By Paul Wynn
Despite an economic downturn and the threat of a prolonged recession, the employment outlook remains strong for PTs and PTAs. While other sectors have handed out pink slips to thousands of workers, the healthcare field, particularly the physical therapy profession, is expected to weather the current financial storm.
Almost half of the 30 fastest growing occupations are concentrated in health services, with physical therapy being one of the top fields, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The demand for PTs is driven by the growing elderly population and aging baby boomers who require more care, as well as technological advancements that permit more trauma victims to survive and save the lives of children with severe birth defects, causing greater need for rehabilitative services.
“There continues to be strong demand for PTs. Our profession has never been subject to concerns over unemployment,” says Laurie Hack, PT, DPT, MBA, PhD, professor of physical therapy at Temple University in Philadelphia, and vice speaker and member of the APTA’s board of directors.
With demand on the rise, there’s a growing shortage of PTs in certain regions of the country, particularly in rural areas. According to the latest available statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, there were an estimated 161,000 PT jobs in 2007. The government forecasts that employment of PTs will grow 27% with more than 220,000 positions by 2016, much faster than the average for other occupations.
The shortage is forcing employers to increase salaries, bonuses, and other incentives to compete for the best and brightest talent, says Marc Bowles, chief marketing officer at The Delta Companies, a Dallas-based recruitment firm. “For new graduates, we’re seeing average total compensation packages around $73,000,” he says.
Cash Flow
The cause of the shortage is multifaceted. The PT profession, like the general population, is aging, and the nearly 200 accredited colleges with PT programs in the U.S. are graduating fewer students, due in part to the transition to the DPT program that adds an extra year of school before graduation. The soaring cost of college tuition also is discouraging some students from entering PT programs. Knowing this is a major issue for the profession, the APTA plans to work with Congress this year on developing legislation to support repayment of college loans for PT students.
“We will probably reintroduce legislation that would make PTs eligible for student loan benefits under the National Health Service Corps program,” says Dave Mason, APTA’s vice president of government and payment advocacy.
Last year, the APTA successfully lobbied Capitol Hill to make PTs eligible for student repayment under the Higher Education Opportunity Act that was reauthorized by Congress. The bill allows PTs who provide care to children, adolescents, and veterans to be eligible for as much as $10,000 over five years in student loan repayment programs. “This measure will enable students to consider areas that they would like to practice in, rather than being driven to areas that pay them well enough to repay their student loans,” Mason says.
Plentiful Opportunities
The strong demand creates many opportunities for PTs, putting job seekers in the driver’s seat. With so many options to choose from, including home health, nursing care facilities, acute care hospitals, traditional outpatient clinics, and inpatient rehab centers, the choices can be overwhelming. To help PTs navigate the job maze, the APTA has developed several professional development resources for its 72,000 members, available on the organization’s Web site.
“The great thing about physical therapy is that there are still a ton of jobs out there,” comments Emily Scherb, a third-year student at Washington University in St. Louis. Having recently completed an internship at Johns Hopkins University, Scherb aims to land a position before graduation in May. “It may not be exactly what I want, and I may have to sacrifice where I live, but I’m confident I’ll find a good job.”
For established job applicants with experience, the typical mix of salary, comprehensive medical benefits, and 401(k) plans are still the most important factors influencing a decision. But new graduates have other priorities, including student loan repayment, sign-on bonuses, continuing education allotments, and mentorship programs.
“What attracts me to certain jobs is the training and experience I will receive from other therapists who I will work alongside with,” explains Amanda Thomas, who will graduate from North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, Ga., in May.
Talent Search
The shrinking supply of PTs has given many hospitals and rehab facilities another reason to rethink their recruitment strategies. At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, full- and part-time employment is offered, as well as pier diem positions that require only eight hours of work per month. “We have a lot of former full-time therapists who like the flexibility of working a lighter schedule,” says Will Robinson, physical therapy supervisor for inpatient rehabilitation at the Los Angeles-based medical center.
Robinson adds that many per diem employees use the opportunity as a way to assess whether they will enjoy working at the center. “If we have a full-time position open, we don’t necessarily hire pier diem employees; but until we fill the opening, it can help us staff up in the short term.” Robinson works with an internal recruiter at Cedars-Sinai who spends about a third of his time filling PT positions, attending job fairs, and marketing Cedars-Sinai to attract potential candidates.
The famed Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, Calif., which has about 53 PTs and PTAs, has expanded its student internship program. Each year, students from across the country compete for 75 to 100 internships. One of the major benefits of working with so many students is that it creates an automatic pool from which the facility can fill its entry-level positions each year, says Lilli Thompson, PT, NCS, ATP, acting director of the rehabilitation therapy division and director of the physical therapy department.
“From our program, we actually have far more interested candidates than we have opportunities — which puts us in a great position,” Thompson says. “We don’t generally have a high turnover rate except around the four- to five-year mark when PTs are looking for expanded leadership roles and promotions.”
At the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, students from nearby Arcadia University join the staff as part of their last clinical internship prior to graduation, with the opportunity to become a part- or full-time employee. The extended internship program allows a student to gain clinical training while being mentored by senior staff members, and gives staff the chance to evaluate the intern over a prolonged period, says Joe Adler, MS, PT, CCS, acute care team leader at Good Shepherd Penn Partners at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
The program has been so successful that it’s being expanded to include PT students from Drexel University, and possibly Temple University later on. “This has been a terrific recruitment tool for us,” Adler says. “Our first intern is now one of our senior therapists and is doing great.”