Per Diem Physical Therapist I - Acute Rehab - Days

Physical TherapistNo weekendsPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 2m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Who We Are

UCI Health is one of California's largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health - Orange, UCI Health - Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties.

As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education.

Your Role on the Team

Position Summary

The Physical Therapist I provides a full range of physical therapy services including evaluation, treatment planning, therapeutic interventions, and discharge planning.

What It Takes to be Successful

Required Qualifications

  • Required to float between UCI Health locations as needed
  • Physical Therapy License or proof of eligibility from California Board of Physical Therapy
  • If assigned to work with infants and children aged 0 to 21, CCS paneling/approval will be required within one year of hire if qualified for CCS paneling requirement

Current BLS Certification

Ability to travel to clinics, and other campus offices as determined by patient and scheduling needs.

Licenses and Certifications

Basic Life Support

Education

Total Rewards

We offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.

Conditions of Employment

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) seeks to provide a safe and healthy environment for the entire UCI community. As part of this commitment, all applicants who accept an offer of employment must comply with the following conditions of employment:

  • Background Check and Live Scan
  • Employment Misconduct*
  • Legal Right to Work in the United States
  • Vaccination Policies
  • Smoking and Tobacco Policy

Drug Free Environment

*Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

The following additional conditions may apply, some of which are dependent upon business unit or job specific requirements.

  • California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act
  • E-Verify

Pre-Placement Health Evaluation

Details of each policy may be reviewed by visiting the following page: hr.uci.edu

Closing Statement

The University of California 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, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

We are committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce along with honoring unique experiences, perspectives, and identities. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming.

UCI provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities upon request. For more information, please contact UCI's Employee Experience Center (EEC) at eec@uci.edu or at (949) 824-0500, Monday - Friday from 8:30 a. m. - 5:00 p. m.

Consideration for Work Authorization Sponsorship

Must be able to provide proof of work authorization

Key Responsibilities

The Physical Therapist I is responsible for providing a full range of physical therapy services, including patient evaluation, treatment planning, and therapeutic interventions. They also manage discharge planning and are required to float between various UCI Health locations as needed.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Physical Therapy License or proof of eligibility from the California Board of Physical Therapy and possess a current BLS certification. The role requires the ability to travel to various clinics and campus offices to meet patient and scheduling needs.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Physical Therapist Career Context

Of the 50 active Physical Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 8% are remote, 38% have no call, 56% require no weekends.

In California, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$116k (1,568 salary observations; 4,016 listings), vs ~$94k nationally (15,296 salary observations; 58,632 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

What does the Physical Therapy market look like in California?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedPhysical Therapy median $117k (middle half $100k–$132k)919 comparable listings, Oct 2026
California vs national$116k median in California$94k nationally (+24%)1,568 state / 15,296 national salary observations
Cost of livingCalifornia index 110.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Physical Therapy listings in California1,718 active21,793 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 8% remote · 38% no call · 56% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top contract/1099 Physical Therapist Jobs

49 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

45 jobs · 33 employers
16
<$115k
9
$115k-140k
10
$140k-165k
10
$165k-190k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

37 jobs · 33 employers
401k / retirement match
95% this job
CME allowance
49%
Sign-on bonus
38%
Loan repayment
22%
Relocation assistance
8%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Physical Therapist II, Santa Cruz

Sutter Health · Santa Cruz, California

$133k-$186k
#2

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist II, Sunnyvale

Sutter Health · Sunnyvale, California

$133k-$186k
#3

Home Health Physical Therapist - $5k Sign On Bonus!

$55.42-$86.03/hr
#4

Physical Therapist

$85/hr
+ 47 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 3.9
Better work-life than 40% of Physical Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 21,840 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
University of California, Irvine logo

About University of California, Irvine

Hospitals and Health Care
Orange, California
5,001-10,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical Insurance
Sick and Vacation Time
Retirement Savings Plans
Employee Discounts

Living in Irvine

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.36M
Typical market rent
$3,604/mo
Residents’ average commute
25 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.