California Hospital Medical Center logo
California Hospital Medical Center
Los Angeles, California

Physical Therapist

Physical TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$52.04-$77.42/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 2h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Where You’ll Work

Founded in 1887, Dignity Health - California Hospital Medical Center is a 318-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in downtown Los Angeles, California.

Serving over 100,000 patients annually, the hospital offers a full complement of services including a Level II Trauma Center, Level III NICU, heart care, women’s health, and a family birth center.

In 2025, we opened our new patient tower, Grand Tower, featuring a dramatically expanded Emergency Department and Family Birth Center that will increase patient comfort and privacy.

Additionally, California Hospital Medical Center has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. It is a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center, and recently was awarded the AMA/ASA’s Get the Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement, recognizing the hospital’s commitment to providing the best stroke care.

California Hospital Medical Center shares a legacy of humankindness with Dignity Health and CommonSpirit Health, one of the nation’s largest health care systems, dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care. One Community. One Mission. One California

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As our Physical Therapist, you will help patients rebuild or maintain their physical wellbeing so they can function at their best level, reduce pain, and improve their quality of life.

Every day you will perform initial evaluations, develop and update individualized plans of care, and provide a variety of direct treatments.

You will be expected to consistently meet patient care productivity standards, collaborate with the interdisciplinary team and families, and promote a positive customer service environment.

To be successful in this role, you must possess strong age-appropriate competency skills, excellent communication abilities, and a collaborative, patient-centered approach to care. Some duties & responsibilities are as follows:

Evaluates and treats all patient diagnoses comprehensively, and identifies appropriate treatment plan and goals consistent with physician's referral, patient's diagnosis, abilities and age -using objective, measurable data, within departmental policy timelines.

Communicates professionally and effectively (SBAR format) with the entire health care team (rehab, nursing, physicians, case managers) to effectively provide the best possible care for the patient.

Communicates with Director and supervisor effectively, and in a timely manner, regarding any issues, requests or ideas. Completes and forwards all required hospital and department forms, such as timecards, time-off requests, projects, without need for reminders.

All required Medical record documentation is timely, complete, legible and compliant with all departmental standards and regulatory guidelines, including the justification for skilled Physical Therapy need.

Consistently maintains productivity level at or above department standard and demonstrates excellent time management, including adjusting schedule as needed to complete assignments, communicating with the team and using downtime effectively.

  • Job Requirements
  • Required
  • Current California Physical Therapy license or eligible for same
  • Bachelors degree from a Physical Therapy institution accredited by the APTA.
  • Masters degree from a Physical Therapy institution accredited by the APTA.
  • Doctorate of Science from a Physical Therapy institution accredited by the APTA.
  • Basic Life Support - CPR
  • Fire Safety, within 90 Days
  • Preferred
  • 1-3 years experience as a licensed Physical Therapist in a hospital setting

Key Responsibilities

Evaluate patients, develop and update individualized plans of care, and provide treatments to improve physical function, reduce pain, and support quality of life. Coordinate care with patients, families, and the interdisciplinary team while maintaining timely, compliant documentation and meeting productivity standards.

Requirements

Requires a current California Physical Therapy license or eligibility for one, and a degree from an APTA-accredited physical therapy institution; the posting lists bachelor's, master's, and Doctor of Science degrees. Basic Life Support/CPR and Fire Safety are required within 90 days; 1–3 years of licensed physical therapist experience in a hospital setting is preferred.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Certifications

BLS

Key Skills

Physical Therapy EvaluationTreatment PlanningDirect Patient TreatmentInterdisciplinary CollaborationProductivity ManagementSBAR Communication

Physical Therapist Career Context

In California, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$118k (1,220 salary observations; 4,366 listings), vs ~$94k nationally (12,288 salary observations; 64,780 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)), so the posted ~$135k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $122k in an average-cost state. 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
Listed pay$108k–$161kPhysical Therapy median $129k (middle half $122k–$137k)27 comparable listings, Nov 2026
California vs national$118k median in California$94k nationally (+26%)1,220 state / 12,288 national salary observations
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$122k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Physical Therapy listings in California1,801 active22,064 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 58% no call · 46% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia physical therapist listings (all specialties): 20% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 8% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Physical Therapy listings7,998 in the last 30 days4,221 the 30 days before (+89%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Physical Therapy pay trend+1.8% 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 Physical Therapist Jobs

38 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

38 jobs · 17 employers
14
<$115k
11
$115k-135k
8
$135k-155k
2
$155k-175k
3
$186k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

34 jobs · 17 employers
401k / retirement match
94%
Sign-on bonus
62%
CME allowance
59%
Loan repayment
29%
Relocation assistance
21%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Physical Therapist II, Pelvic Health, Lymphedema, Dublin

Sutter Health · Dublin, California

$133k-$186k
#2

Physical Therapist II, Santa Cruz, Limited Term

Sutter Health · Santa Cruz, California

$133k-$186k
#3

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist II, Sunnyvale

$133k-$186k
#4

Physical Therapist

$165,000
+ 36 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 21,960 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

California Hospital Medical Center logo

About California Hospital Medical Center

Hospitals and Health Care
San Francisco, CA
10,000+ employees

Living in Los Angeles

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$922k
Typical market rent
$2,772/mo
Residents’ average commute
31 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.