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Nemours Children's Health
Wilmington, Delaware

Physical Therapist (Casual/Per Diem)

Physical TherapistIncludes weekendsPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 5mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware (formerly Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children), is hiring a Casual Physical Therapist to provide coverage as needed in our inpatient programs located in Wilmington, DE. Coverage needs include weekends.

This is a great opportunity to join a busy and growing Therapy team. We provide physical therapy evaluation for patients with a wide variety of diagnoses, ranging in age from birth to 17. We are also an early intervention partner with Delaware’s Birth to Three Early Intervention Program, providing clinic-based services.

  • Demonstrates proficiency in the care of all ages: pediatrics and adolescents. Demonstrates proficiency in the care of neonates as required by assignment.
  • Able to provide physical therapy services to a variety of patient types with recognition of his/her own limitations while seeking appropriate mentorship as needed.
  • Completes timely documentation as required by departmental policy #7980.3.3, Joint Commission, and CARF standards.
  • Attends meetings related to patient treatment and contributes to discussion as an interdisciplinary team member.
  • Consults with other services, families, and outside agencies to recommend durable medical equipment, home/school modifications and transitional therapy program prior to discharge from therapy.
  • Maintains knowledge of and familiarity with insurance referral/authorization process and documentation requirements related to therapy services.
  • Completes all mandatory training; may include, but not limited to safety, infection control, corporate compliance, HIPAA, bioterrorism, CPR and program specific respiratory training.
  • When required by assignment, participates in weekend/holiday inpatient coverage rotation.

Job Requirements

  • Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy or its equivalent from an CAPTE accredited university required.
  • Minimum of three (3) to six (6) months experience required. New graduates will be considered based on educational experiences
  • State of Delaware Physical Therapist License required upon hire. Can apply for Delaware PT Compact licensure if eligible.
  • All clinical staff are recommended to hold a second license in PA or NJ (in addition to DE license).
  • Pennsylvania clearances are required upon hire for those with a Pennsylvania license.
  • American Heart Association BLS certification required within 6 months of date of hire and must be maintained for duration of employment.
  • Member of professional specialty organizations (APTA) preferred.
  • Clinical affiliation and/or work experience in pediatrics preferred.

#LI-EP1

Nemours Children's Health is an internationally recognized pediatric health system serving more than 1.7 million patient encounters each year. We deliver care across six states through two freestanding children’s hospitals — Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware and Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida — along with a network of more than 80 primary, urgent, and specialty care practices and more than 40 hospital partnerships.

Backed by the Nemours Foundation and Alfred I. duPont Trust, our $1.7B nonprofit system is dedicated to improving children's health through clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention. Our Whole Child Health approach focuses equally on prevention and treatment, partnering with communities to help every child thrive.

Inclusion and belonging guide our strategy and growth. We are committed to culturally relevant care, reducing health disparities, and fostering an environment where every associate, patient, and family feels supported and valued.

Learn more at Nemours.org.

Key Responsibilities

Provide physical therapy evaluations and services to pediatric and adolescent patients in an inpatient setting. Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and families to coordinate care, discharge planning, and equipment recommendations.

Requirements

Requires a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy and a State of Delaware Physical Therapist License. Candidates must have at least 3 to 6 months of experience, though new graduates are considered.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Pediatric careInpatient careInterdisciplinary collaborationPatient evaluationDurable medical equipment recommendationSafety protocolsHIPAA complianceNeonatal careClinical assessment

Physical Therapist Career Context

Of the 50 active Physical Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 2% are remote, 44% have no call, 74% require no weekends.

In Delaware, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$91k (43 salary observations; 144 listings), vs ~$93k nationally (7,156 salary observations; 29,836 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 Delaware is 99.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 63.5% of Delaware clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top contract/1099 Physical Therapist Jobs

44 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution40 jobs · 38 employers

17
<$105k
8
$105k-120k
2
$120k-135k
13
$135k-150k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks37 jobs

401k / retirement match
84%
CME allowance
81%
Sign-on bonus
59%
Loan repayment
38%
Relocation assistance
11%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Acute Care Physical Therapist

Sentara Health · Hampton, Virginia

$103k-$149k
#2

Travel Physical Therapist General JobContract

Healthforce · Kodiak, Alaska

$137k-$148k
#3

Physical Therapist (PT) – Travel Contract + Lodging

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#4

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+ 42 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 22,135 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes weekends

Living in Wilmington

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$299k
Typical market rent
$1,786/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
102.6
State income tax
Up to 6.6%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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