Children's National Hospital logo
Children's National Hospital
Washington, District of Columbia

Physical Therapist, Inpatient PRN

Physical TherapistPer Diem

Listed compensation

$37.3-$62.16/hr

The week · per this posting

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

Ask the employer about call expectations, weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 37m ago · Verified live

Job Description

1731 Bunker Hill Road NE Washington, DC 20017

Kids Are Our Everything.

Department: 10506 RSC Physical Therapy

Pay Range

$37.30 - $62.16

Who We Are

Children’s National Rehabilitation and Specialized Care Center (RSC) provides family-centered medical and therapy services for children from infancy through age 21 with complex medical conditions.

Our inpatient programs deliver transitional medical care and rehabilitation, helping children safely move from acute care settings to home. Our outpatient services extend this care through ongoing, individualized medical and therapy support in a family-focused environment.

At RSC, you’ll be part of an interdisciplinary team of highly skilled and compassionate professionals who are committed to making a meaningful difference. Our clinicians collaborate closely to deliver innovative, personalized care and the most advanced rehabilitation services in the region. We invite you to grow your career with us while helping children reach their fullest potential.

What You’ll Do

As an Inpatient Physical Therapist, you will provide comprehensive physical therapy services to infants, children, and adolescents with complex medical, neurological, orthopedic, and rehabilitative needs.

You will evaluate patients, develop individualized treatment plans, and implement evidence-based interventions that promote mobility, functional independence, safety, and optimal participation in daily activities.

Working as part of an interdisciplinary care team, you will collaborate with physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, case managers, and families to support each patient's rehabilitation goals and successful transition across the continuum of care.

What You'll Need

Minimum Education

  • Graduate of a CAPTE approve physical therapy curriculum (Required)
  • Minimum Work Experience
  • One year of experience (Required)
  • Required License and Certifications
  • Current / eligible for DC Physical Therapy license (Required)
  • CPR certification (Required)

Functional Accountabilities

Perform evaluations and document pertinent results, including patient and/or family interview, review of pertinent background information, observations, standardized and other objective measurements, systems review and interpretation of findings, within time frames consistent with care setting and department policy.

Discuss evaluation results with patient/caregiver and appropriate healthcare team members and respond to questions appropriately.

When treatment is appropriate, provide recommendations (including need for further assessment, follow up or referrals for additional services), information concerning the frequency, estimate of duration/type of service required and prognosis. Identify discharge planning needs with consideration of patient’s medical, psychological, behavioral and socioeconomic status.

  • Identify and consider patient/caregiver expectations and limitations when developing plan of care.
  • Set measurable and realistic long and short-term goals based on the patient’s medical status, anticipated therapeutic outcome(s), discharge plans and patient/family input.
  • Refer patient to appropriate practitioner when patient need is outside scope of expertise.

Effectively and independently treat patient using established plan of care and in accordance to professional standards and established regulations set forth by HSC, APTA, the Department of Health, The Joint Commission and CARF.

Periodically re-evaluate and modify treatment plan and goals as indicated based on patient’s medical status, response to treatment, anticipated therapeutic outcome(s) and discharge plans.

Involve patient/family and/or other caregiver(s) in goal development and plan of care to include discharge planning.

Instruct and encourage patient, family members and/or caregiver(s) involvement in therapeutic activities (e. g. home exercise programs, orthotic/equipment use and care). Verify and document patient/caregiver’s understanding of information.

  • Make appropriate referrals for equipment and community involvement by time of discharge.
  • Follow established documentation policies and guidelines regarding initial evaluations, treatment/progress notes, teaching records, and discharge summaries as set forth by the department.
  • Complete patient charges accurately and timely.
  • Utilize outcome measurement tools as per established guidelines.
  • Achieve productivity, at the discretion of the Program Manager, averaging 62.5%.
  • Conduct staff in-services.
  • Responsible for supporting the clinical education program as assigned.
  • Appropriately delegate assignments and provide supervision to Rehabilitation Technicians and/or other support personnel.
  • Assist with the development and/or revision of departmental policies and procedures.
  • As appropriate, effectively handle administrative/shared responsibilities.

Make suggestions regarding purchase of new equipment and supplies when necessary. Maintain equipment and supplies in a clean and orderly condition.

Demonstrate familiarity with all policies and procedures of the Hospital and the Department of Rehabilitation Services.

Maintain skills, licensure, regulatory requirements and credentials needed to perform assigned duties.

Complete required or necessary orientation, annual training and in-services. Ensure all competencies are maintained.

Ensure timely and cooperative inter- and intra-departmental relationships and communications throughout the hospital/ hospital system and with individuals external to the hospital/ hospital system.

Assist with the monitoring and evaluation process for important aspects of care for the Department via performance improvement programs.

Facilitate and support department compliance with local, state, and federal laws, regulations and standards, including those governing professional practice. Assumes responsibility for meeting requirements specified by The Joint Commission /DOH and other relevant regulatory agencies and organizations.

What You'll Receive

Benefits That Support You

  • Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, prescription, infertility, and transgender health services.
  • Generous paid time off, including vacation accrual from day one, sick leave, holidays, and a personal day.
  • Financial wellness support, including a 401(k) plan and healthcare and dependent care spending accounts.
  • Employer-paid life, AD&D, and long-term disability coverage, with optional supplemental plans.

Additional perks, including tuition assistance, fitness resources, employee assistance, commuter benefits, and more.

Why Join Us

Nationally Recognized Excellence – Consistently ranked among the Top 10 Children’s Hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

Leading Pediatric Care – One of the largest and most comprehensive children’s hospitals in the country, offering nationally ranked specialties and cutting-edge treatments.

Innovation & Research – A premier academic medical center with a strong commitment to pediatric research, education, and advancing the future of child health.

Mission-Driven Culture – Dedicated to providing family-centered care while fostering a collaborative, supportive environment for clinical teams.

The disclosed salary range includes the minimum and maximum rates within which Children’s National believes an individual’s base pay rate will fall for this position. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the maximum of the pay range.

The exact pay rate for this position will be based on a variety of factors in alignment with the Children’s National compensation philosophy.

These factors are legitimate and non-discriminatory including, but not limited to, the current market conditions; organizational needs; the individual’s combination of prior work experience, level of education, knowledge, skills, and other qualifications.

Children’s National is committed to providing a fair and competitive total rewards package to each of our employees. This base salary range does not include our comprehensive benefits package or any additional compensation for which this position may be eligible.

Childrens National Hospital is an equal opportunity employer that evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or other characteristics protected by law. The “Know Your Rights” poster is available here: and the pay transparency policy is available here: Know Your RightsPay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster.

Please note that it is the policy of Children's National Hospital to ensure a “drug-free” work environment: a workplace free from the illegal use, possession or distribution of controlled substances (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act), or the misuse of legal substances, by all staff (management, employees and contractors). Though recreational and medical marijuana are now legal in the District of Columbia, Children's National and its affiliates maintain the right, in accordance with our policy, to enforce a drug-free workplace, including prohibiting recreational or prescribed marijuana.

Key Responsibilities

The physical therapist will evaluate and treat pediatric patients with complex medical needs to promote functional independence and safety. They will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team to develop individualized care plans and facilitate successful transitions across the continuum of care.

Requirements

Candidates must be graduates of a CAPTE-approved physical therapy program and possess at least one year of experience. A current or eligible DC physical therapy license and CPR certification are required.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Pediatric rehabilitationPatient evaluationTreatment planningInterdisciplinary collaborationOrthopedic careNeurological carePatient educationClinical supervisionRegulatory compliance

Physical Therapist Career Context

Of the 40 active Physical Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 8% are remote, 50% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for District of Columbia is 109.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$103k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $94k in an average-cost state. 64.3% of District of Columbia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top contract/1099 Physical Therapist Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution24 jobs

3
<$110k
2
$114k
2
$125k-140k
11
$140k-155k
6
$155k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks21 jobs

CME allowance
62%
401k / retirement match
57% this job
Sign-on bonus
43%
Relocation assistance
19%
PSLF eligible
10%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Physical Therapist

Cole Health · Washington, District of Columbia

$100-$110/hr
#2

Home Health Physical TherapistPer Diem

Transition Care Telemetry · Escondido, California

$80-$110/hr
#3

Home Health Physical Therapist (PT) – PRN

$70-$100/hr
#4

Home Care Physical Therapist- Independent Contractor (Union County)

$74-$95/hr
+ 38 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 22,195 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site

Living in Washington

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$642k
Typical market rent
$2,517/mo
Residents’ average commute
30 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.9
State income tax
Up to 10.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Children's National Hospital logo

About Children's National Hospital

Hospitals and Health Care
Washington, DC
5,001-10,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Comprehensive Health Coverage
Dental & Vision
401(k) Plan
Paid Time Off
Tuition Assistance
Fitness Resources
Employee Assistance Program
Commuter Benefits