Physical Therapist - Outpatient Orthopedic

Physical TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$100k-$128k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 10m ago · Verified live

Job Description

For more than 55 years, Family Health Centers of San Diego’s (FHCSD) mission has been to provide caring, affordable, high-quality health care and supportive services to everyone, with a special commitment to uninsured, low-income and medically underserved persons.

FHCSD is one of the top 10 largest federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in the country. We operate more than 90 sites across San Diego County, including 29 primary care clinics, 23 behavioral health facilities, 10 physical rehabilitation clinics, nine dental clinics, five vision clinics, four outpatient substance use treatment programs, three mobile medical units, two mobile counseling centers, two urgent care centers, and a pharmacy.

Our staff provides care to over 227,000 patients each year, of whom 91% are low-income and 29% are uninsured. FHCSD provides care to all.

Services include, but are not limited to adult care, chronic disease management, pediatrics, comprehensive women’s care including obstetrics, dental, vision, case management, physical rehabilitation, speech therapy for children, vaccinations, infectious diseases, behavioral health, substance use counseling and a host of specialty services including cardiology, podiatry, endocrinology, dermatology, among others.

FHCSD also offers supportive services to those who are unsheltered and in need of intensive case management.

The breadth of our clinic locations, services and programs has grown over the last five decades, making us the largest community clinic provider of health care to the uninsured in the county and one of the top 10 largest community clinic organizations in the nation. We are also the largest health care safety-net provider, largest school-based health care provider and the largest mental health provider in the San Diego region.

Family Health Centers of San Diego is looking for a Physical Therapist to provide evaluation and treatment for adult patients with a variety of mobility, motor control and musculoskeletal disorders.

Responsibilities

Communicates regularly with Referral, Case Management, Care Coordination, and Scheduling staff. Makes recommendations and follows through with referrals to outside agencies when appropriate.

Communicates with patients and/or parents/caregivers regarding evaluation results, treatment plan and goals. Provides home program activities to patients and/or parents/caregivers to ensure carryover to the home environment. Engages patients and/or parents/caregivers in treatment sessions.

Completes all required documentation accurately, in a timely manner, and thoroughly in accordance with department standards; in addition, documentation complies with patients' insurance requirements.

Consults with Physicians, allied health professionals, and other team members. Participates in case conferencing meeting and in program planning meetings. Facilitates training and presentations for staff, patients, and parents/caregivers when applicable.

Evaluates patients referred for physical therapy, physical therapy consultation, and/or early intervention services (for pediatric assignments). Performs evaluation according to each patient's needs, physician recommendations, and specific program guidelines/protocols.

Monitors and manages own schedule. Communicates with scheduling staff to keep schedule full.

Provides appropriate oversight and supervision of Physical Therapy Assistants as necessary. Ensures that services being provided by the Physical Therapy Assistants are safe, effective, and efficient. Determines when expertise and decision-making capability of the Physical Therapy Assistants requires that the Physical Therapist personally renders physical therapy interventions and when it may be appropriate to utilize the Physical Therapy Assistant.

Provides treatment at different clinic sites, off-sites, or patient homes based on caseload and department needs. Plans effectively for efficient use of time and resources when providing home visits.

Provides treatment to assigned patients as appropriate in accordance with established standards of care and practice. Designs an appropriate and effective treatment plan and work within scope of practice at all times. Monitors progress of treatment goals through periodic observations and assessments. Conducts re-evaluations when indicated.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral degree in Physical Therapy from an accredited program required.
  • At least 2 years of experience as a Physical Therapist preferred.

Current state licensure as a Physical Therapist (or eligibility to obtain licensure) is required. Candidates must maintain all applicable certifications and continuing education requirements necessary to practice in accordance with state and federal regulations.

Current American Heart Association healthcare provider CPR (BLS), or Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Advanced Trauma Life Support, or Advance Resuscitation Training.

Bilingual English-Spanish is preferred.

Traveling between sites and other locations is occasionally required. Must have a valid California driver’s license, an automobile, and proof of minimum levels of car insurance as required under California law, although limits of $100,000 are recommended. An acceptable driving record is also required.

California law requires all drivers to obtain a valid California driver’s license within ten days of establishing residency. Reasonable accommodation may be provided on a case-by-case basis. Mileage and other reimbursement governed by policy.

Rewards

  • Job type: Regular Full-Time
  • Competitive Salary with Excellent Benefits
  • Retirement Plan with Employer Match
  • Paid Time Off, Extended Sick Leave and Paid Holidays
  • Medical/Dental/Vision/FSA/Life Insurance

Employee Discounts and Wellness Programs

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to community medicine and providing culturally competent care to the medically underserved.

We are excited to share that the salary range for this position is:

$100,000.00 - $128,103.00

Information on our extensive benefits package can be found here: FHCSD Wellness – Employee Hub (gobenefits.net)

FHCSD provides Equal Employment Opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.

Qualifications

Experience
2+ years of experience

Certifications

ACLSATLS

Key Skills

Orthopedic rehabilitationPatient evaluationTreatment planningMusculoskeletal disorder managementMotor control assessmentHome program developmentPatient educationInterdisciplinary collaboration

Orthopedic Surgery — Physical Therapist Career Context

Family Health Centers of San Diego holds silver-tier status on WeekdayDoc's Top Employers work-life index, composite score 74/100, 34 active listings.

Of the 50 active Orthopedic Surgery listings this role was benchmarked against, 4% are remote, 48% have no call, 58% require no weekends.

Orthopedic Surgery by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$100k–$128kOrthopedic Surgery median $117k (middle half $95k–$132k)970 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$103k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Orthopedic Surgery listings in California25 active414 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 4% remote · 48% no call · 58% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia Physical Therapist listings: 20% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 9% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Orthopedic Surgery listings338 in the last 30 days228 the 30 days before (+48%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Family Health Centers of San Diegosilver tier, 74/100Top Employers work-life index34 active listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, Top Employers work-life index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Physical Therapist Jobs

34 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

34 jobs · 24 employers
11
<$110k
11
$110k-130k
5
$130k-150k
5
$150k-170k
2
$186k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

29 jobs · 24 employers
401k / retirement match
90% this job
CME allowance
79%
Sign-on bonus
62%
Loan repayment
28% this job
Relocation assistance
17%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Physical Therapist II, Pelvic Health, Lymphedema, Dublin

Sutter Health · Dublin, California

$133k-$186k
#2

Orthopedics Physical Therapist, Palo Alto

Sutter Health · Palo Alto, California

$133k-$186k
#3

Physical Therapist

$165,000
#4

Physical Therapist Case Manager, Level 2: Home Health

$125k-$160k
+ 32 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Orthopedic Surgery (Physical Therapy) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 424 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Family Health Centers of San Diego logo

About Family Health Centers of San Diego

Hospitals and Health Care
San Diego, CA
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Competitive Salary
Retirement Plan with Employer Match
Paid Time Off
Extended Sick Leave
Paid Holidays
Medical/Dental/Vision/FSA/Life Insurance
Employee Discounts and Wellness Programs

Living in San Diego

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.00M≈ 10.0× annual pay
Typical market rent
$3,004/mo≈ 36% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
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 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.