Inpatient Physical Therapist - Per Diem

Physical TherapistPer Diem

Listed compensation

$64/hour

The week · per this posting

Schedule not stated in this posting — no days, weekends, call or nights given.

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 6mo ago

Job Description

Bargaining Unit: Non Represented

Rate of Pay: $64.35/hour + DOE (Base Pay of $57.20 includes 12.5% per diem premium)

Summary

Under the direct supervision of the manager, the Physical Therapist (PT) is responsible for providing patient care services consisting of evaluation and implementation of modalities and treatments in accordance with established departmental policies and procedures and as indicated by licensing agencies in the State of practice (CA/NV). The Physical Therapist is committed to providing high quality health care services and to accommodating to the changing needs of the various communities that Tahoe Forest Hospital serves.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  • Organizes and conducts medically prescribed Physical Therapy programs.
  • Effectively utilizes appropriate resources to ensure sensitive, personal care to individuals who require physical therapy services.
  • Plans and performs individualized therapy programs for each patient, which includes but is not limited to the use of modalities, soft tissue massage/mobilization, traction, therapeutic exercise, manual techniques and home programs.
  • Collaborates with other team members and services in the hospital to assure that services and activities can be properly maintained to meet the needs of the patients.
  • Applies diagnostic and prognostic muscle, joint and functional ability tests.
  • Evaluates, records, and reports patient progress for review.
  • Assures that patients and visitors follow established policies and procedures at all times.
  • Interprets physical therapy policies and procedures to patients and family members, as necessary.
  • Participates in peer feedback to improve performance of line of service.
  • Clinician will practice fiscal responsibility and strive to maintain minimum targeted key performance indicators as set by Director of Therapy and Clinical Manager of department.
  • Extends courtesy and consideration to others in interpersonal relationships.
  • Demonstrates a professional manner in the workplace at all times.
  • Seeks clarification of duties when needed.
  • Channels suggestions, criticisms, and questions to appropriate personnel.
  • Participates in the Quality Improvement process and Quality Assurance (QA) audit program.
  • Participates in staff meetings or reviews meeting minutes if not present.
  • Follows standard operational workflows established for the department (includes preferred communication methods to other staff members, EPIC documentation requirements, and patient scheduling).
  • Establishes good rapport with all team members, patients and other health care providers.
  • Instructs, motivates and assists patients to perform physical activities which may require assistive devices.
  • Instructs family and patients in patient education and home programs, and appropriately documents such.
  • PT will participate in activities to meet the health needs of people locally, nationally, or globally as recommended by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) code of ethics.
  • Demonstrates System Values in performance and behavior.
  • Complies with System policies and procedures.
  • Other duties as may be assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Supervisory Responsibilities

No supervisory responsibilities.

Minimum Education and Experience

Bachelor's Degree of Physical Therapy from an accredited physical therapy program, be licensed to practice and pass the National Physical Therapy Examination administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy(FSBPT.) - see qualification for new graduate below.

Required Licenses and Certifications

Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers - Upon Hire

BLS: Employee will be enrolled in the Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) Basic Life Support (BLS) Entry or Prep Curriculum (depending on their previous BLS certification). - Within 3 months of being hire into job

Other Experience/Qualifications

Required

  • California Physical Therapy license if practicing in California
  • Nevada Physical Therapy license if practicing in Nevada
  • Bachelors or Certificate degree from an accredited Physical Therapy Program
  • Approved and authorized "Graduate of Physical Therapy" (if applying for licensure in Nevada) or Physical Therapy Licensed Applicant (if applying for licensure in California) eligible to work under direct supervision of a supervising Physical Therapist, as dictated by the Physical Therapy State Board of California or Nevada. The applicant will need verification of meeting the guidelines as dictated by the state licensing board of CA or NV in order to be cleared to work as a Graduate of Physical Therapy or Physical Therapy Licensed Applicant

Preferred

  • Masters or Doctorate Degree from an accredited Physical Therapy Program

Key Responsibilities

The Physical Therapist is responsible for evaluating and implementing individualized therapy programs for patients in an inpatient setting. They collaborate with the healthcare team to ensure high-quality care while maintaining accurate documentation and adhering to departmental policies.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree

Key Skills

Patient evaluationSoft tissue mobilizationClinical assessmentFunctional ability testingInterpersonal skills

Physical Therapist Career Context

In California, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$117k (1,160 salary observations; 4,433 listings), vs ~$94k nationally (11,670 salary observations; 64,203 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-11-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

What does the Physical Therapy market look like in California?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedPhysical Therapy median $128k (middle half $128k–$128k)16 comparable listings, Nov 2026
California vs national$117k median in California$94k nationally (+24%)1,160 state / 11,670 national salary observations
Cost of livingCalifornia index 110.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Physical Therapy listings in California1,780 active22,055 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 2% remote · 49% no call · 49% no weekends45 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia physical therapist listings (all specialties): 21% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 8% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Physical Therapy listings7,887 in the last 30 days4,353 the 30 days before (+81%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Physical Therapy pay trend+1.3% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top contract/1099 Physical Therapist Jobs

43 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

19 jobs
4
<$130k
5
$130k-145k
8
$145k-160k
2
$160k-175k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

29 jobs
401k / retirement match
86%
CME allowance
55%
Sign-on bonus
14%
Loan repayment
10%
Relocation assistance
3%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Home Health Physical Therapist-NEW GRADS WELCOMEPer Diem

Transition Care Telemetry · San Diego, California

$80-$120/hr
#2

Home Health Physical Therapist - Per DiemPer Diem

Transition Care Telemetry · San Diego, California

$80-$110/hr
#3

Home Health Physical Therapist

$75-$80/hr
#4

Home Health Physical Therapist

$75-$80/hr
+ 41 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 22,055 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.