I'm not in California, but I am a school-based PT. I traveled between schools during clinicals, but my two jobs have been full-time at special needs schools (no travel). I much prefer having one location for the mentorship and consistency. However, moving between schools will give you a little more variety and typically higher functioning kids than what I see. The paperwork and benefits are going to vary widely depending on who your employer is. I've ranged from minimal paperwork to being swamped depending on the employer and their system. I'm not sure how CA works, but here you can be employed directly by the school/district, a contract agency, or the local IU. Each district can choose how they decide to provide services. I am employed through the school full-time, so I may be given additional responsibilities within the school outside of treatment time; therapies are very integrated into the school day. My experience with the IU was pulling a student for their treatment time and then leaving, minimal integration. If you're agency, you may spend part-time in schools and part-time in early intervention or anywhere else that agency provides services.
Pros:
-You can't beat the schedule, especially if you're a morning person! I can be done by 3 everyday if I'm there at 7. Plus, school holidays off, which is a major bonus if you have kids.
-Summers off, which are a nice opportunity to explore other areas by doing PRN.
-You follow the same students for a long-time, making for great continuity and opportunities to carry out a truly long-term POC.
-It can be very flexible if you are contract, to the point of making your own schedule.
-The hourly rate is higher than typical inpatient/outpatient settings in the same area (YMMV).
-Depending on the school, you may get to do a lot of work with orthotics and equipment. I use hand tools on a daily basis. Of course, this may be a con if you hate tools...
-You may have the opportunity to join your kids for fun things like field trips, Prom, parties, etc. It's a fun addition to the job.
Cons:
-The salary is going to reflect that you're only working 9-10 months of the year. I've been able to close the gap with PRN without giving up any weekends or all of my Summer though.
-It can be difficult communicating with families when you may never, ever see the parents face to face and can't get them to call you back. It can feel like an uphill battle at times.
-There is no requirement to provide medical records, so you may be working off of incomplete information, including surgeries or diagnoses no one tells you about.
-IEPs are the bane of existence for anyone involved in special ed, but they do get easier as you get to know your kids!
-You are unlikely to be in the same building as any other PT, which can be a mentoring challenge, especially as you start out.
-Many school-based opportunities are part time, even during the school year.
