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Kaiser Permanente
Orange, California

Physical Therapist

Physical TherapistFull-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 3mo ago

Job Description

Responsible for the physical therapy management of patients. Will report to Director, Assistant Director and/or Clinical Supervisor.

Essential Responsibilities

Evaluates patients and interprets examination findings to determine the nature and extent of dysfunction relative to persons limited by medical problems, birth defects, or health related conditions to restore their abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives. Performs clinical testing to determine muscle strength, reflexes, sensation, coordination, range of motion, and other sensory motor skills while performing clinical analysis and treatment of postural, gait, and ADL disorders.

  • Establishes plan of care to achieve established goals relative to age, medical history and dysfunction.
  • Administers or prescribes modalities and other physical agents.
  • Administers or prescribes exercise programs/development of patient care programs.

Demonstrates professional competence and clinical reasoning in assessing patients condition at the onset and through all phases of skilled physical therapy.

Routinely takes usual and special precautions relative to the age, medical history and condition of the patient, and the type of treatment being given.

Regularly reassesses clinical signs and symptoms to determine effectiveness of treatment, progression towards goals, and the need for modification of treatment and/or goals.

  • Implements the treatment program through direct treatment of the patient.
  • May delegate a portion of the treatment plan to appropriate supportive personnel.
  • Coordinates the treatment plan and participates in discharge planning with other health care personnel as appropriate.
  • May participate in relevant patient care rounds and case management conferences.
  • Provides advice and education to patient and family.

Discharges patients from physical therapy services when skilled therapy is no longer medically necessary and when clinically appropriate.

Upholds Kaiser Permanentes Policies and Procedures, Principles of Responsibilities and applicable state, federal and local laws.

Follows department guidelines on cleanliness of assigned areas and reports non-functioning of patient care equipment by following department equipment maintenance policies and procedures.

Provides accurate and timely documentation of physical therapy services provided per State and Federal requirements and relevant medical group policies and guidelines.

  • Works in partnership with Management to complete all mandatory compliance requirements.
  • May be required to be trained to cover a diverse population of patients depending on local medical center need.
  • May be involved in the clinical competency of PT Assistants and PT Aides.

Adequately supervises PT assistants and PT aides when patient related and non-patient related tasks are delegated to them.

Demonstrates internal and external customer service at all times and behaves in accordance with Principles of Responsibility.

Basic Qualifications

  • Experience
  • N/A

Education

Completion of an accredited PT training program with a Bachelors, Masters, or Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy.

  • License, Certification, Registration
  • Physical Therapist License (California) required at hire OR Physical Therapist License - Applicant (California) required at hire
  • Physical Therapist License (California) within 4 months of hire
  • National Provider Identifier required at hire
  • Basic Life Support required at hire

Additional Requirements

Must be able to work in a Labor/Management Partnership environment.

If CA PT License Applicant (PTLA) or PT Aide Letter recipient: licensing exam must be passed within (120) days from letter date.

Preferred Qualifications

Member APTA

Notes

  • Will work at all OC clinics, including but not limited to CMO, SJC, SNC, YLM, KM1, HMH, TRM, ACM, OCA, OCI.
  • Shifts scheduled per operational needs.
  • Will treat all general populations in both IP and OP settings.

Key Responsibilities

The Physical Therapist evaluates patients to determine the nature of their dysfunction and establishes personalized care plans to restore functional movement. They implement treatment programs, coordinate discharge planning, and provide education to patients and their families.

Requirements

Candidates must have completed an accredited physical therapy training program with a Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctorate degree. A valid California Physical Therapist license or applicant status and Basic Life Support certification are required at the time of hire.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)

Certifications

BLS

Key Skills

Patient evaluationMuscle strength assessmentGait analysisPostural disorder treatmentADL disorder treatmentExercise prescriptionPatient educationSupervision of PT assistants

Physical Therapist Career Context

In California, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$116k (1,300 salary observations; 4,522 listings), vs ~$94k nationally (13,008 salary observations; 66,534 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)). 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
Work-life score7.2 / 10 · top 10% in physical therapyranked against 22,012 Physical Therapy listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed paynot listedPhysical Therapy median $115k (middle half $110k–$155k)24 comparable listings, Nov 2026
California vs national$116k median in California$94k nationally (+24%)1,300 state / 13,008 national salary observations
Cost of livingCalifornia index 110.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Physical Therapy listings in California1,797 active22,005 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 2% remote · 42% no call · 58% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia physical therapist listings (all specialties): 19% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 8% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Physical Therapy listings7,905 in the last 30 days4,366 the 30 days before (+81%)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 (22,012 Physical Therapy listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Physical Therapist at Kaiser Permanente a 7.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 10% in Physical Therapy — ranked against 22,012 active Physical Therapy listings on WeekdayDoc.

Top Physical Therapist Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

50 jobs · 35 employers
15
<$120k
10
$120k-135k
12
$135k-150k
9
$150k-165k
4
$165k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

39 jobs · 35 employers
401k / retirement match
92% this job
CME allowance
62%
Sign-on bonus
41%
Loan repayment
26%
Relocation assistance
10%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Physical Therapist, Home Health

Sutter Health · Yuba City, California

$67.43-$94.4/hr
#2

Physical Therapist II, Pelvic Health, Lymphedema, Dublin

Sutter Health · Dublin, California

$133k-$186k
#3

Physical Therapist (PT) - Correctional Facility -Jamestown, CA

$80/hr
#4

Physical Therapist (PT) - Correctional Facility Chowchilla, CA

$80/hr
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 7.2
Among the best 10% of Physical Therapy listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 22,012 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Kaiser Permanente logo

About Kaiser Permanente

Medical Practices
Oakland, California
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
Retirement Plan
Paid Time Off
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance

Living in Orange

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.04M
Typical market rent
$3,037/mo
Residents’ average commute
26 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
113.6
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.

BEA 2024 · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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