Physical Therapist - Per Diem

Physical TherapistPer Diem

Listed compensation

$48.08-$61.59/hr

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 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

For more than 55 years, Family Health Centers of San Diego’s (FHCSD) mission has been to provide caring, affordable, high-quality health care and supportive services to everyone, with a special commitment to uninsured, low-income and medically underserved persons.

FHCSD is one of the top 10 largest federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in the country. We operate more than 90 sites across San Diego County, including 29 primary care clinics, 23 behavioral health facilities, 10 physical rehabilitation clinics, nine dental clinics, five vision clinics, four outpatient substance use treatment programs, three mobile medical units, two mobile counseling centers, two urgent care centers, and a pharmacy.

Our staff provides care to over 227,000 patients each year, of whom 91% are low-income and 29% are uninsured. FHCSD provides care to all.

Services include, but are not limited to adult care, chronic disease management, pediatrics, comprehensive women’s care including obstetrics, dental, vision, case management, physical rehabilitation, speech therapy for children, vaccinations, infectious diseases, behavioral health, substance use counseling and a host of specialty services including cardiology, podiatry, endocrinology, dermatology, among others.

FHCSD also offers supportive services to those who are unsheltered and in need of intensive case management.

The breadth of our clinic locations, services and programs has grown over the last five decades, making us the largest community clinic provider of health care to the uninsured in the county and one of the top 10 largest community clinic organizations in the nation. We are also the largest health care safety-net provider, largest school-based health care provider and the largest mental health provider in the San Diego region.

Family Health Centers of San Diego is looking for a Physical Therapist to provide evaluation and treatment for adult patients with a variety of mobility, motor control and musculoskeletal disorders.

Responsibilities

Communicates regularly with Referral, Case Management, Care Coordination, and Scheduling staff. Makes recommendations and follows through with referrals to outside agencies when appropriate.

Communicates with patients and/or parents/caregivers regarding evaluation results, treatment plan and goals. Provides home program activities to patients and/or parents/caregivers to ensure carryover to the home environment. Engages patients and/or parents/caregivers in treatment sessions.

Completes all required documentation accurately, in a timely manner, and thoroughly in accordance with department standards; in addition, documentation complies with patients' insurance requirements.

Consults with Physicians, allied health professionals, and other team members. Participates in case conferencing meeting and in program planning meetings. Facilitates training and presentations for staff, patients, and parents/caregivers when applicable.

Evaluates patients referred for physical therapy, physical therapy consultation, and/or early intervention services (for pediatric assignments). Performs evaluation according to each patient's needs, physician recommendations, and specific program guidelines/protocols.

Monitors and manages own schedule. Communicates with scheduling staff to keep schedule full.

Provides appropriate oversight and supervision of Physical Therapy Assistants as necessary. Ensures that services being provided by the Physical Therapy Assistants are safe, effective, and efficient. Determines when expertise and decision-making capability of the Physical Therapy Assistants requires that the Physical Therapist personally renders physical therapy interventions and when it may be appropriate to utilize the Physical Therapy Assistant.

Provides treatment at different clinic sites, off-sites, or patient homes based on caseload and department needs. Plans effectively for efficient use of time and resources when providing home visits.

Provides treatment to assigned patients as appropriate in accordance with established standards of care and practice. Designs an appropriate and effective treatment plan and work within scope of practice at all times. Monitors progress of treatment goals through periodic observations and assessments. Conducts re-evaluations when indicated.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

  • Master’s Degree of Physical Therapy.
  • At least 2 years of experience as a Physical Therapist required.
  • California State licensure as a Physical Therapist.
  • Current American Heart Association healthcare provider CPR (BLS), or Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Advanced Trauma Life Support, or Advance Resuscitation Training.
  • Bilingual English-Spanish is preferred.

Ability and means to travel as needed in a timely manner within San Diego County. DRIVER REQUIREMENTS: Requires an active Class C California driver's license, proof of liability insurance at $100,000, on vehicle used. No more than 2 points in past 12 months; No suspensions in last 2 years for moving violations; No DUI, reckless or felony Driving within 5 years. No license revocation in 7 years.

Rewards

  • Job type: Per Diem
  • Competitive Salary with Excellent Benefits
  • Retirement Plan with Employer Match
  • Paid Time Off, Extended Sick Leave and Paid Holidays
  • Medical/Dental/Vision/FSA/Life Insurance

Employee Discounts and Wellness Programs

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to community medicine and providing culturally competent care to the medically underserved.

We are excited to share that the salary range for this position is:

$48.08 - $61.59

Information on our extensive benefits package can be found here: FHCSD Wellness – Employee Hub (gobenefits.net)

FHCSD provides Equal Employment Opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Certifications

ACLSATLS

Key Skills

Patient evaluationMusculoskeletal disorder treatmentHome program developmentTreatment planningRe-evaluationPatient educationInterdisciplinary collaborationClinical assessment

Physical Therapist Career Context

In California, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$117k (1,164 salary observations; 4,165 listings), vs ~$94k nationally (11,785 salary observations; 62,466 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)), so the posted ~$114k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $103k in an average-cost state. 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 pay$100k–$128kPhysical Therapy median $128k (middle half $128k–$128k)19 comparable listings, Nov 2026
California vs national$117k median in California$94k nationally (+24%)1,164 state / 11,785 national salary observations
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$103k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Physical Therapy listings in California1,726 active21,621 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 5% remote · 45% no call · 45% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia Physical Therapist listings: 21% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 9% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Physical Therapy listings7,749 in the last 30 days4,154 the 30 days before (+87%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Physical Therapy pay trend+1.6% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Family Health Centers of San Diegosilver tier, 74/100Top Employers work-life index34 active listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, Top Employers work-life 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

39 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

25 jobs
6
<$130k
6
$130k-145k
9
$145k-160k
4
$160k-175k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

29 jobs · 25 employers
401k / retirement match
90% this job
CME allowance
45%
Sign-on bonus
21%
Loan repayment
10%
Relocation assistance
7%

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

Elite Care Management · Merrillville, Indiana

$75-$80/hr
#3

Home Health Physical Therapist

$75-$80/hr
#4

Physical Therapist-PT Per Diem

$65-$75/hr
+ 37 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 21,543 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Family Health Centers of San Diego logo

About Family Health Centers of San Diego

Hospitals and Health Care
San Diego, CA
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Retirement Plan with Employer Match
Paid Time Off
Extended Sick Leave
Paid Holidays
Medical/Dental/Vision/FSA/Life Insurance
Employee Discounts
Wellness Programs

Living in San Diego

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.00M
Typical market rent
$3,004/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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