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WakeMed Health & Hospitals
Cary, North Carolina

Physical Therapist Back and Spine Clinic

Physical TherapistFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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Job Description

Physical Therapist

Back and Spine Clinic - Cary

Join Our Specialized Rehabilitation Team

WakeMed is seeking a skilled and compassionate Physical Therapist to join our growing Back and Spine Clinic in Cary. This is an exciting opportunity to work alongside orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, physiatrists, and rehabilitation professionals in a collaborative specialty care environment dedicated to delivering exceptional patient outcomes.

As a Physical Therapist, you will provide high-quality, patient-centered care while developing customized treatment plans that help patients restore mobility, manage pain, and improve function. You'll be part of a multidisciplinary team that values clinical excellence, collaboration, and innovation.

What You'll Do

  • Evaluate patients and develop individualized treatment plans.
  • Provide evidence-based physical therapy interventions to support recovery and functional improvement.
  • Collaborate closely with physicians, advanced practice providers, and rehabilitation team members to coordinate patient care.
  • Educate patients and families on treatment plans, exercises, and wellness strategies.
  • Monitor patient progress and adjust treatment approaches as appropriate.
  • Assist in coordinating patient care and facilitating timely patient flow throughout the rehabilitation continuum.
  • Support departmental and organizational goals while upholding WakeMed's mission, vision, and values.
  • Provide coverage across other areas of the WakeMed Rehabilitation continuum as needed.

What We're Looking For

  • Licensed Physical Therapist eligible to practice in North Carolina.
  • Passion for providing outstanding patient-centered care.
  • Strong communication, clinical reasoning, and collaboration skills.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment.
  • Interest in orthopedic, spine, and neurologic rehabilitation.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) Certification
  • Manual Therapy Certification
  • Experience treating orthopedic and spine-related conditions

Department Description

Serving the community since 1961, WakeMed Health & Hospitals is the leading provider of health services in Wake County. With a mission to improve the health and well-being of our community, we are committed to providing outstanding and compassionate care. For more information, visit wakemed.org.

EOE

Licensure

Licensed Physical Therapist Required

Education

Bachelor's Degree Physical Therapy Required - Or Doctorate Physical Therapy Required

Experience

2 Years Clinical - Physical Therapy Preferred

Key Responsibilities

Evaluate patients and create individualized treatment plans, delivering evidence-based interventions to improve mobility, manage pain, and restore function. Coordinate care with physicians and rehabilitation professionals, educate patients and families, monitor progress, and support patient flow and coverage across the rehabilitation continuum.

Requirements

Requires a bachelor's degree or doctorate in physical therapy and a license to practice in North Carolina. Two years of clinical physical therapy experience is preferred; orthopedic clinical specialist certification, manual therapy certification, and experience treating orthopedic or spine conditions are also preferred.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient EvaluationIndividualized Treatment PlanningOrthopedic RehabilitationSpine RehabilitationPatient EducationCare CoordinationProgress MonitoringInterdisciplinary CollaborationPain ManagementFunctional Mobility

Physical Therapist Career Context

Of the 50 active Physical Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 42% have no call, 68% require no weekends.

In North Carolina, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$90k (583 salary observations; 1,826 listings), vs ~$94k nationally (14,787 salary observations; 56,350 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for North Carolina is 94.3 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 59.2% of North Carolina clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Physical Therapist Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution50 jobs · 35 employers

26
<$110k
12
$110k-125k
2
$128k
10
$140k-155k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks47 jobs · 35 employers

401k / retirement match
87%
CME allowance
62%
Sign-on bonus
55%
Loan repayment
34%
Relocation assistance
6%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Physical Therapist I: Full-Time, Atlantic Rehab Rockaway

Atlantic Health System · Rockaway, New Jersey

$41.79-$73.56/hr
#2

School Physical Therapist (PT)

Strides Therapy and Educational Services · Baltimore, Maryland

$70-$73/hr
#3

Physical Therapist

$111k-$150k
#4

Physical Therapist

$103k-$149k
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 3.0
Better work-life than 30% of Physical Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 22,005 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Cary

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$487k
Typical market rent
$1,774/mo
Residents’ average commute
23 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
98.2
State income tax
Up to 4.8%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Raleigh-Cary, NC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.