4 answers
mariah
Student
Elk River, Minnesota
3
Questions
Asked
1623 views
How is it possible to grow in the physical therapy career after getting a job ?
I want to know if I'll be stuck in the same position forever. Like are raises possible.
4 answers
Michael Bell
Occupational Therapist
3
Answers
Cape Coral, Florida
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Hi Mariah! I am the manager of a therapy department in a hospital in Florida. This is a great question to ask. Not many people want to do the exact same job their entire career.
Getting your PT degree can open so many doors. Not only can you work in many settings (schools, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, etc), but you can also use your PT knowledge to work in many other leadership roles in healthcare. You could be like myself and become a manager of a rehab facility, or you could do some additional schooling to move up in the business side of healthcare. At my hospital, one of the directors of a ER is a PT.
And like most jobs, you typically get yearly raises and can make more depending on your specialty.
Hope that helps and good luck!
Getting your PT degree can open so many doors. Not only can you work in many settings (schools, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, etc), but you can also use your PT knowledge to work in many other leadership roles in healthcare. You could be like myself and become a manager of a rehab facility, or you could do some additional schooling to move up in the business side of healthcare. At my hospital, one of the directors of a ER is a PT.
And like most jobs, you typically get yearly raises and can make more depending on your specialty.
Hope that helps and good luck!
Margaret Landry
Physical therapy assistant
6
Answers
Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Updated
Margaret’s Answer
There are many avenues for advancement in physical therapy. At my facility we have a career ladder where therapist can be involved with training tools , research, management.
There are also therapists who work for insurance companies , work hardening to prepare people to return to work.
It may be wise to spend time at a facility to witness and speak with a team of therapists.
There are also therapists who work for insurance companies , work hardening to prepare people to return to work.
It may be wise to spend time at a facility to witness and speak with a team of therapists.
Andrea C Wooldridge White, PT, DPT, FPHC, cert. HGP-I
Physical Therapist
7
Answers
Northport, Alabama
Updated
Andrea C Wooldridge’s Answer
I have worked in just about every setting you can imagine. Your salary is often directly tied to the reimbursement from insurance providers. As Medicare cuts occur, performance raises declined. However, when I worked for non-hospital-based outpatient clinics, I rarely saw therapists get raises unless you increased your productivity (how many patients you see in a day) or provided some sort of administrative/management services. The only way to get a raise in most of those clinics required leaving and taking a position with another clinic and negotiating a higher wage. However, the hospital based and non-for-profit entities typically had a more formalized semi-annual and annual performance review that informed your annual cost of living and performance-based increases in salary. Schools don't pay as much, but the hours are AMAZING (academic calendar and hours worked are the same as the students) which opens you up to side hustles as your desire for money vs life:work balance fluctuates. Maintain good relations with companies, because this is usually where you get your bonus hours. Example: You leave Hospital A in good standing to work for Outpatient Clinic B. Hospital A manager may call you to cover an evening or weekend on occasion to cover vacations or sick days. You get extra money and experience, while Hospital A manager have reliable coverage from a PT that knows the facility.
My background in tech/programming set me up to leverage positions requiring higher levels of technical skills as well as being the default IT support and telepractice provider. This resulted in better negotiating ability for flexible schedule or higher pay. A background in business administration or social work is an EXCELLENT stepping stone into management or administration. Check out Indeed or similar sites to see what the "minimum" and "preferred" experience and education requirements are for non-clinical positions in rehab settings to make informed decisions about your undergraduate or supplemental masters programs options.
Make sure to check non-compete clauses in your employment agreement, which may limit your ability to float between facilities. I have held a contract (irregular work of contracts pays at a much higher rate than "regular" or permanent part-time or permanent full-time positions) with a school-based organization for 13 years and disclosed this during the hiring process whenever I took a regular/permanent position. That way, it was built into my flex schedule to take a few days/half days during fall and spring to perform the school evaluations without negatively impacting my "regular" job.
Further, use you continuing education (your state will require 10-16 hours per year of ConEd to maintain professional licensure) to gain specialties. Depending on where you live, getting extra training or certification (often paid in part or in full by your employee benefits package) in treatment of patient populations like lymphedema, pelvic health, dry needling, vestibular/concussions, etc. will yield salary increases and additional sign-on or retention bonuses. This also keeps you from getting bored treating the same generic patient population for 20-30 years of a career.
Lastly, geography matters. Densely populated areas typically have higher concentration of skilled labor, which means getting paid less unless you have a specialty training or management track. Rural areas have fewer licensed professionals, so they typically will pay more. This may mean more driving. For example, Home Health PT in Birmingham, AL may have a 3 mile radius region to cover. A Home Health PT in Tuscaloosa, AL may have a 45 mile radius region, driving up to 2 hours between clients. If covering home health (or early intervention) in patient homes or schools, make sure to discuss geographic regions covered, who helps with scheduling (who helps you avoid zigzagging across 3 counties), and how they deal with wear-and-tear on a personal vehicle + drive time reimbursement + gas costs as part of your reimbursement package. $75/visit may sound like a lot, but not if you have to spend $4/gallon in gas and drive 2 hours between patients. $50/visit may sound like poor pay, but it is pretty good if they give you a gas card, a work vehicle, and you have 5 minutes between houses.
My background in tech/programming set me up to leverage positions requiring higher levels of technical skills as well as being the default IT support and telepractice provider. This resulted in better negotiating ability for flexible schedule or higher pay. A background in business administration or social work is an EXCELLENT stepping stone into management or administration. Check out Indeed or similar sites to see what the "minimum" and "preferred" experience and education requirements are for non-clinical positions in rehab settings to make informed decisions about your undergraduate or supplemental masters programs options.
Make sure to check non-compete clauses in your employment agreement, which may limit your ability to float between facilities. I have held a contract (irregular work of contracts pays at a much higher rate than "regular" or permanent part-time or permanent full-time positions) with a school-based organization for 13 years and disclosed this during the hiring process whenever I took a regular/permanent position. That way, it was built into my flex schedule to take a few days/half days during fall and spring to perform the school evaluations without negatively impacting my "regular" job.
Further, use you continuing education (your state will require 10-16 hours per year of ConEd to maintain professional licensure) to gain specialties. Depending on where you live, getting extra training or certification (often paid in part or in full by your employee benefits package) in treatment of patient populations like lymphedema, pelvic health, dry needling, vestibular/concussions, etc. will yield salary increases and additional sign-on or retention bonuses. This also keeps you from getting bored treating the same generic patient population for 20-30 years of a career.
Lastly, geography matters. Densely populated areas typically have higher concentration of skilled labor, which means getting paid less unless you have a specialty training or management track. Rural areas have fewer licensed professionals, so they typically will pay more. This may mean more driving. For example, Home Health PT in Birmingham, AL may have a 3 mile radius region to cover. A Home Health PT in Tuscaloosa, AL may have a 45 mile radius region, driving up to 2 hours between clients. If covering home health (or early intervention) in patient homes or schools, make sure to discuss geographic regions covered, who helps with scheduling (who helps you avoid zigzagging across 3 counties), and how they deal with wear-and-tear on a personal vehicle + drive time reimbursement + gas costs as part of your reimbursement package. $75/visit may sound like a lot, but not if you have to spend $4/gallon in gas and drive 2 hours between patients. $50/visit may sound like poor pay, but it is pretty good if they give you a gas card, a work vehicle, and you have 5 minutes between houses.
Cynthia Doyle PT, DPT, CCI
Physical Therapist
12
Answers
Cheboygan, Michigan
Updated
Cynthia’s Answer
Hello,
It's great that you are asking questions ahead of time while making a career decision. I think your question is two-part.
Will you be stuck in the same position? If you do not want to be, you absolutely do not have to be. That is something wonderful about the field of physical therapy. There are so many different types of settings for work. I am retired now, but during my career I worked in: small acute care hospital, large teaching hospital, home health care, skilled care, out patient orthopedics (15 years), pediatric school setting-preschool through high school (17 years) and education (professor and director of a physical therapist assistant program (6 years). I loved the variety throughout my career.
Regarding your question about income raises, physical therapy in general is not a profession with large jumps in income. Many work settings have predefined income ranges. Therapists get raises, but not tremendous raises. You can increase your salary by changing settings. For example, PTs who work in skilled care generally have higher salaries than PTs who work in the pediatric school setting. (Personally, when I worked with kids in the schools, I also did some evaluations at a skilled care facility from time to time after school or on weekends or on school breaks and earned extra income that way). I agree with the previous answer---there is a path to larger incomes by getting into administration of some sort.
Good luck with your career decision.
Cindy
It's great that you are asking questions ahead of time while making a career decision. I think your question is two-part.
Will you be stuck in the same position? If you do not want to be, you absolutely do not have to be. That is something wonderful about the field of physical therapy. There are so many different types of settings for work. I am retired now, but during my career I worked in: small acute care hospital, large teaching hospital, home health care, skilled care, out patient orthopedics (15 years), pediatric school setting-preschool through high school (17 years) and education (professor and director of a physical therapist assistant program (6 years). I loved the variety throughout my career.
Regarding your question about income raises, physical therapy in general is not a profession with large jumps in income. Many work settings have predefined income ranges. Therapists get raises, but not tremendous raises. You can increase your salary by changing settings. For example, PTs who work in skilled care generally have higher salaries than PTs who work in the pediatric school setting. (Personally, when I worked with kids in the schools, I also did some evaluations at a skilled care facility from time to time after school or on weekends or on school breaks and earned extra income that way). I agree with the previous answer---there is a path to larger incomes by getting into administration of some sort.
Good luck with your career decision.
Cindy
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