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Kindred Healthcare
Columbus, Georgia

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 50m ago · Verified live

Job Description

SIGN-ON BONUS: $10,000

Join St. Francis–Emory Healthcare, a 376-bed community-connected hospital in Columbus, GA, that blends cutting-edge care with hometown purpose.

As part of the ScionHealth network, St. Francis has been recognized and awarded multiple high-performing honors by U.S. News & World Report, and received multiple disease-specific certifications from the Joint Commission, and was a rated Top Large Hospital in Georgia.

St. Francis also delivers advanced heart, orthopedic, and women’s care services. At St. Francis, you will experience a culture of excellence where your work directly shapes the health of our community.

Job Summary

Evaluates and conducts medically prescribed physical therapy treatment programs. Provides educational information to patients in regard to injury prevention, ergonomics, restorative therapy and rehabilitation therapy. Supervises physical therapy assistants and aides in performing treatment

Essential Functions

Interacts professionally with patients/families; treats patients and their families with respect and dignity. Identifies and addresses psychosocial, cultural, ethnic and religious/spiritual needs of patients and their families

Effectively and appropriately communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers, demonstrating customer service excellence through application of positive language principles, appropriate response and use of constructive problem-solving techniques which foster positive outcomes

Ability to perform an appropriate assessment on all patients as related to the therapy requested and provided and reassessments as per policy. This includes neonate, pediatric, adolescent, geriatric patients and the general patient population

Supervises and delegates the care provided by certified patient therapy assistants, therapy technicians, therapy aides, students, and other support personnel. Assesses competence, delegates specific tasks, and establishes channels of communication. according to established licensing laws, state regulations and practice standards

Administers treatment involving application of physical agent modalities using equipment, moist packs, ultraviolet and infrared lamps, and ultrasound machines

Performs therapy interventions utilizing standard physical therapy techniques and skills as appropriate for the age and condition of the patient

Evaluates, fits, and adjusts prosthetic and orthotic devices and recommend modifications

Plans, prepares, and carries out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain and prevent physical dysfunction in patients

Formulates a teaching plan based upon identified learning needs and evaluates effectiveness of learning, family is included in teaching as appropriate

Establishes a plan of care which is appropriate to problems identified and involves the patient according to his or her capabilities and desires. Identifies and documents goals, anticipated progress and plans for reevaluation

Education

  • Bachelor's, Master's or Doctorate of Physical Therapy, required
  • Licenses/Certifications
  • Must have a current State Physical Therapy License
  • American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) certification required within 90 days of hire or transfer

Experience

  • Able to maintain a high awareness of patient satisfaction and teamwork
  • Attention to detail
  • Adaptable to performing well under pressure in a stressful environment and take appropriate action
  • Must be flexible, able to work as needed for appropriate departmental coverage
  • Basic computer knowledge; become proficient in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems
  • Requires critical thinking skills, decisive judgment, and the ability to work with minimal supervision

Demonstrates Proficient Time Management Skills

  • Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
  • Additional languages preferred.
  • Demonstrates knowledge of physical therapy modalities

Key Responsibilities

Evaluates and conducts medically prescribed physical therapy treatment programs to restore physical functioning and alleviate pain. Supervises physical therapy assistants and aides while providing patient education on injury prevention and rehabilitation.

Requirements

Requires a Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy along with a current state license. Candidates must possess American Heart Association BLS certification and demonstrate proficiency in EMR systems.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Patient assessmentProsthetic fittingOrthotic fitting

Physical Therapist Career Context

Of the 50 active Physical Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 40% have no call, 74% require no weekends.

In Georgia, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$89k (262 salary observations; 1,070 listings), vs ~$93k nationally (7,156 salary observations; 29,836 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for Georgia is 96.3 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 59.8% of Georgia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Physical Therapist Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution50 jobs · 41 employers

27
<$110k
8
$110k-125k
6
$125k-140k
9
$140k-155k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks45 jobs · 41 employers

401k / retirement match
87%
CME allowance
82%
Sign-on bonus
76% this job
Loan repayment
44%
Relocation assistance
9%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Acute Care Physical Therapist

Sentara Health · Hampton, Virginia

$103k-$149k
#2

Travel Physical Therapist General JobContract

Healthforce · Kodiak, Alaska

$137k-$148k
#3

Physical Therapist (PT) – Travel Contract + Lodging

$70+/visit
#4

Physical Therapist (PT) – Flexible Schedule

$70+/visit
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 3.0
Better work-life than 30% of Physical Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 22,135 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site

Living in Columbus

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$164k
Typical market rent
$1,308/mo
Residents’ average commute
21 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
89.3
State income tax
Up to 5.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Columbus, GA-AL metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

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About Kindred Healthcare

Hospitals and Health Care
Louisville, KY
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

$10,000 Sign-On Bonus