Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA), Kent Island

Orthopedic Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)

Join our exceptional team in Chester, Maryland

$27 to $35 per hour | Full-time or part-time | $2,500 sign-on bonus | Great Place to Work Certified 2025 and 2026

Our Physical Therapists see fewer than 11 patients a day. One at a time, for the whole session, every session. That is a scheduling rule at Aquacare and Fitness Forum Physical Therapy, not an aspiration, and it is the reason most of our physical therapy clinicians came here and why they stay here.

We are a physical-therapist-owned private practice, independent for 27+ years, with 12 clinics across Maryland and Delaware. We are hiring an orthopedic physical therapist assistant (PTA) to join our exceptional team.

• The offer, in numbers
• $27 to $35 per hour, depending on experience
• $2,500 sign-on bonus
• Fewer than 11 patients per day, one-on-one, no productivity quota
• Four-day or five-day weeks, and you help set your hours
• $1,000 or more per year for continuing education, with additional funding for specialty certifications, plus license renewal reimbursed
• PTO hours when you start, growing with tenure, plus 6 paid holidays
• 401(k) with 4% match
• Medical, dental, vision, FSA, disability, and supplemental insurance
• Certification support for specialties such as aquatic therapy, lymphedema, and other tracks open to PTAs.

Your Day

You will treat and work directly with patients. Our Physical Therapy Assistants carry a real caseload and deliver hands-on care through the whole session, working from the plan of care with the evaluating physical therapist close at hand rather than down the hall in another building.

You will work alongside 6-8 physical therapists and additional Physical Therapy Assistants and techs depending on the location. Documentation runs through Prompt EMR with AI-assisted notes, and most of our clinicians finish their notes during working hours.

What we expect from the Physical Therapists you work with

This is worth saying plainly, because it is the part physical therapist assistants ask about and the part most listings skip. You will have direct access to the supervising physical therapist during your treatment sessions, structured check-ins on shared patients, and a say in how the plan of care progresses. You are a clinician here, not an extra pair of hands.

Where You Can Specialize

We want you to get good at something specific, and we pay for it. Aquatic therapy and lymphedema treatment are the two we would point a PTA toward first. Both are hard to find anywhere else on the Eastern Shore and Delaware, and both are real long-term career paths rather than a weekend course.

Beyond those, other options could include: balance and vestibular work, neurologic rehabilitation, or sports rehabilitation.

Your First Few Years

Day one. New graduates start with a reduced caseload that builds over your first three months, with weekly one-on-ones with your clinic director from week one.

Getting started. A named mentor, scheduled weekly meetings, and case review with clinical leadership.

Year one. Your first certification, paid, in whichever track you and your mentor pick.

After that. Lead PTA roles, clinical instructor for visiting PTA students, and cross-clinic float roles across our 12 sites.

What We Are Not

You will treat a wide variety of patients from post-surgical knees, athletes, weekend warriors, and plenty of people in their seventies who want to get back to gardening!

This isn’t a typical gym-style PT environment where patients are handed exercises and therapists move on to the next person. At Aquacare/Fitness Forum, you’ll spend meaningful one-on-one time with your patients, providing hands-on care and individualized treatment. If you want the clinical variety, you will find it here!

Why People Stay

• We are Great Place to Work Certified in both 2025 and 2026. Those percentages come from anonymous surveys of our own team:
• 96% say new people are made to feel welcome
• 95% say people here care about each other
• 93% say they can be themselves at work
• 91% say they can take time off when they need it
• 87% call it a great place to work, against 57% at a typical U.S. company

Send a resume. If you have questions first, ask away! Contact Cara Konlian, MSPT, CEO at ckonlian@aquacarerehab.com or 410-726-2704.

New Therapy Assistants graduates and students finishing in the spring are encouraged to reach out now. We hire ahead of openings.

Aquacare and Fitness Forum Physical Therapy operates 12 outpatient clinics across Maryland and Delaware, including Annapolis, Kent Island, Easton, Salisbury and Berlin in Maryland, and Lewes, Millsboro, Millville, Milford and Seaford in Delaware.

Join a Team Where You Can Grow, Specialize, and Make a Difference!

For over 27+ years, Aquacare & Fitness Forum Physical Therapy has proudly delivered premier outpatient physical therapy services across Maryland and Delaware as a locally owned and operated practice.

We’re committed to helping our clinicians specialize in their fields of interest—supporting professional growth through mentorship and continuing education.

Our specialty services are designed to meet the diverse needs of our community and include:

Specialty Areas

• Orthopedic Rehabilitation LSVT BIG for Parkinson's
• Aquatic Therapy Sports Rehabilitation (Aquacare Athletics)
• Balance & Vestibular Therapy Dance Rehabilitation
• Lymphedema Treatment Neurological Rehabilitation

Pelvic Floor Therapy Women’s Health

At Aquacare & Fitness Forum PT, you’ll be part of a collaborative, patient-centered team that values quality care and clinical excellence.