Salary for traveling Physical therapist

as a traveling therapist I made $45/hr. do the math that was pretty damn good. as a Per Diem PT during med school I have had offers from 37-42/hr. as a full time salaried therapist expect between 25-30/hr depending on setting and region.

if you have no ties at this point keeping you in a certain area SERIOUSLY consider a traveling position. some of my best friends from PT school are doing this while working in desirable areas (hawaii for one) and doing quite well for themselves. their companies pay for housing, phone, plus a great hourly rate and some throw in extras

-J

that's where you have to make sure you work for a reputable company. the guys I know who are out there working have a say in where they go and how long they stay. they also haven't worked at any "crappy" places. my one buddy is a PT in hawaii and has been there almost 2 years now (he's basically learned how to write his own contract and is working as a "contract therapist" basically a traveling therapist).

I have 2 classmates who were bf/gf and are now engaged or probably married by now and they traveled together i think via different companies. you may not be able to work in the same office or you may, depends on the need. there are soooo many places out there that need extra therapists today that you are more likely to find a good place than a bad place to work. i heard horror stories from my profs too but when i got out there it was a different scene than they had painted.

remember you have the power to negotiate so make them fit your needs or move on to the next company.

best of luck

-J

Hi guys

After reading all of your salary responses, I am quite shocked at how little money you PTs make. I am a PTA here in the MidWest, just newly graduated, and I am already making money in the mid 60s. Sounds like you guys are being underpaid , or just letting somebody else make the big money.

And I'm not busting my chops, this is just a regular weekday 40hrs/week job with low stress and easy administration.

Just for your information!

BigBucksPTA said:

Hi guys

After reading all of your salary responses, I am quite shocked at how little money you PTs make. I am a PTA here in the MidWest, just newly graduated, and I am already making money in the mid 60s. Sounds like you guys are being underpaid , or just letting somebody else make the big money.

And I'm not busting my chops, this is just a regular weekday 40hrs/week job with low stress and easy administration.

Just for your information!

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Interesting .. thats seems pretty high for a PTA .. and how much do the PTs make where you work?

ONstudentPT said:

Interesting .. thats seems pretty high for a PTA .. and how much do the PTs make where you work?

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PT's make over 100K here in the role of rehab manager. I've not worked in too many facilities where PTs don't take on some kind of admin responsibility. My guesstimate talking to OTs and OTAs is that a PT wihout any admin responsibility would be making in the high 80s/low 90s where I'm located, which is in Indiana.

BigBucksPTA said:

PT's make over 100K here in the role of rehab manager. I've not worked in too many facilities where PTs don't take on some kind of admin responsibility. My guesstimate talking to OTs and OTAs is that a PT wihout any admin responsibility would be making in the high 80s/low 90s where I'm located, which is in Indiana.

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It's very rare to see a PT making 100k plus.......unless he/she has 10+ years of PT and admin experience.

Anyone else agree with me?

Shah_Patel_PT said:

It's very rare to see a PT making 100k plus.......unless he/she has 10+ years of PT and admin experience.

Anyone else agree with me?

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I would disagree .. I know of PTs who make over 100k .. without 10 years experience or admin experience... they either own thier own clinic or work 40-50 hours a week at more then one job.

The median expected salary for a typical Physical Therapist in Indianapolis, IN 46240, is $65,742. This basic market pricing report was prepared using our Certified Compensation Professionals' analysis of survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at employers of all sizes, industries and geographies.


Physical Therapist 25th%ile Median 75th%ile
Indianapolis, IN 46240 $61,016 $65,742 $70,113


this is from salarywizard.com

I agree with Shah, very rare to see a PT making >100K

DOctorJay said:

The median expected salary for a typical Physical Therapist in Indianapolis, IN 46240, is $65,742. This basic market pricing report was prepared using our Certified Compensation Professionals' analysis of survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at employers of all sizes, industries and geographies.


Physical Therapist 25th%ile Median 75th%ile
Indianapolis, IN 46240 $61,016 $65,742 $70,113


this is from salarywizard.com

I agree with Shah, very rare to see a PT making >100K

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I would agree that those are fairly accurate numbers for salaried positions in in-patient settings. However .. the median income for a PT who owns a fairly successful private clinic is around 90-100k with the potential to make even more. And even as an employee .. your income would depend on the amount of hours you are willing to work .. I personally know of PTs who work 40-50hours a week and make up to 100k. Also a PT who has Advanced Manual Therapy training and severals years of experience working at out-patient clinics should be getting around 75-85k otherwise they are getting ripped off. I would take the information of some surveys with a grain of salt.. its very difficult to get a true sense of the net income of someone who owns a business thats why I would rely on income information from PTs who are in the field rather then surveys and these are the typical incomes in my area.

ONstudentPT said:

I would agree that those are fairly accurate numbers for salaried positions in in-patient settings. However .. the median income for a PT who owns a fairly successful private clinic is around 90-100k with the potential to make even more. And even as an employee .. your income would depend on the amount of hours you are willing to work .. I personally know of PTs who work 40-50hours a week and make up to 100k. Also a PT who has Advanced Manual Therapy training and severals years of experience working at out-patient clinics should be getting around 75-85k otherwise they are getting ripped off. I would take the information of some surveys with a grain of salt.. its very difficult to get a true sense of the net income of someone who owns a business thats why I would rely on income information from PTs who are in the field rather then surveys and these are the typical incomes in my area.

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so people like me and my girlfriend who are both PTs

DOctorJay said:

so people like me and my girlfriend who are both PTs

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Ya or the several PTs that I work with and the PT owned clinics that I am working at right now. Surveys cant give you completely accurate information about net incomes of privately owned business. All the PTs who I know and work with who have advanced manual therapy training and several years of clinical experience working in the private sector make 70-90k ALL of them and the PTs that own thier own clinics generally make even more. Perhaps its different in your area.. do you and your GF own your own clinic?

no we don't own a clinic but we do live in the U.S. and if I remember correctly you live in Canada and are speaking about Canadian PTs (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). We also have multiple friends from PT school who are practicing in every area of the field who are NOT making the money you are talking about even as managers.

I will agree however that in the Northeast you don't make as much as some other areas of the U.S. and that may be affecting my view.

I'm really not interested in arguing but want to provide the OP with a realistic view of the field in the U.S. for a new grad.

ONstudentPT said:

Ya or the several PTs that I work with and the PT owned clinics that I am working at right now. Surveys cant give you completely accurate information about net incomes of privately owned business. All the PTs who I know and work with who have advanced manual therapy training and several years of clinical experience working in the private sector make 70-90k ALL of them and the PTs that own thier own clinics generally make even more. Perhaps its different in your area.. do you and your GF own your own clinic?

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i have many friends in the profession as well. I only know of 1 person close to the 100k mark...and he is in california.

I reiterate....100K+ salary is very uncommon for the average and even above average PT.

DOctorJay said:

no we don't own a clinic but we do live in the U.S. and if I remember correctly you live in Canada and are speaking about Canadian PTs (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). We also have multiple friends from PT school who are practicing in every area of the field who are NOT making the money you are talking about even as managers.

I will agree however that in the Northeast you don't make as much as some other areas of the U.S. and that may be affecting my view.

I'm really not interested in arguing but want to provide the OP with a realistic view of the field in the U.S. for a new grad.

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Thats fair. I do live in Canada and perhaps things are different here in some ways. There is no reason for me to try to mislead anyone .. I can only comment about what I know here in my area. I do agree that hospital salaries are on the lower side somewhere around 60-75k.

Although I am from Canada.. its seems that also in the US a PT who owns a fairly succesfull clinic or is willing to work some over time ( 50 hours a week) can make over 100k .. am I wrong about this?....so my point is that it is not unrealistic to make a good living even as a PT.. just like with everything you get out of it what you are willing to put in. Ofcourse not everyone wants to own thier own clinic or work 50 hours a week.

ONstudentPT said:

Thats fair. I do live in Canada and perhaps things are different here in some ways. There is no reason for me to try to mislead anyone .. I can only comment about what I know here in my area. I do agree that hospital salaries are on the lower side somewhere around 60-75k.

Although I am from Canada.. its seems that also in the US a PT who owns a fairly succesfull clinic or is willing to work some over time ( 50 hours a week) can make over 100k .. am I wrong about this?....so my point is that it is not unrealistic to make a good living even as a PT.. just like with everything you get out of it what you are willing to put in. Ofcourse not everyone wants to own thier own clinic or work 50 hours a week.

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My point is....that the average PT can't buy his/her own clinic overnight. You need to work many years to be able to buy your own clinic. Once you do..it is like a business...where the sky is the limit....Although it is not very common to see PTs owning multiple clinics and making millions. (I know of 1 in the midwest, whom I worked under)

Shah_Patel_PT said:

My point is....that the average PT can't buy his/her own clinic overnight. You need to work many years to be able to buy your own clinic. Once you do..it is like a business...where the sky is the limit....Although it is not very common to see PTs owning multiple clinics and making millions. (I know of 1 in the midwest, whom I worked under)

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I know several PTs who didnt buy there clinic from anyone ... (you dont need to buy a clinic from anyone ).... but opened thier own after a few years of practise.. but ofcourse there is risk .. it depends on whether you are willing to take the risk and put in the hard work .. its not for everyone .. I know PTs working in hospitals making 65-70k working 37 hours a week and happy and satisfied.

I am a PT with 2yrs. experience in outpatient ortho. The less experienced PTs and myself make 65-70K out here in So Cal. I work with several highly experienced PTs and OTs, one with his FAAOMPT, and the avg hourly rate for all clinicians in my clinic is only $1-2 dollars more per hour than my rate.

These rates are nowhere near 100k/year. In fact an OT friend with nearly 20 yrs experience with here CHT credential is at/near 78k.

dubpt said:

I am a PT with 2yrs. experience in outpatient ortho. The less experienced PTs and myself make 65-70K out here in So Cal. I work with several highly experienced PTs and OTs, one with his FAAOMPT, and the avg hourly rate for all clinicians in my clinic is only $1-2 dollars more per hour than my rate.

These rates are nowhere near 100k/year. In fact an OT friend with nearly 20 yrs experience with here CHT credential is at/near 78k.

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thank you....! that is good info!

dubpt said:

I am a PT with 2yrs. experience in outpatient ortho. The less experienced PTs and myself make 65-70K out here in So Cal. I work with several highly experienced PTs and OTs, one with his FAAOMPT, and the avg hourly rate for all clinicians in my clinic is only $1-2 dollars more per hour than my rate.

These rates are nowhere near 100k/year. In fact an OT friend with nearly 20 yrs experience with here CHT credential is at/near 78k.

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Yes .. I would agree that is probably accurate for a typical PT who works regular hours. There however numerous PTs who choose to open thier own clinic and are making over 100k a year ... I am not sure why it is so hard for some on this forum to understand that...

After reading all the responses here, I guess myself and all other PTAs like me should consider ourselves real lucky to be getting the kind of dough that we do.

You guys should move to the midwest....... lol

Cyrus44 said:

Thanks so much your advise is very good. Do u have any companies that u recommended that i talk too that u think are reliable?

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I would recommend a company called MedTraveler's based out of Irvin, TX. They offer an hourly rate, daily housing/gas(rental)/per diem allowances 7 days a week, and free full medical/dental/vision. They also pay for your licensing and help with the process of getting it transferred to a different state. The allowances alone give you about $750/week for waking up in the morning. Average weekly paychecks are between $1450-1550, which ain't too bad. You can choose the state and setting, and can turn down any assigment if you don't feel it is a good fit. There is also another company called Nursespro, which has a 90/10 program. This means that if you find the assigment, their company will set up everything else and you pocket 90% of what you are billed out at. If you want them to find the assignment, it becomes an 80/20 split, which still is not bad if you get billed out at $60-80/hour. Just go to MedTravelers.com or nursespro.com for more information.

not married yet, did traveling before med school

Just to add in my info, my wife is an MSPT, graduated in 2000. As a full time employee with full benefits in acute care, she makes ~ 60k a year. Its a pretty sweet job and she has very few admin responsibilities (besides telling the Techs and PTAs which patients to see). She will be cutting back her hours to PRN now, that we are expecting our first baby (and I am at a full attending salary now). She has had jobs in FL/LA/VA and they all pay about the same.

Q

I'm not a physical therapist (just a pre-dent), but my sister has been a physical therapist for almost 3 years (with about 3 years PTA experience before getting her MPT).

We live in the Philadelphia region and there are plenty of PT jobs around here. She works as a home care PT and makes $60 per visit. Each visit is around 45 minutes to 1 hour. Being a workaholic, she does between 9-12 visits a day and sees a couple of patients on weekends. Her average gross is about $3000 per week (or around 150K per year). She does pay a lot of taxes (1099 instead of W-2) but her income is still pretty good. There is also profit-sharing in the company she works for so this adds quite a bit to her salary.

There are a lot of options with PT and I think that its a rewarding career. However, you have to go search to find the right job for you. I have seen job ads in Philadelphia for PT/OT that pays over $70/visit. You can even have your own PT company and hire PTs and make money while they do the work!

Im a physical therapist in the midwest area. I do various settings. Im a full time nursing home therapist and make $100k a year subject to increase annually with full benefits, purely clinical responsibilities (and of course, billing grids and that stuff). On the side, I do either home health or pediatric outpatient for about 4 hours as contract therapist. Home health pays $100-110 per treatment/eval, and around $100 per hour in pediatric out patient. I admit I make more than the average therapist makes, but I guess it is how you market your skills during an interview also that affects the outcome of your income.

InDemandPT said:

Im a physical therapist in the midwest area. I do various settings. Im a full time nursing home therapist and make $100k a year subject to increase annually with full benefits, purely clinical responsibilities (and of course, billing grids and that stuff). On the side, I do either home health or pediatric outpatient for about 4 hours as contract therapist. Home health pays $100-110 per treatment/eval, and around $100 per hour in pediatric out patient. I admit I make more than the average therapist makes, but I guess it is how you market your skills during an interview also that affects the outcome of your income.

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I've always admired you folks who do nursing home and peds, and mean that with all sincerity. I just don't have the constitution for it. I made $60 an hour doing home health and got tired of smelling like cat pee at the end of each day. I will settle for a more modest salary as an outpatient ortho PT. For me modest is between $70-80k in the south. I could make more money in a SNF, LTAC, or home health, but I would be putting a square peg into a round hole.

That's something to think about as well. Often the jobs that pay the most are the most physically or emotionally demanding. Just food for thought.

BigBucksPTA said:

Hi guys

After reading all of your salary responses, I am quite shocked at how little money you PTs make. I am a PTA here in the MidWest, just newly graduated, and I am already making money in the mid 60s. Sounds like you guys are being underpaid , or just letting somebody else make the big money.

And I'm not busting my chops, this is just a regular weekday 40hrs/week job with low stress and easy administration.

Just for your information!

Click to expand...

Hi. I am looking for job in Evansville IN area and if you earn that much, maybe you can help me find a good job.I guess you are the best resource.where do you work if you dont mind?

BigBucksPTA said:

After reading all the responses here, I guess myself and all other PTAs like me should consider ourselves real lucky to be getting the kind of dough that we do.

You guys should move to the midwest....... lol

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I agree with everything except for the part where I move to the midwest. I had a PTA wander into my clinic the other day asking for what most new grad PT's are making. Pretty ridiculous.

Your handle is very modest BigBucksPTA, was that you who came in?

I'm a home health P.T. in the Midwest as well. I make $32 dollars/hour, and have 5 years of experience in the setting. Where are you guys located? And by that, I mean, how close to the Omaha/Lincoln NE area. With these quotes of $60/visit and $100/hour, I'm seriously thinking of moving. Can you say recruitment bonus? PM if you want.

The salary for PT's is quite varied depending on insurance reimbursement. In NY you will find some of the lowest salaries for PT's. New grads can expect around $50k and in rural areas around 60k to start. If you want your own practice the sky is the limit. Home health is based upon number of visits and these agencies are very flexible so if you want to make a lot you can and vice versa.

InDemandPT said:

Im a physical therapist in the midwest area. I do various settings. Im a full time nursing home therapist and make $100k a year subject to increase annually with full benefits, purely clinical responsibilities (and of course, billing grids and that stuff). On the side, I do either home health or pediatric outpatient for about 4 hours as contract therapist. Home health pays $100-110 per treatment/eval, and around $100 per hour in pediatric out patient. I admit I make more than the average therapist makes, but I guess it is how you market your skills during an interview also that affects the outcome of your income.

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so what additional degrees/years of experience do you have to command such a high salary?? I just started my DPT at the UW and am curious...

If you don't mind the "Three P's" (Poop, pee, puke), working in LTACs and SNFs can earn you a very good living. It's some of the toughest and most depressing PT work you can do, although it can be very rewarding at times. It's just a matter of what you enjoy and can sustain on a daily basis.

Outpatient ortho pays very well in certain settings. I am 90% clinical and 10% admin right now and make a good salary. At higher levels of outpatient settings with more admin responsiblity, I could earn more. Right now I prefer to stay in contact with patients on a more regular basis. I also get a regular stream of PT students on their clinical rotations and enjoy that very much. Again it's a question of priorities. If you are willing to sacrifice (time, setting, travel etc) you can make quite a bit of money doing PT.

On the other hand, if you want comfortable and consistent (read: more desireable jobs for most PT's), you may have to settle for something closer to the mean.

CHOOSE!!!

I am a physiotherapist ie BPT from india and i have applied for credentials with ICDEL in
USA and they have given me 82 points and I have to score another 38 points more in general
science as per them. I have done 3 1/2 course.I would like to know how to score this
points? Should I do some courese or need to wirte exame? please let
me know.After this i want to write physical therapy exame in US. Once i complete the exame i
want to apply for a job and find a employer to process my H1.
Please help out on this . My mail id is
[email protected]

Regads,

I know of numerous therapists here in NYC who work 8:30 till 4:30 making 65k a year. Plus 2 homecare visits at $50/hr each a day and you are making 85-90k a year. If you do peds its even more and nowa days I dont think working a 45-50 hour a week is considered working like a dog. Put in a few more hours on saturday or sunday and you have your 100k, 1 year out of grad school. Its a simple equation. PTs can do allright for themselves. If you find some medicare patients on your own youll make even more.

Most PT's won't make 100k. Here in PA, doctors and large corporations (i.e. NovaCare) own most of the practices. Anyone can open up a clinic but getting the referrals from doctors is the hardest part. With the current laws in place, opening your own clinic is a challenge, no matter how many hours your willing to work.

Cyrus44 said:

I have one more year before i grad from physical therapy, and with a school debt of 75K in loans i was wondering for the average salary for a traveling therapist was. I know starting off around here in buffalo new grads dont get much more than 50k I've looked all over the internet and have had CI's that tell me that they have been offered like 85k. I just wanted to know if these numbers are right b/c i cant find anything on the internet saying other wise? I also wanted to know what types of questions to ask when applying for this type of job?

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Yes you would be able toget 80-85k as traveling physical therapist. Why not try to open new doors like joining at fitness clubs, there is lot of demand in this area. Best of luck
check http://www.davidlloyd.co.uk

I was wondering when you do per diem work as a PT, can you schedule as many patient visits as you want or is it tough to get say 40-50 visits per week? My sister is a speech pathologist who works per diem and she says sometimes it's tough to get as many visits as she wants. Also, can you do per diem work as a traveling PT?

Husker DPT said:

I'm a home health P.T. in the Midwest as well. I make $32 dollars/hour, and have 5 years of experience in the setting. Where are you guys located? And by that, I mean, how close to the Omaha/Lincoln NE area. With these quotes of $60/visit and $100/hour, I'm seriously thinking of moving. Can you say recruitment bonus? PM if you want.

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Do you how much OTs make in the midwest? Either home health, SNFs, hospital or public schools?

I have been a traveling PT for the last 4 years and most of what is said her rings true, especially that if you are single or have no roots, you absolutely should consider traveling. There are jobs aplenty, so you can normally chose the city and setting you want, and at the very least be very close to it.

But, I will have to say that some of the traveling companies can be a massive headache and headwind to your enjoyment. While most are great, some operate as the ultimate middle-man, pushing you to jobs that make them more money and telling you there is no other option in the cities you want. Well, I, and it appears most other travelers, are fed up with all the information being in the corner of the companies, so we have taken thing into our own hands at:

http://www.medtravelerclub.com/

Basically, it is a ratings site only for traveling therapists, to rank and rate the travel companies, as well as, facilities that have had travelers before. It also provides comparisons between the companies on pay rates, benefits, how good their recruiters are, etc. etc. If you are, have been, or are thinking about traveling: 1) DO IT! 2) Join this site (its free), use the information and make a well-informed decision before signing with any company.

Cheers, Jason

as a pre PT student, i would like to know what "per diem" is? thanks

I don't know what the per diem rate is, but if your looking for the definition of per diem here it is -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_diem

PTtoMD2010 said:

I know of numerous therapists here in NYC who work 8:30 till 4:30 making 65k a year. Plus 2 homecare visits at $50/hr each a day and you are making 85-90k a year. If you do peds its even more and nowa days I dont think working a 45-50 hour a week is considered working like a dog. Put in a few more hours on saturday or sunday and you have your 100k, 1 year out of grad school. Its a simple equation. PTs can do allright for themselves. If you find some medicare patients on your own youll make even more.

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thats what all the therapists do at the place i volunteered at. So anyone who is complaining that PT's make so little, get off your bottom and work the extra hours, and make that 6 figures that most Americans can only dream of making. I know many other people (in other professions), that would kill for overtime hours, but their companies will not allow it. It seems as though PT's can do whatever they want, but choose not to do it.

Traveling therapists might also want to consider availing traveling and financial assistance. If you ever know of those who might need this, care to let them know Medical Alliance provides this type of service?