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Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Physical Therapist - Acute Care - PRN

Physical TherapistPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

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

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 7m ago · Verified live

Job Description

At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.

About Duke Regional Hospital Pursue your passion for caring with Duke Regional Hospital in Durham, North Carolina.

With 388 beds it is the second largest of Duke Health's four hospitals and offers a comprehensive range ofmedical, surgical, and diagnostic services, including orthopedics, weight-loss surgery, women's services, and heart and vascular services.

Occ Summary Provide physical therapy services to patients/clients who have impairments, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function and health status resulting from injury, disease, or other causes; provide prevention and wellness services, including screenings and health promotion.

The senior serves as a resource person for the team and the department: participates in orientation of new staff therapists, physicians and other health personnel. The senior participates in teaching activities for physical therapy and other health related students.

The physical therapist works within practice guidelines as defined by North Carolina state law. Work Performed Duties and Responsibilities of this Level: See Departmental criteria for each duty listed, and Departmental criteria for clinical ladder.

Physical Therapist Demonstrate & articulate sound clinical reasoning in synthesizing complex evaluation data identifying diagnosis and developing a comprehensive plan of care.

Develop and update appropriate plan of care in collaboration with the patient/family and related to the person's age and lifestyle with measurable long and short term goals and a defined D/C plan Understandthe role of physical therapy in the context of the patient's age, total needs perspective and environment Perform age appropriate competency skills in area of practice and with respect to individual patient's problems.

Follow intervention protocols and alter plan of care appropriately. Discharge patient when goals have been met or medical necessity is no longer warrants intervention. Establish provisions for continuing services/follow up as needed. Meet competency skills for evaluations in area of practice.

Consistently meet patient care productivity standard as established for job classification. Work cooperatively with supervisors and peers to contribute to the overall productivity of the team. Utilize support personnel (aides, sr aides, assistants) asappropriate and available.

Actively support and participate in patient coverage efforts across all divisions within the department as necessary. Assess the learning needs and capabilities of patients and caregivers. Initiate patient and family education in a timely manner relative to age, LOS, readiness to learn, and emotional status.

Utilize appropriate methods and materials for effective learning, monitoring response to education, and adapting program appropriately. Ensure that patient/family understands when and how to access further intervention. Patient care documentation is timely, legible, and efficient.

Documentation is concise, pertinent and meets the professions and departments documentation standards. Oral reporting is clear, concise, relevant, and timely. Perform all required data collection for the department accurately and within expected time frame. Peer review standards are consistently met.

Provide clinical education experiences for students as requested by supervisor and established by CCCE Take 1-2 students for long term clinical rotation (Therapist of > 1yr experience). Adjust supervisory techniques for individual student's needs.

Provide outreach and learning activities as requested which may include: in-services on related topics, generating referrals, interacting with volunteers or visitors. Participate in data collection for research activities to enhance clinical outcomes.

Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein. Knowledge, Skills andAbilities Ability to push-pull, lift-carry, and transfer patients. Level Characteristics See Clinical Ladder administration document Minimum

Qualifications

Education Bachelor's degree or certification in physical therapy, with Master's or Clinical Doctorate in physical therapy preferred. Experience None beyond required education, although more experience may be preferred at times. Degrees, Licensures, Certifications Must have a current Physical Therapist license.

A Compact Physical Therapist license may be accepted, but a NC Physical Therapist license must be obtained within 6 months of the start date, or before the expiration of Compact Privileges, whichever comes first.

Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes.

To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.

Key Responsibilities

Provide physical therapy services to patients with impairments or functional limitations, including developing and updating comprehensive plans of care. Act as a resource for the team, participate in student teaching, and ensure accurate, timely clinical documentation.

Requirements

Requires a Bachelor's degree or certification in physical therapy, with a Master's or Clinical Doctorate preferred. Must hold a current Physical Therapist license, with North Carolina licensure required within six months.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Patient evaluationPlan of care developmentAcute carePatient educationInterdisciplinary collaborationPatient assessmentRehabilitationSafety protocols

Physical Therapist Career Context

In North Carolina, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$90k (468 salary observations; 2,102 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 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).

What does the Physical Therapy market look like in North Carolina?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedPhysical Therapy median $89k (middle half $80k–$99k)960 comparable listings, Nov 2026
North Carolina vs national$90k median in North Carolina$94k nationally (−4%)468 state / 11,670 national salary observations
Cost of livingNorth Carolina index 94.3US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Physical Therapy listings in North Carolina759 active22,018 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 44% no call · 68% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedNorth Carolina physical therapist listings (all specialties): 32% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 28% offer loan repayment791 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

46 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

45 jobs · 38 employers
17
<$105k
10
$105k-120k
6
$120k-135k
8
$135k-150k
4
$150k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

40 jobs · 38 employers
401k / retirement match
93%
CME allowance
73%
Sign-on bonus
48%
Loan repayment
33%
PSLF eligible
8%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

School Physical Therapist (PT)

Strides Therapy and Educational Services · Baltimore, Maryland

$70-$73/hr
#2

Physical Therapist

General Dynamics Information Technology · Monterey, North Carolina

$111k-$150k
#3

Home Health Physical Therapist - Berkeley/Richmond

$150k
#4

Home Health Physical Therapist - Glendale

$150k
+ 44 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 21,875 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Durham

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$358k
Typical market rent
$1,626/mo
Residents’ average commute
22 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
97.6
State income tax
Up to 4.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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