Ernest Health logo
Ernest Health
Cayce, South Carolina

Physical Therapist Assistant - Per Diem

Physical Therapist AssistantPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

Schedule not stated in this posting — no days, weekends, call or nights given.

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

Posted 2h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Physical Therapist Assistant - Per Diem- Columbia (Cayce), SC

We are seeking a Physical Therapist Assistant to join our team of passionate patient caregivers!

Lexington Regional Rehabilitation Hospital in Cayce, South Carolina (Columbia area) offers specialized inpatient rehabilitation in a warm and professional environment.

Our hospital is dedicated to restoring the quality of life for individuals recovering from strokes, neurological injuries, orthopedic surgeries, and other serious illnesses or injuries.

We provide comprehensive rehab services, including advanced physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology, delivered by a compassionate multidisciplinary team. The facility is equipped with modern therapy gyms and amenities to promote healing and comfort.

Accredited by The Joint Commission, Lexington Regional Rehabilitation Hospital is recognized for its patient-focused care and strong outcomes, proudly serving patients and families across the Midlands region.

At Lexington Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, you’ll find the resources to grow your career in a place that feels like home.

As a participating hospital of Ernest Health, we offer robust recognition, wellness, and retention programs. These programs focus to enhance the employees’ work experience, recognize, and celebrate achievements.

We also encourage employees to share their work experience through “My Ernest Journey” and through our Engagement Survey, where our approach is “You Spoke, We Listened”. These platforms provide additional avenues for employees to give feedback about their work experience and share what is important to them.

Qualifications

Required Skills

  • Current and valid licensure as a Physical Therapist Assistant required.
  • Basic Life Support/CPR Certification from an approved vendor required.
  • One year of direct patient care experience in a hospital setting preferred.

Additional Qualifications/Skills

  • Knowledge of clinical operations and procedures.
  • Demonstrates an understanding of treatment costs and financial support as they relate to quality and efficiency.
  • Demonstrates competency in the provision of care according to established standards
  • Demonstrates appropriate application of age specific standards, policies and procedures and guidelines in caring for pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients
  • Demonstrates general computer skills including: data entry, word processing, email, and record management.
  • Leadership skills in delegating, organizing, and educating coworkers and staff.
  • Effective organizational and time management skills.
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to maintain proper levels of confidentiality.
  • Ability to work closely and professionally with others.
  • Ability to maintain quality, safety, and/or infection control standards.

Responsibilities

Under the direction of a physical therapist, may be involved in implementing treatment plans with patients. Performs components of physical therapy procedures and related tasks selected by a supervising physical therapist. Records the patient's responses to treatment and reports to the physical therapist the outcome of each treatment. Integrates the hospital’s mission and “Guiding Principles” into daily practice.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Certifications

BLS

Key Skills

Treatment planningDocumentationSafety standards

Physical Therapist Career Context

In South Carolina, the Physical Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$89k (283 salary observations; 1,350 listings), vs ~$94k nationally (11,498 salary observations; 60,195 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 South Carolina is 93.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 60.6% of South Carolina clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

What does the Physical Therapy market look like in South Carolina?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedPhysical Therapy median $66k (middle half $60k–$68k)14 comparable listings, Oct 2026
South Carolina vs national$89k median in South Carolina$94k nationally (−5%)283 state / 11,498 national salary observations
Cost of livingSouth Carolina index 93.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Physical Therapy listings in South Carolina510 active22,168 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedSouth Carolina Physical Therapist listings: 27% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 23% offer loan repayment531 active listings, Oct 2026
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 PTA Jobs

7 matches · ranked by pay

Work-Life Balance Distribution

7 jobs
0
1-2
0
3-4
3
5-6
3
7-8
1
9-10

Higher = better work-life balance

#1

Physical Therapist Assistant

Quincy Medical Group · Quincy, Illinois

$25-$37.5/hr
#2

Physical Therapist Assistant Full Time Outpatient

ProMotion Rehab and Sports Medicine · Florence, South Carolina

$23.5-$34.5/hr
#3

Physical Therapist Assistant

$26-$33/hr
#4

Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)

+ 5 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Physical Therapist Assistant listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 4,946 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Ernest Health logo

About Ernest Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Mesquite, Texas
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Recognition programs
Wellness programs
Retention programs

Living in Cayce

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$212k
Typical market rent
$1,462/mo
Residents’ average commute
20 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
93.7
State income tax
Up to 6.5%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Columbia, SC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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