Few Questions regarding PT salary (Full Version)

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free -> Few Questions regarding PT salary (May 8, 2005 6:26:00 PM)

Hi to all forum readers,
I would like to start my discussion with my introduction. I was a fresh graduate about a year ago and was in a rush to get a job (just like as any other fresh grad, I guess). I got job in AL through recruiter who really pushed me to join it. My bad luck that I never took second opinion and joined the hospital. Now it has been a year and I have come to know through this forum, my other friends and colleagues a lots of information that I should have considered before joining my first job. I never considered the salary which is 50,000 per annum (employer being in rural remote area). Moreover employer is not ready to reimburse me for travelling charges for continuing education. Now I am thinking about changing employer and work for someone else but before doing that I have few questions,

1. Is the base rate of 50,000 per annum an average pay or below average for a PT. I know deptt. of labor states higher than this but I would like to know from professionals?
2. Do all of the employers not pay for the travelling for the purpose of CEUs?
3. What should be the criteria to judge an employer whether he/she will be fair or not in dealings especially for what they promise? in other words what will you do to jugdge the fairness in dealing while choosing an employer.

I hope someone will be able to spare some time to respond me although it seems to be very basic and minor issue.



matotoms -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (May 9, 2005 6:11:00 AM)

50 K is about average and the benefits differ everywhere. Remember,,,everything is negotiable. If you feel strongly that your employer should pay for CEUs and travel and they refuse....pack up and leave and get your next job offer with all bennies and compensation in writing.

PT has been stuck at around 50-60K salary forever with a trend towards reduced benefits. Why anyone would spend the money and time for an entry level masters or god forbid, a DPT, for that salary is beyond me. The only positive is the ability to go into private practice.



JLS_PT_OCS -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (May 9, 2005 10:26:00 AM)

Salaries are very variable.
As mt mentions, everything is negotiable.
I would think more about your practice environment than the money, but that's just me.
For example, I would rather work in a private practice than in a hospital or national company franchise where workload is the goal.
But again, maybe that's just me...

MT-
There are many PTs who make more than this (though I would never recommend the dept of labor's book as a good resource for anything), some who make less.

For those of us who love physical medicine, but don't want the 6 years of school, malpractice woes, and at times, life-dominating job of being a physician/ physiatrist, we have limited options:

1. Go to ankle taping college and be a trainer, following athletes around who treat you like crap and working for free for physicians, and spend weekends at sports games watching other people
2. Go to voodoo school and be a chiropractor, enjoy the extremely high student loan default rate, poor transfer of education, 100K of school debt, get abused by a senior chiro while working as an "associate", all while treating one or a combo of 3 diagnoses: back pain, neck pain, or headache.
3. Be a personal trainer, and be good at fitness, but not able to treat anyone with pain or a medical condition.

So, I guess, I highly recommend the field, and have no problem with the salary.
There will always be plenty of money to be made by those who provide a truly needed service in a better way than others can. Hence private practice is the recommended route, and PT the recommended profession.
:)
J



free -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (May 9, 2005 2:01:00 PM)

First of all thankyou for sparing time. Secondly, I appreciate you both for such good advices. One thing that you both said in common is private practice. Now do you mean starting my own private practice, working in someone else's private clinic or working in private hospital? or all of these three possibilities have equal benefits. Once again your response has been very encouraging.
Thankyou



tc -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (May 9, 2005 2:15:00 PM)

I obviously can't answer the question about private practice. they will answer that.
i wanted to comment that yes, $50-60 can be a very normal salary, depending on location and type of clinic. and usually there is a certain amount you get for continuing eduation per year, i've always found it to be quite low like 300$ or less sometimes. (my current employer doesn't give me any, but i like it there, so there are trade offs) you can use that $ for the course, for travel, etc. but that's all you get per year. sometimes you also get a few days paid for cont-ed also.
In response to question #3, When looking for a new employer, get everything they offer in writing (salary, benefits, cont.ed allowance, etc) before signing on. There is no way to know if someone will fufill their promises, so never accept a verbal promise. It is a business, you need a contract.
If you are not happy now and feel taken advantage of, look around for another job. There are many other places to work. When you interview see if you like the patient population, the co-workers, the boss. Even if you are being paid the same, if you like the job more, you will be happier in the long run. Good luck.



FLAOrthoPT -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (May 9, 2005 3:35:00 PM)

It depends on your goal. You need ot ask youself where do you want to be in 5 years 10 years, etc. If you want to be an amazing orthopedic manual trained guru, then surround yourself in a clinic that has those people working there and that will pay a lot of your cont. ed costs, or have courses in house, etc. If you want job stability with a lot of flexibility then find a job in a big hospital system and be a staff PT, etc. Totally depends on what you are trying to gain.

For example, I wanted to learn how to run a practice and advance my ortho and manual skills. I had an offer with one company being a normal staff PT with varied patient load anything from wound care to stroke to sports, and make pretty decent money, average cont ed benefits. Or find a clinic with 2 ocs practitioners both with advanced manual certifications, and both eveyr willing to mentor a newer grad and have lots of in house cont ed courses etc. Well the pay sucked (42K a year in a place where average rent of an apartment was 1400 a month) But it was worth it to me and my boss mentored me how to run a clinic as well. Well, I stuck with them for like 3 years sucked up the lousy pay and got out of there with an OCS degree lots of business knowledge and close to an advanced manual degree. I am satisfied and now making 100K plus a year.

So, this question is hard ot answer until YOU know what you want out of this degree and out of this career. Is it money, is it educational benefits, etc...then find a clinic that suits YOUR needs! If it is purely money, then 50K is decent with your experience, not good not bad. But, if it purely money you want then get a staffing company to place you around at like 40 an hour and do some home health evaluations at like 40 a pop and you'll be close to 85-100K a year, but I'd never recommend this to a new grad b/c you'll never gain that experience of seeing patients out to the end when jumping from one clinic to the next with a staffing firm.
Ask a lot of questions when intereviewing that answer whether the clinic is right for you, you should be interviewing them as much if not more than they are interviewing you.
Ben



JLS_PT_OCS -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (May 12, 2005 5:57:00 AM)

I don't think I have anything to offer that Ben didn't cover...
Nice job, Ben, well said.
J



srcase -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (May 12, 2005 4:20:00 PM)

First, I would advise you to talk to your boss about any misgivings and try to resolve the issues before leaving. Second, you definitely should get all benefits and continuing ed allowances in writing before taking a job.
Third, there is no reason why you can't observe in a clinic for a day to make sure you are a good fit for them and vice versa (in addition to all the interview questions).
Lastly, I agree with John and Jason that it really depends on why you are in the profession. 50K is a very respectable salary for a new grad, IMHO.
Sarah



ZEAL -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (July 31, 2005 2:16:00 PM)

Free,
as a fresh grad my employer paid me 55k in florida which in comparision to any other state is around 59....because in FL u have to pay 18% tax ON UR TOTAL PAY AS OPPOSED TO 30% in others. Other offers were also between 55k to 58 k.my job is fulltime permanent in subacute rehabilitation where i enjoy diverse specialities and lot of core rehabilitation.My employer aslo payed my immigration fees 2500 dollars...above the annual pay...as I was foriegn trained P.T.

You get what u ask for ...if u ask for less u get less(which unfortunately lot of physical therapists do and have been doing since ages asking for less) and if u ask for best U get & friend u get it in the kind of facility u want to work...the key is having confidence and going for it.
I personally do not agree with the idea that if u like the work/facility ....take whatever pay they offer becus .....u can always find facility u like and the pay u like believe me. People who are asking for it are getting it.......besides there is so much shortage of PT 's nationally that pays are rising for therapists.....A lot of therapists are increasingly sensing it and asking for higher pays and getting it..figures like 45....50...k are not really the current rates(ofcourse not until u urself ask for it) now its a totally new age and scenario.As a fresh grad i would advice none of u to settle for less than 55k.

besides Free if u work in rural area they pay u more becus nobody else is ready to come there ..My NEXT JOB yr. after ...i am not settling for less than 60 to 62k...and in the kind of facility I WANT! buudy believe and ask for what u want!!......u will get it.
GOODLUCK.


Zeal.



vt2c1ms -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (July 31, 2005 3:55:00 PM)

"Why anyone would spend the money and time for an entry level masters or god forbid, a DPT, for that salary is beyond me"

Exxxxccccuuussseeee mmmmeeee!!!!!!!!!!
What exactly did you choose? I believe you made an understatement.

Mark--DPT class of 2008



Dr.Wagner -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (July 31, 2005 7:21:00 PM)

I got paid 42 starting salary in outpatient, with a 5k grant in school in 93. Things really havent changed alot



JLS_PT_OCS -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (August 1, 2005 9:44:00 AM)

If your point in your education is to make money, and your comparison of whether a given job is "worth it" by looking at salary, then get out of health care altogether.
Go to law school. Get an engineering degree.

Ability to make lots more money without a lot of the headaches.
However, if you want to do physical medicine work, etc, etc as my post above indicates, then I do recommend PT.

Keep in mind we are on the cusp of this change in our profession, and that it will take some time and trouble to establish some type of equilibrium between work area and salary.
J



kragar -> Re: Few Questions regarding PT salary (August 2, 2005 2:50:00 PM)

Forget law school...international finance is where it is at. Can't make good money as a PT, but you can have a fantastic life style.

Hell, I know some personal trainers that make a LOAD of money, more than any PT I know. It is all about marketing yourself and your skills, and avoiding unneeded risk that may create liability.



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