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MUSC
Charleston, South Carolina

Physical Therapist Assistant

Physical Therapist AssistantFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 50m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Job Description Summary

  • Outpatient Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) with associated degree and current, valid SC Physical Therapy Assistant license to assist in helping patients recover from injuries and regain mobility in an outpatient setting.
  • Entity
  • Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA)
  • Worker Type
  • Employee
  • Worker Sub-Type
  • Regular
  • Cost Center
  • CC000709 CHS - Therapy Clinic - Mt Pleasant (Offsite)
  • Pay Rate Type
  • Hourly
  • Pay Grade
  • Health-26
  • Scheduled Weekly Hours
  • 40

Work Shift

Job Description

Minimum Requirements

Education: Graduation from an accredited Physical Therapy Assistant program.

Experience

At least one year of experience as Physical Therapy Assistant and demonstrated competence in treating all patient types as well as independence in managing a full caseload.

Certification/Licensure: Licensure as a Physical Therapy Assistant by the South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners.

Current American Heart Association (AHA) Basic Life Support (BLS) certification or American Red Cross BLS for Healthcare Providers certification is required.

Outpatient Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) with associated degree and current, valid SC Physical Therapy Assistant license to assist in helping patients recover from injuries and regain mobility through:

Utilizing appropriate treatment tools and devices needed for patient care.

Assessing patients before, during, and after therapy sessions reporting observations to the supervising Physical Therapist (PT) as necessary.

Providing exercise prescription and assistance based on the PT’s treatment plan; guiding patients through these exercises, ensuring proper form and technique.

Utilizing various techniques, including stretching exercises, manual techniques within their scope of practice and massage, to treat patients.

Provide effective patient education and counseling and provide guidance on exercises and techniques patients can perform at home.

Use of EMR system to document treatment sessions and communicate with primary physical therapist.

Additional Job Description

Physical Requirements

Mobility & Posture

Standing: Continuous, Sitting: Continuous, Walking: Continuous, climbing stairs: Infrequent, working indoors: Continuous, working outdoors (temperature extremes): Infrequent, working from elevated areas: Frequent, working in confined/cramped spaces: Frequent, Kneeling: Infrequent, bending at the waist: Continuous, Twisting at the waist: Frequent, Squatting: Frequent

Manual Dexterity & Strength

Pinching operations: Frequent, Gross motor use (fingers/hands): Continuous, Firm grasping (fingers/hands): Continuous, Fine manipulation (fingers/hands): Continuous, reaching overhead: Frequent, Reaching in all directions: Continuous, Repetitive motion (hands/wrists/elbows/shoulders): Continuous, Full use of both legs: Continuous, Balance & coordination (lower extremities): Frequent.

Lifting & Force Requirements

Lift/carry 50 lbs. unassisted: Infrequent, Lift/lower 50 lbs. from floor to 36”: Infrequent, Lift up to 25 lbs. overhead: Infrequent, Exert up to 50 lbs. of force: Frequent

Vision & Sensory

Maintain corrected vision 20/40 (one or both eyes): Continuous, Recognize objects (near/far): Continuous, Color discrimination: Continuous, Depth perception: Continuous, Peripheral vision: Continuous, Hearing acuity (with correction): Continuous, Tactile sensory function: Continuous, Gross motor with fine motor coordination: Continuous.

Selected Positions

  • Olfactory (smell) function: Continuous
  • Respirator use qualification: Continuous

Work Environment & Conditions

  • Effective stress management: Continuous, Rotating shifts: Frequent, Overtime as required: Frequent, Latex-safe environment: Continuous.
  • If you like working with energetic enthusiastic individuals, you will enjoy your career with us!

The Medical University of South Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

MUSC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, age, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, family or parental status, or any other status protected by state laws and/or federal regulations.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment based upon applicable qualifications, merit and business need.

Medical University of South Carolina participates in the federal E-Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees. For further information about the E-Verify program, please click here: uscis.gov

Key Responsibilities

The Physical Therapist Assistant will assist patients in recovering from injuries and regaining mobility by implementing treatment plans and guiding them through prescribed exercises. They are responsible for assessing patient progress, documenting sessions in the EMR system, and providing education on home-based techniques.

Requirements

Candidates must have graduated from an accredited Physical Therapy Assistant program and hold a valid South Carolina license. At least one year of experience and current American Heart Association BLS certification are required.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient assessmentManual therapyEMR documentationMobility assistanceRehabilitationInjury recoveryTherapeutic exerciseClinical documentationPatient counseling

Physical Therapist Career Context

In South Carolina, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$89k (295 salary observations; 1,422 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 South Carolina is 93.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 60.6% of South Carolina clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

What does the Physical Therapy market look like in South Carolina?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedPhysical Therapy median $66k (middle half $61k–$73k)13 comparable listings, Nov 2026
South Carolina vs national$89k median in South Carolina$94k nationally (−5%)295 state / 11,785 national salary observations
Cost of livingSouth Carolina index 93.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Physical Therapy listings in South Carolina494 active21,460 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedSouth Carolina Physical Therapist listings: 26% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 24% offer loan repayment514 active listings, Nov 2026
New Physical Therapy listings7,750 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
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

6 matches · ranked by pay

Work-Life Balance Distribution

6 jobs · 5 employers
0
1-2
0
3-4
2
5-6
3
7-8
1
9-10

Higher = better work-life balance

#1

Physical Therapist Assistant

Quincy Medical Group · Quincy, Illinois

$25-$37.5/hr
#2

Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA), Kent Island

Aquacare & Fitness Forum Physical Therapy · Salisbury, Maryland

$27-$35/hr
#3

Physical Therapist Assistant

$26-$33/hr
#4

Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)

+ 4 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.

Living in Charleston

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$530k
Typical market rent
$2,288/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
101.0
State income tax
Up to 6.5%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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