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Ernest Health
Bakersfield, California

Physical Therapist Assistant

Physical Therapist AssistantFull-Time

Listed compensation

$38.12-$45.56/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 46m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Physical Therapist Assistant - Full Time - Bakersfield, California

Join our world-class team of driven, passionate healthcare professionals who are focused on service excellence and providing top quality care!

Central California Rehabilitation Hospital in Bakersfield, California is a state-of-the-art inpatient rehab hospital offering comprehensive rehabilitative services to patients in the Central Valley.

We specialize in helping individuals bounce back from life-altering health events such as strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and complex orthopedic conditions.

Our dedicated team provides a full spectrum of therapies – physical, occupational, speech, and more – utilizing advanced technologies and evidence-based techniques to accelerate healing.

At Central California Rehabilitation Hospital, patients receive care in a comfortable, encouraging environment with private rooms and fully equipped therapy gyms. Accredited and honored among the nation’s top rehabilitation facilities, we are committed to exceptional patient outcomes and proudly serve as a center of hope and recovery for our community.

We are seeking a Physical Therapist Assistant to join our team of passionate patient caregivers!

As a participating hospital of Ernest Health, we offer robust recognition, wellness, and retention programs. These programs focus to enhance the employees’ work experience, recognize, and celebrate achievements.

We also encourage employees to share their work experience through “My Ernest Journey” and through our Engagement Survey, where our approach is “You Spoke, We Listened”. These platforms provide additional avenues for employees to give feedback about their work experience and share what is important to them.

Our hospital offers comprehensive benefits, designed to support your health and financial well-being.

Benefits

  • PPO and High Deductible Medical Plan options
  • Flexible Spending and Health Savings Account options available
  • Dental and Vision coverage
  • 401K with employer matching
  • Life insurance
  • Short-and-long term disability

Wellness & Work Life Balance

  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Wellness Program with quarterly wellness challenges with participation incentives
  • Earned Time Off - start accruing vacation time on start date

Qualifications

Required Skills

  • Current and valid licensure as a Physical Therapist Assistant required.
  • Basic Life Support/CPR Certification from an approved vendor required.
  • One year of direct patient care experience in a hospital setting preferred.

Additional Qualifications/Skills

  • Knowledge of clinical operations and procedures.
  • Demonstrates an understanding of treatment costs and financial support as they relate to quality and efficiency.
  • Demonstrates competency in the provision of care according to established standards
  • Demonstrates appropriate application of age specific standards, policies and procedures and guidelines in caring for pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients
  • Demonstrates general computer skills including: data entry, word processing, email, and record management.
  • Leadership skills in delegating, organizing, and educating coworkers and staff.
  • Effective organizational and time management skills.
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to maintain proper levels of confidentiality.
  • Ability to work closely and professionally with others.
  • Ability to maintain quality, safety, and/or infection control standards.

Responsibilities

Under the direction of a physical therapist, may be involved in implementing treatment plans with patients. Performs components of physical therapy procedures and related tasks selected by a supervising physical therapist. Records the patient's responses to treatment and reports to the physical therapist the outcome of each treatment. Integrates the hospital’s mission and “Guiding Principles” into daily practice.

Posted Total Compensation

The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience, education and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.

It’s not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $

Minimum Salary

USD $38.12/Hr.

Maximum Salary

USD $45.56/Hr.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Certifications

BLS

Key Skills

Organizational skillsSafety standardsRehabilitation servicesTreatment planning

Physical Therapist Career Context

In California, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$117k (1,253 salary observations; 4,288 listings), vs ~$94k nationally (12,410 salary observations; 61,614 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 ~$87k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $79k 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$79k–$95kPhysical Therapy median $90k (middle half $82k–$96k)50 comparable listings, Nov 2026
California vs national$117k median in California$94k nationally (+25%)1,253 state / 12,410 national salary observations
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$79k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Physical Therapy listings in California1,743 active21,650 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
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 listings7,740 in the last 30 days4,063 the 30 days before (+90%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Physical Therapy pay trend+1.6% 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 PTA Jobs

12 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

11 jobs · 5 employers
9
<$85k
0
$85k-95k
1
$100k
0
$105k-115k
1
$150k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

12 jobs · 5 employers
401k / retirement match
100% this job
Sign-on bonus
42%
Loan repayment
25%
CME allowance
25%
Relocation assistance
17%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Pediatric Physical Therapist & PTA

MGA Homecare · Richardson, Texas

up to $150,000
#2

Physical Therapist Assistant

Select Physical Therapy · Watsonville, California

$40-$48/hr
#3

Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) - Oakland

From $80,000
#4

Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) - Vacaville/Napa

From $80,000
+ 10 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Physical Therapist Assistant listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 4,946 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Ernest Health logo

About Ernest Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Mesquite, Texas
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

PPO and High Deductible Medical Plan options
Flexible Spending and Health Savings Account options
Dental and Vision coverage
401K with employer matching
Life insurance
Short-and-long term disability
Employee Assistance Program
Wellness Program with quarterly challenges

Living in Bakersfield

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$354k
Typical market rent
$1,901/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
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.

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