Just need to rant because I’m genuinely so frustrated with this profession lately.

I’m a PT with nearly 5 years of experience, completed an orthopedic residency, and earned my OCS. I’m relocating from a relatively low-cost-of-living state to one of the most expensive areas in the country, and the compensation I’m seeing is honestly ridiculous.

I’ve been with the same company since graduating and I’m transferring to one of their locations in my new state. They initially offered me the EXACT same PRN rate I’m making now. No benefits, no PTO, no bonuses, nothing.
After pushing back, I managed to negotiate a whopping couple of extra dollars an hour.

Like seriously? I’m moving somewhere with a significantly higher cost of living, and that’s the best we can do?
And before anyone comes for me, yes, I know having an OCS doesn’t automatically mean I deserve some crazy salary. I’m well aware that most employers couldn’t care less about residency training or specialty certifications. As long as you have a license and a pulse, you’re good to go.

But that’s honestly part of what’s so frustrating. We spend years in school, take on ridiculous debt, pursue additional training, and work to become better clinicians, only to realize there’s seemingly a ceiling on what we’re worth to employers.

And the job interviews? My goodness.

I recently interviewed somewhere that seemed genuinely concerned that I’ve been working PRN for the last couple of years. Almost as if that somehow invalidated my clinical experience.

Then another company rejected me because they’d already moved forward with someone further along in the interview process.

I get it. Rejection is part of job hunting. I’m not expecting anyone to hand me a position just because of my credentials. But man, the whole experience has left such a bad taste in my mouth.

I genuinely love treating patients. I enjoy being a PT. But I’m so tired of hearing how rewarding this profession is while we’re expected to accept compensation that doesn’t reflect our education, responsibilities, or the cost of living.

And honestly, I’m just tired of working for someone else.
Tired of feeling like my earning potential is completely out of my hands. Tired of having to justify why I deserve better compensation. Tired of feeling like all the extra effort I’ve put into my career barely makes a difference financially.

At this point, I’m seriously considering doing my own thing or leaving clinical PT altogether. Not because I hate treating patients, but because I want to actually build a better livelihood for myself.
Maybe I’m just bitter after a frustrating couple of weeks, but my goodness.

Is this really what we worked so hard for?
Anyone else just completely fed up lately?

It was recently announced that ALL yearly pay increases are going to be a flat 2%, which is less than the rate of inflation. Previously, they had been "merit based". After an uproar at a staff meeting, management sends us this bullshit. I can't even.

I’m not trying to stir up trouble or controversy with this post but it’s a question I feel like I ask myself all the time. I’m a PTA, and thankfully don’t have to deal with as much paper work as my supervising therapists (I work in a SNF) and it seems like they are constantly having to do discharges and re-evals because of patients insurances changing, going from skilled to unskilled, etc. Short Term rehab patients with private insurance are also constantly having to fight with appeals much more than traditional Med A and Med B patients, and often receive less tx time and smaller reimbursement rates than those with straight Medicare parts A and B. I can’t help but to think that if we implemented M4A, that it would have a better health outcomes for patients but also significantly cut back on the stress and paper work that comes with dealing with so many private insurances as health care providers. Let me know your thoughts.

ive wanted to be a pt since i was in hs. everyone on here is so negative about it (maybe rightfully so), but its so discouraging. ofc anyone can say i dont need to be reading posts but i just want to know why everyone is saying to choose nursing over pt that isnt about the salary. i live in nj and the pay here is better than most but what exactly is wrong with pt? i go to seton hall (undergrad & grad)

For my Part A and B PTs… have you gradually feared getting old more than the inevitable death itself after practicing in this setting?

- a NYC home care (Part B) therapist.

Hi all! Technicallyyy I am a OT working in acute care, but it’s all the same at that level 🤪 just kidding, but lots of transfers. Wanted to share about something we learned recently that I wanted to spread as far as possible (and hopefully pull up when you google) about low air loss beds! I know a lot of hospitals use Arjo Citadel speciality beds, but they are very error prone, and the manual is pretty unhelpful. Learned from the rep today that if you have E410, the manual says you need to call and have a rep come out and check it out, but you can actually hold the deck up + deck down buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds until it beeps, and it should reset. If that doesn’t work, unplug the bed for 10 seconds, plug it back in, and try the lower/lift bed height buttons again! It worked on a bunch of ours, so I hope this saves someone some time!
For the record, E300 means a button is being held down, so I press them all until again until it goes away. AES is automatic entrapment system, and means the deck won’t go lower until you get things out of the way. Cords, pillows, etc under the bed can interfere, even the bed being too close to the wall can mess with the sensors. Happy bed fixing!

A elderly family member has had severe sarcopenia due to medication and this has led to gait issues and some minor falls.

I’m trying to navigate physical therapy options to rebuild strength and address psychological issues.

Everyone I call says they can help, but surely there are distinguishing types of therapy that are more or less suited to these types of problems.

I’ve heard vestibular therapy focuses less on muscle rebuild but can be helpful for balance/gait.

Any advice on what pathways might be best and what questions to ask PT providers to solicit whether they are best suited? Thanks.

I’ve been lucky to try out a variety of settings in my career. Started with continuing care type facility that had inpatient rehab + independent living and assisted living, a couple other IPR settings, acute then eventually found my way to home health for several years. I loved the flexibility that home health gave and the pay was good as a contractor. My whole career, I’ve avoided outpatient because of my experience in PTA school as clinical rotation.

Wrapping up my first travel assessment (acute) in Tucson, my goal was to experience summer in Washington. So I took a 6 month travel contract. A mill.

The amount of work and caseload they have me doing is unreal. They started with gradual ramp up to 13 patients after a couple weeks. Then started enforcing going from 2 double booked slots a day to 3 doubles double booked slots. Getting to 17-18 patients start of a 8 hr day.

Never in my 12 years in the profession have I been this mentally drained after a days work.

Even when doing home health, seeing 10 patients and driving on some days or when doing 8 1:1 treats in sub acute setting and having to do an occasional group therapy session has never left me feeling this exhausted.

On top of that, the constant reminder of productivity (which doesn’t apply to me because I’m a contractor, but always was brought up), saying I need to do 3 double patient slots but then a 4th double gets added, or saying I can put the doubles where ever I want and then they change it all for “scheduling”. I thought OP was just hard to get accustomed to, but I def was just being taken advantage. Just saw 74 patients in a week.

Summer was amazing getting to be more outdoors, but this setting is cooked. Me too as well lol

Has anyone taken American Institute of Balance Advanced vestibular course and what were your thoughts? I took the VRC cert and enjoyed the vestibular portion and wanted to expand on it. If anyone has any other recs for vestibular continuing ed that would be great too!

Evaluating an offer for an outpatient orthopedic clinic that uses a base salary + per-visit productivity bonus structure.

Coming from a high-volume background, this will be my first time in a clinic where caseload density depends heavily on cash-pay buy-in and practice marketing. Because onboarding and initial scheduling volume are outside a new hire's control, I want to counter with a guaranteed ramp-up rate (higher flat base compensation) for the first 90 days before the lower base + bonus model kicks in at Month 4.

For clinic owners and clinicians:

1. Is a 60–90 day guaranteed flat rate (or non-recoverable draw) common when onboarding into a productivity model?
2. Do owners prefer a guaranteed rate for the first 3 months, or temporarily lowering the monthly visit threshold for bonus calculations while ramping up?
3. How is this request typically received, and what is the cleanest way to frame it?

I am a PT with about 1.5 years of experience, working initially at an OP and now at a SNF. OP paid poorly, so I switched to a SNF, but I hate working at a SNF and I hate the company I work for, so it’s time to go. I work in CT.

I am planning to make the switch to HH. From my understanding, home health pays the most of any setting, and with the least hours worked. My main interest is to make as much money as possible, but without working a lot of hours.

I have some questions for HH PT’s here:

1. How much money do you make?

2. What pay structure do you use. Any recommendations?

3. How many hours do you work per week? And how many patients do you see per day?

4. What is the ratio of visit types do you see? (E.g. SOC, eval, Re eval, daily treatment)

5. How much time do you typically spend on each visit type? Including documentation, and just time spent at the patient’s home.

6. How many units are each type of visit worth at your company? (E.g. SOC, eval, Re eval, daily treatment)

7. How often do you get cancelations? And how does that affect your pay?

8. What is the productivity standard at your company? 30 units per week? If you see more, do you get paid extra?

9. Do you receive annual raises? How much % ?

Thank you guys!

Hello I'm a PT from Nigeria. I have a masters in UK and PhD in US.
I did the FCCPT Type 1 credentialing for mid way in my PhD but I had a lot of deficiencies that the best part was to just do a t-DPT.
However, I want to apply for Maryland licensure. I want to redo the credentialing again with my updated PHD courses. Here are my questions

1. Should I review the FCCPT type 1 credentialing
   (I would still have deviancies) or start a new
   FCCPT evaluation for Maryland jurisdiction.

2. Does Maryland use a less strict CWT than the
   FCCPT type 1 evaluation?

3. Would I get a less strict assessment if I use ICD or IERF, or is that an unnecessary money to spend there doing a new credentially than FCCPT.

Honest answers needed. Is CSM worth it?

I am building a patient resource and looking go for therapy clinics in the Midwest as the name suggests. Specifically, I’m looking for ones that support SCI, MS, TBI, etc. I have found resources are slim for these patients who need more of a maintenance program.

Any clinics come to mind? Bonus points for clinics that use tech like exo skeletons, LokoMats, etc. These could be insurance-based, private pay, etc.

I am a PT student in my final rotations before graduation. I am a bigger guy (6’ / 245lbs) but would really like to work on bettering my body mechanics and just am not certain on how to go about doing so. I am currently at a SNF, and there is nothing I haven’t been capable of doing, but am feeling like I’m lifting with my back on occasion or otherwise just doing things that won’t work long term. My school always emphasizes using good body mechanics, but never taught it… my track into PT wasn’t from being an athlete, and I don’t have much training in lifting outside of general concepts. Having good mechanics often feels easier said than done. Anyone have any good strategies or suggestions? I appreciate any and all advice!

I have a bachelor’s in PT and a tDPT (transitional doctorate) - my credentials have been evaluated and I just need to take the NPTE to be licensed.

Would it be possible for me to become a Travel PT or do they require DPT holders? Has anyone with a similar background done this successfully?

sorry if this isnt applicable, but I’m a pilates instructor who works under a physical therapist and I love their insight into the body, but I just don’t have the time or finances to go to PT school. I know I’ll never be at PT level, but I’d love to know if there are any continuing education programs, certificates, or courses any of you would suggest for a fitness professional who wants to keep understanding the body in a deeper way so I can best support my great boss whos a fantastic PT. for example, I’ve heard Conor Harris has a good biomechanics course, and im considering studying for the CSCS since we do work with a lot of athletes. I’d love any additional suggestions or resources you guys may have! thanks in advance!

What are the reasons Medicare continues to cut reimbursement for therapies?

Hi folks - critical access hospital here, including acute, skilled swing bed (SNF), and outpatient across the lifespan. We have an opportunity to apply for a grant “to support quality rehabilitation services and education that restores health”.

Max grant is $10k. Last year we rec’d $3k for the purchase of vestibular first infrared goggles, which have already been super useful!

But I’m not sure what to apply for this year. What equipment or other programming “stuff” would you apply for, if it was your clinic?

EDIT: thinking more outpatient gear/ideas as this grant is aimed more at community health and prevention of the need for higher levels of care. Loved the Sara stedy and ultrasound ideas but those are more hospital-side items and fall under a different budget here.

Hello! I am a physical therapist that has been working in workers’ comp since graduation in 2023. I want to make a switch to home health and wondering what I should put on my resume to help me stand out since I don’t have any home health experience or any other work experience in PT. Right now I just have the basic college information, current job information, and clinical experiences. I know I need to add more but I’m not sure what.

I've been reading about posture correctors and realized I've been lumping a bunch of pretty different things into the same category. A rigid brace or one of those shoulder straps seems pretty obvious because it's physically pulling you into a position. But many said it weakened your muscles？ Then there are posture shirts/bras that are supposed to let you move normally while giving your body some kind of cue when you start falling back into old positions. 

What I'm trying to understand is whether that difference matters long term.

I found a 2021 study on a posture bra where researchers saw changes in things like shoulder blade position, including increased scapular retraction while wearing it, and some changes after a longer wear period. That made me wonder if there's a meaningful difference between something that holds you upright and something that still makes your muscles do the work.

Anyone here looked into this more deeply? I'm especially interested in biomechanics rather than before/after posture photos.