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Physical Therapy Jobs

Congratulations!  As you read this you are either about to graduate, you have recently graduated from physical therapy school or you have decided to make a career change. No matter what your story, I am confident that you have worked hard to get where you are and today is a new beginning for you. As you embark on your job search, please be sure not to lose sight of the American Physical Therapy Association’s “Vision 2020” (www.apta.org/vision2020) and more importantly your own initial reasons for choosing physical therapy as your profession.  It can be easy to get caught up in a myriad of details that take you away from who you are and what you represent.  After nearly 20 years in physical therapy, I have compiled the eight most critical things to consider when choosing a physical therapy position.

The first three years of your physical therapy career are critical for you to establish yourself. This means finding a group that will support you as a clinician, allow you some freedoms and autonomy in your practice, and yet provide you with guidance and support to help you develop your skills. Your name will be on many physical therapy progress reports to physicians. It will be hard for physicians to consider you an “expert” in their minds if you are working for a physical therapy practice or organization that is not toward the top of their referral list. Physicians and the public have clear ideas of how each clinic/organization in their area is perceived. Beginning your career with a clinic or organization that is not reaching for the stars will limit you until you are able to break free of that image, which will take a lot of effort, patience, and time. Often physical therapy clinics can pay you a higher base salary or benefits, but do not provide you the support staff you need to truly put your best foot forward. And while other practices are redefining how physical therapy is performed, you and your practice will fall by the wayside and ultimately your salary and benefits will suffer.

I became involved in physical therapy to help people live healthier happier lives in 1990. Since 2004, when I opened BreakThrough Physical Therapy in Sunnyvale, California, I learned about the effect I could truly have on people through the hiring, training, and promotion of an exceptional staff. I implore you to find a physical therapy organization that shares your values and can provide you the best overall environment and long-term opportunities.

You must realize as you go for personal interviews, and even through the interview scheduling process, that the support staff and environment reflects on you just as your choice of clothing and grooming habits do each day you leave your residence.  If you are serious about your career and your image, you must find an organization that is truly excelling in all aspects and can legitimately provide you the tools— compensation package, environment, mentorship, and reputation — to help you succeed.

Too many people think about the short term, specifically their debt, and look for a physical therapy job with the greatest salary to help pay the bills. The problem I have seen many people make in my 20 plus years in physical therapy is that they fail to fully assess the entire compensation package.  I will address many of the specifics in greater detail throughout the remainder of this article; however here are some other basic areas that you should fully evaluate:

• Continuing Education
• Salary
• Health Insurance
• APTA Membership Support
• CPR and First Aid Financing
• 401k and/or Profit Sharing
• Additional Value
• Physical Space
• Support Staff
• Culture
• Vacation/Sick/Paid Time Off
• Philanthropic and Community Involvement
• Layout and Amenities of the Facility in General
• Vision for Their Future and How You Could Fit Into It
• The Overall Ability for a Facility to Represent and Support You and Your Career While Allowing You to Provide the Highest Level of Care for Your Patients.

There are eight key factors to consider when assessing the entire compensation package offered by a facility:

Current Reputation in the Community (Public and Medical Communities)

The reputation held by a physical therapy organization, as viewed by the public and medical communities alike, is a good place to start. Obviously, the better the organization’s reputation, the better your reputation and trust from patients will be especially as you are starting your career. Your patients and the referring physicians will have a greater level of initial confidence in you based on the association to a well-respected organization.

 Perceived Work Environment and Organizational Efficiency

As you begin communication with any physical therapy facility in regards to a potential job/career opportunity, you should get a feel for the level of organization and efficiency that exists. You can do this by considering their e-mail and phone communication with you, your initial impression of the facility in regards to cleanliness and friendliness of the staff, as well as how organized they are.  Certainly every office has its busy days and times and you may have simply contacted them on a crazy day. But if it always seems “crazy” this could be a red flag you should definitely consider.

Also, look around. Is it busy?  If it is not busy and staff is hanging out on the Internet or texting their friends at the front desk, this may also be a sign about the potential instability of the company and ultimately your position. If people have time for this and this sub-par level of effort is tolerated then what will that mean for your long term job security and support when you need assistance?

 Long-Term Growth Potential

You need to ask yourself if you want to be a staff physical therapist for the rest of your career or if you think you might be interested in management or other opportunities in the future.  Finding an organization that has some plans for how you can grow with the company will allow you to be successful with that organization for years to come. You can always leave an organization for another opportunity; however transitions are never easy and can impact your career in a negative fashion. You will develop legitimate relationships with patients, physicians, and staff alike. Breaking free from an organization that you determine is not meeting your needs the way you had hoped it would, could bring challenges you did not anticipate.

 Facilities

The way a physical therapy facility presents both online and in reality is critical as this is the first impression all of your patients and referring physicians will have. Your overall job satisfaction may be limited if the facility is small, old, cramped, and you don’t have much personal desk space and privacy for charting or follow up calls to physicians/patients or your own family as needed.  If the equipment is old and outdated, then maybe all of the systems and philosophies of the organization are also old and outdated. If they put a high emphasis on the latest and greatest technology, they may not be placing enough value on their staff.

 One-on-One Patient Time and Support Staff

More may not be better.  As with anything there can be a point of diminishing returns.  The amount of time you are allotted per patient can significantly impact your ability to succeed with each of them.  You have to think about the right balance for you.  Some physical therapy clinics offer a longer time for evaluations and a shorter time for follow up visits while others maintain the same treatment duration regardless.  Some clinics will boast a one hour or even longer one-on-one treatment session for all patients, but provide limited or no administrative or aide/tech support for you.  As a result, you may not be able to utilize modalities or you are spending your time doing modality setups, which do not require your level of expertise.  Some organizations will have their patients on the stationary bike for 15-20 minutes of this one hour session.  Most patients we treat do not typically require one-on-one constant contact from you while they are on a stationary bike.
Here are some questions you should ask during the interview process:
•    Am I expected to double or triple book myself?
•    How many patients am I expected to see in a day or week? And, how quickly do I have to achieve that?
•    What support will I get from an administrative and/or aide/tech standpoint?
•    What support will I get regarding documentation?
•    What are the technologies used by the clinic from a physical therapist, staff, and patient perspective? If you have a great group of physical therapists, but no infrastructure to support this great team administratively, this will negatively impact you and the associated patient and physician relationships.

 Stability, Salary Structure, and Productivity Bonuses

Are you comfortable in going with an organization that might have a lower base salary, but has solid productivity bonus plans in place?  Although it is comforting to know the salary you make up front, there are no guarantees.  If down the road, sometimes within months, the organization cannot support that salary, you could easily see a reduction in wages, hours, or layoffs.  Alternatively, if you had a reasonable base salary from a more stable organization with vision for the future, there could be good upside if you do well. Maybe they have a productivity bonus program established. As a result, your salary could far surpass that higher base salary at another clinic. You may actually enjoy the whole experience and have additional motivations to support you to achieve your best and grow to leadership roles in the future.

 Ethics and Integrity

If you are expected to operate unethically, this reflects on you too. Ask about how they handle billing and documentation. Finding a reputable organization that is open and honest is invaluable to your day to day enjoyment for what you do.
•    What is the policy on feedback and input?
•    Will my opinions and thoughts be heard? Or, is it a dictatorship and I just come in, do my work, and leave?

 Professional Development Support

Most states now require a minimum number of continuing education coursework as a pre-requisite for license renewal.  Be sure to ask:
•    How do you view continuing education and how will I be supported?
•    Do you offer financial support for APTA membership dues?
•    Are there mentorship opportunities?
•    What is available to you for asking questions, discussing specific patients, and handling difficult patient, administrative and/or physician relationships or issues?

If you are interested in an outpatient, orthopedic physical therapy position in the South Bay and have a clear idea of what you are looking for in an organization, please visit www.BreakThroughPT.com and feel free to submit your detailed cover letter with short and long term goals and verifiable resume to:
BreakThrough Physical Therapy, Inc.
Attn: Human Resources (PT)
263 N. Mathilda Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA  94086

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