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Cottage Health
Santa Barbara, California

Physical Therapist III PD

Physical TherapistIncludes callPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 45m ago · Verified live

Job Description

The Physical Therapist III interprets, organizes, applies and modifies as necessary prevention and wellness strategies and medically prescribed physical therapy to inpatients and/or outpatients.

The Physical Therapist III plans and implements programs to meet individual needs and provides patient care consistent with the Scope of Practice Standards and Code of Ethics of the American Physical Therapy Association, and the California Board of Physical Therapy.

Competency skills include the ability to provide care in a safe environment utilizing appropriate communication with sensitivity to special populations. This includes patients with diverse cultural backgrounds, age, developmental issues and physical impairments.

The Physical Therapist III is Identified as the clinical expert in a specific area of practice and is expected to educate and lead the department in growing its clinical capacity to meet our community's healthcare needs. A Level III clinician provides highly effective physical, technical, interpersonal, and organizational skills to problem solve and promote optimal team function and patient care.

Qualifications

All job qualifications listed indicate the minimum level necessary to perform this job proficiently.

Level of Education

Minimum

  • Graduation from an accredited school of Physical Therapy (Master's Degree, or Bachelor's Degree with equivalent experience).

Certifications, Licenses, Registrations

Minimum

  • License applicant for state of California (currently holds out-of-state license) or licensed as a Physical Therapist in the State of California, American Heart Association (AHA) Basic Life Support (BLS).

Preferred

  • Valid CA Driver's License. Clinical Specialty Certification(s) in clinical area of focus.

Technical Requirements

Minimum

  • Knowledge of physical therapy techniques and modalities. Knowledge of body mechanics, including procedure for handling and moving patients. Basic computer skills for chart review and documentation in electronic medical record.

Years of Related Work Experience

Minimum

  • 10 years of experience as a clinician.

Cottage Health is a leading acute care hospital system, located on the central coast of California, widely known for our superior patient care, innovation, medical research and education. Our health system operates primarily in Santa Barbara, CA, since 1888, and consists of three acute care hospitals, a Rehabilitation Hospital, multiple clinics and a multi-site Urgent Care system.

Our mission is to serve the central coast communities with excellence, integrity, and compassion. Every day we touch thousands of lives in many different ways, resolute in our mission to put patients first. We take pride in helping our patients get back to living their lives - in the places they love.

*Pay for non-physician positions is determined based on related years of experience and internal equity. Eligible employees may also receive additional forms of compensation, including shift differentials, on-call pay, incentive pay, and bonus opportunities, where applicable. Manager and above positions may participate in Cottage Health’s annual management incentive program. Physician compensation is determined based upon specialty and may include bonus potential.

For more information on our comprehensive Total Rewards offerings, please visit cottagehealth.org.

If you're already a Cottage Health employee, please apply on this link only.

Key Responsibilities

The Physical Therapist III provides medically prescribed physical therapy and wellness strategies to inpatients and outpatients while acting as a clinical expert. They are responsible for leading the department in clinical capacity and ensuring patient care meets established ethical and professional standards.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
10+ years of experience

Key Skills

Clinical expertiseProblem solvingPatient assessmentSafety protocols

Physical Therapist Career Context

Of the 50 active Physical Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 4% are remote, 30% have no call, 68% require no weekends.

In California, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$117k (1,036 salary observations; 3,651 listings), vs ~$93k nationally (10,394 salary observations; 56,600 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 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).

Top contract/1099 Physical Therapist Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution50 jobs · 38 employers

19
<$125k
11
$125k-145k
10
$145k-165k
8
$165k-185k
2
$185k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks43 jobs · 38 employers

401k / retirement match
86%
CME allowance
58%
Sign-on bonus
47%
Loan repayment
14%
Relocation assistance
14%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Physical Therapist (PT) - School BasedContract

Genesis Administrative Services · New Hyde Park, New York

$90.00 /Hr
#2

Outpatient Physical Therapist II

Sutter Health · Antioch, California

$63.78-$89.28/hr
#3

Physical Therapist, Home Health

$64.42-$86.55/hr
#4

Home Health Physical Therapist - $5k Sign On Bonus!

$55.42-$86.03/hr
+ 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 22,195 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call

Living in Santa Barbara

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.91M
Typical market rent
$3,692/mo
Residents’ average commute
17 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.8
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

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About Cottage Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Santa Barbara, California
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Shift differentials
On-call pay
Incentive pay
Bonus opportunities
Management incentive program