Spoiled for Choice

I’ve been reading up on PT employment trends lately, and am finding that at least in my part of the country — the San Francisco Bay Area — PTs and PTAs are still in hot demand. Although some of the larger hospitals have suffered a hiring freeze due to the economic downturn, business is booming in the smaller clinics and they’re actively seeking help.

Of course this makes me wonder if any of you are currently looking for a new job. What factors make a PT/PTA move on? What drives you to stay in your current position? Which benefits have the most meaning to you?

In recently published APTA surveys examining national job trends in outpatient facilities, acute care hospitals, and SNFs, PT vacancy rates ranged from 13.1% to 18.6% and PTA vacancy rates ranged from 8.8% to 16.6%. Many respondents agreed that factors negatively impacting employment included inadequate time for staff development and documentation, but that despite PT staff shortages, the therapists continued to deliver quality patient care in the face of adversity across all settings. But times may be changing — how long can therapists continue to deliver quality care when they are faced with skyrocketing productivity demands and have inadequate time to document or attend CE courses?

I’m interested in learning what’s happening in your setting, and am conducting an informal survey to find out if you’re happy where you’re working. If not, why not? If you’re looking for a job, what are the three most important features you’re looking for in your “dream job”? When you’re job hunting, do you network with colleagues, surf the Internet, contact your local chapter of the APTA, or pick up the latest copy of Today in PT for job listings?

Feel free to contact me privately at pteditor@gannetthg.com, or leave a post for me here with your thoughts. You've got lots of choices out there, so don't stay somewhere if you're not happy.

Anne Ahlman, MPT

Comments

[Patrick]

It is strange to witness this shift from nurses being in high demand to those in Allied Health, specifically therapy and rehab. There are many openings nationwide and one way to take advantage if you are looking for a change is to become a traveling therapist. You can from East to West and back again and learn new methods of practice as well as make some great contacts. The benefits are endless for those willing to take on short-term contract traveling assignments. That is one suggestion to beat the monotony of your current job or location. Change is good, see for yourself, 13 weeks at a time.