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Keck Medicine of USC
Arcadia, California

Staff Physical Therapist - Acute Rehab - Per Diem 8 Hours Variable Shift

Physical TherapistPer Diem

Listed compensation

$42.27-$55.48/hr

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 22m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Position Summary

Provides physical therapy care and services as part of the multidisciplinary treatment team to patients primarily in adult and geriatric age groups with occasional, limited pediatric and adolescent patients. May function as Clinical Instructor for Physical Therapy students.

Essential Job Functions and Core Responsibilities

  • Communicates appropriately with the referring physician.
  • Communicates with patients and others adequately and appropriately.
  • Completes all required documentation.
  • Continues professional development through continuing education.
  • Delegates to and supervises Assistants and Aides appropriately.
  • Demonstrates the knowledge and ability to assess patients and complete other clinical responsibilities from a developmental perspective.
  • Develops appropriate treatment plans.

Evaluates patients, identifying problems and defining treatment goals that are specific, objective and measurable.

Implements treatment programs using appropriate modalities and/or procedures according to department standards.

  • Monitors the extent to which services have met therapy goals.
  • May participates in clinical education for physical therapy students.
  • Participates in multidisciplinary treatment planning and care.
  • May participate in orientation of new staff, students and volunteers.
  • Performs routine tasks necessary for maintaining a clean, safe and efficient work area.

Possesses the knowledge and clinical skills necessary to assess the developmental level of adolescent patients and to incorporate this information appropriately into treatment planning and delivery of individualized treatment and patient/family education that is specific to the needs of the adolescent patient.

Possesses the knowledge and clinical skills necessary to assess the developmental level of pediatric patients and to incorporate this information appropriately into treatment planning and delivery of individualized treatment and patient/family education that is specific to the needs of the pediatric patient.

Possesses the knowledge and clinical skills necessary to assess the effects of aging and to incorporate this information appropriately into treatment planning and delivery of individualized treatment and patient/family education that is specific to the geriatric patient's needs.

Responsible for understanding and participating in the organization- wide Performance Improvement Program through orientation; education; departmental and interdepartmental quality control; performance improvement; and quality planning activities.

Job requirements

Education

Minimum (Required) Graduate of PT program accredited by CAPTE or equivalent per California PT Board requirements.

Work Experience

Preferred (Not required) Hospital based experience preferred.

Licenses and Certifications

Minimum (Required)

  • Current CA license as a Physical Therapist or license applicant status., Current BLS certification

Equal Employment Opportunity

USC Arcadia Hospital is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC Arcadia Hospital’s policy.

USC Arcadia Hospital will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient safety.

Pay Transparency

The hourly salary rate range for this position is $42.27- $55.48. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California Arcadia Hospital considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, State, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy.

USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law.

USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety.

Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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Digital Accessibility

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Key Responsibilities

Provides physical therapy care and services to adult, geriatric, pediatric, and adolescent patients as part of a multidisciplinary team. Evaluates patients, develops treatment plans, and monitors progress while maintaining accurate clinical documentation.

Requirements

Requires a graduate degree from a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program or equivalent. Must hold a current California Physical Therapist license and BLS certification.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Patient assessmentGeriatric carePediatric careAdolescent careClinical instruction

Physical Therapist Career Context

In California, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$117k (231 salary observations; 546 listings), vs ~$93k nationally (2,380 salary observations; 8,217 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-09-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 48 active Physical Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 10% are remote, 33% have no call, 69% require no weekends.

Physical Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 1.0% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$102k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $92k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Physical Therapist Jobs

48 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution29 jobs

5
<$105k
3
$105k-130k
10
$130k-155k
11
$155k-180k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks29 jobs

401k / retirement match
55%
CME allowance
52% this job
Sign-on bonus
28%
Relocation assistance
14%
PSLF eligible
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Home Health Physical TherapistPer Diem

Transition Care Telemetry · Escondido, California

$80-$110/hr
#2

Physical Therapist Acute CarePer Diem

Sutter Health · San Francisco, California

$63.78-$89.28/hr
#3

Physical Therapist II, Santa Cruz, Soquel, Per Diem

$63.78-$89.28/hr
#4

Physical Therapist II, Inpatient Acute Rehabilitation, Per Diem

$63.78-$89.28/hr
+ 46 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 5.1this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Physical Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 21,853 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Arcadia

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.21M
Typical market rent
$3,414/mo
Residents’ average commute
29 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
113.6
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 · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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