here is the honest picture.
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Question count and timer | Not publicly verified for the current exam; a 2016 handbook listed a maximum of 100 questions |
| Question format | 2016 handbook described multiple-choice knowledge questions; current item types not reconfirmed |
| Passing score | No current numeric cutoff verified |
| Initial exam fee | Current price not verified; the historical 2016 handbook listed USD 75 for members and USD 135 for non-members |
| Annual renewal | USD 50, with continuing education units (CEUs) through the renewal process |
| Reinstatement | USD 99 if expired under one year; USD 199 if expired over one but under two years |
| Testing delivery | Handled through AECA's registration and testing-site process; online versus test-center arrangement not verified |
Eligibility has several routes: education or training (in the US or internationally), work experience with employer verification, or military education and experience with supporting documentation. Specific current thresholds for age, hours and months of experience were not confirmed in the retrieved live material, so check AECA's registration page directly. Our pages on RTT requirements, RTT certification cost and the RTT passing score track these details as they are confirmed.
Where These Skills Get Used
The role provides delegated rehabilitation care under professional supervision. That means the credential supports work alongside physical and occupational therapists, not in place of them. It is not a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant license, and it does not grant authority to practice independently.
The 14 domains map neatly onto a typical day: preparing a patient and the room (Domains 9 and 10), checking vitals (Domain 11), setting up and monitoring assistive devices (Domain 12), assisting with exercises and comfort (Domain 14), communicating with the therapist (Domain 2), and keeping the clinic running (Domain 6). Typical settings include outpatient therapy clinics, skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities, and hospital therapy departments. For openings and role descriptions, browse our RTT jobs overview, and for the money side see the RTT salary guide. Note that no certification-specific salary uplift has been verified, so weigh value using our ROI analysis rather than a promised raise.
FAQ
No weights are published. AECA's content outline lists 14 unweighted content sections, so no domain can be called the highest-weighted. Plan to cover all of them.
The credential page gives seven broader topics, while the detailed PDF lists 14 content sections. AECA does not explain the difference, so use the 14-section PDF as your checklist and the seven topics as context.
Patient Preparation/Transfers, Vital signs, Assistive Devices and Patient Care Skills are the procedural sections. Practice describing each step and the reason behind it, since scenario-style questions reward that reasoning.
The current count is not publicly verified. A historical 2016 AECA handbook listed a maximum of 100 questions for this credential, but that is not a guaranteed current figure. Confirm with AECA at registration.
Renewal is annual and costs USD 50, with CEUs completed through the renewal process. AECA's materials do not publish a fixed credit quantity, so check the current CEU manual or renewal portal for specifics.
For a full overview of the credential itself, start with What Is RTT?, and when you are ready to test your recall across all 14 sections, work through the full-length questions on the RTT Exam Prep practice test site.