Tag: physical therapy

PTs, OTs Land Spots on List of Highest-Paying Jobs in Healthcare

PTs and OTs are being recognized as top earners in healthcare and are featured on a newly released list of the top ten highest paying careers in the field.

Physical therapists and occupational therapists are being recognized as top earners in healthcare by CNBC, being featured on their newly released list of the top ten highest paying careers in the field.

PTs ranked eighth on the list, with a median annual salary of $86,850, besting OTs in ninth place by only $3,650.

Positions that outrank PTs and OTs in annual earnings include physician assistants, optometrists, nurse anesthetists/midwives/practitioners, pharmacists, podiatrists, dentists, and physicians/surgeons.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Telehealth Saved Providers $2,750 per Patient, New Study Says

The results of a long-awaited study has found that telehealth saves providers nearly $3K per patient when used for post-discharge knee replacement PT.

Telehealth saves healthcare providers nearly $2,750 per patient when used in place of in-person physical therapy for post-discharge knee replacement patients, according to a long-awaited study by the Duke University School of Medicine’s Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).

The VERITAS (Virtual Exercise Rehabilitation In-home Therapy: A Research Study) project began in 2016 and followed nearly 300 people who had undergone a total knee replacement surgery. Researchers split the group into two groups; half of participants received traditional in-person physical therapy, and the other half received physical therapy via a remote patient monitoring platform known as VERA.

Researchers found that both methods of treatment were similarly effective in reducing knee instability and improving knee function, but that providers using the telehealth platform with clinical oversight saved an average of $2,745 per patient.

The findings of the study strengthen the case for physical therapists who are considering telemedicine as a way of expanding their businesses and boosting patient engagement.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

PT Supported Opioid Bill Ready for President’s Signature

Landmark legislation to fight the opioid epidemic, supported by the APTA, is headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

Last week, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that aims to combat the staggering opioid epidemic that has been impacting this country at an alarming rate by a 98-1 margin, and it will now head to the White House for Donald Trump’s signature, making it law.

Being hailed as “landmark” legislation by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, it includes provisions aimed at promoting research to find alternative, less addictive medications for pain management, as well as covering treatment for opioid addiction and use disorder, and efforts to prevent foreign shipments of illegal opioids.

The legislation is supported by the APTA, as well as scores of physical therapists. “The bill now on its way to the White House represents a significant step in the right direction,” APTA congressional affairs senior specialist, Kristina Weger, is quoted as saying. “But there’s much more work to be done—there are many provisions that direct agencies to begin reviews and studies on potential changes that we may not see for years. We need to continue our advocacy and outreach to help fight this crisis.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Stark Facts About Opioid Misuse in the U.S.

Physical therapy is a viable alternative to opioid use. Yet, nearly 48,000 Americans died due to opioid related overdoses last year.

The news about the opioid crisis faced by the United States continues its grim and downward path. As chronicled in the latest HHS report, overdose deaths in 2017 increased by almost 10% over 2016, killing more than 70,000 Americans. Nearly 70% of those deaths were due to opioid overdose, with the sharpest upsurge seen in deaths from the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

It is no secret that physical therapy is a viable alternative to these deadly drugs, and the CDC has gone so far as to recommend nondrug approaches, such as physical therapy, over long-term or high-dosage use of addictive prescription painkillers.

In the September 20th HHS news release, Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, stated, “Medication-assisted treatment combined with psychosocial therapies and community-based recovery support is the gold standard for treating opioid addiction.”

As a therapy professional, here are some facts to arm yourself with in the fight against opioid addiction.

  • Every day, more than 115 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids, and additionally, more than 1,000 people are treated in emergency departments for misusing prescription opioids.
  • Roughly 21% to 29% of patients who are prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them.
  • An estimated 4% to 6% of those who misuse prescription opioids transition to heroin.
  • The CDC estimates that the total “economic burden” of prescription opioid misuse in the U.S. amounts to $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, loss of productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice costs.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Celebrate National PT Month by Giving Back

October is National Physical Therapy Month. Consider celebrating by giving back via the Global PT Day of Service and impact change around the world.

Physical Therapy is, at its heart, a giving profession. So, it’s incredibly fitting that National Physical Therapy Month be celebrated every October by scores of PTs who participate in the Global PT Day of Service, which will be taking place this year on October 13th.

The official PT Day of Service website encourages participation by, “Treating at a pro bono clinic. Working in a soup kitchen. Cleaning up a park. No matter where or how, we have the ability to positively impact change.”

Last year’s PT Day of Service brought together PTs from 55 countries to help better communities around the world.

To pledge your service this year, please click here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Celebrate National PT Month by Giving Back

October is National Physical Therapy Month. Consider celebrating by giving back via the Global PT Day of Service and impact change around the world.

Physical Therapy is, at its heart, a giving profession. So, it’s incredibly fitting that National Physical Therapy Month be celebrated every October by scores of PTs who participate in the Global PT Day of Service, which will be taking place this year on October 13th.

The official PT Day of Service website encourages participation by, “Treating at a pro bono clinic. Working in a soup kitchen. Cleaning up a park. No matter where or how, we have the ability to positively impact change.”

Last year’s PT Day of Service brought together PTs from 55 countries to help better communities around the world.

To pledge your service this year, please click here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

5 Reasons to Consider Travel Therapy

Travel therapy jobs come with unique advantages that you just plain cannot find at your neighborhood clinic or SNF. Here are five of them.

If you are a new graduate, or even a seasoned therapy professional with a sense of adventure, now might be the time to consider the unique opportunity available to you that is travel therapy. Often 13-week contract jobs, located more than 50 miles from your home, travel therapy positions typically include benefits that you cannot find in at home. Here are five reasons consider signing on the dotted line and packing your bags.

  1. Travel the Country: Travel is an obvious perk. Taking on travel assignments allows you to get out and see the world—or at least far corners of the United States—all while getting paid for it.
  2. Enjoy Variety: As a travel therapist, you can work in a variety of settings, with all kinds of populations, and really find your career sweet spot, while not looking like you’re just aimlessly bouncing from job to job.
  3. Get Paid More: Travel therapists, on average, have the opportunity to earn 20% more than their counterparts who do not travel.
  4. Avoid Burnout: One of the keys to staving off burnout is avoiding repetition, the daily grind, and you can do so by changing the scenery 13 weeks at a time.
  5. Get Truly Beneficial Benefits: Travel assignments often come with benefits you cannot find at your local SNF or clinic, including tuition reimbursement, license reimbursements, travel reimbursements, free housing, medical, vision, dental, and more.

Ready to see what’s out there? We have hundreds of travel therapy jobs available on our site in Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Physical Therapy Has a Sexual Harassment Problem

More than 80% of PTs and PTAs report experiencing sexual harassment at some point in their career, a staggering number that has not declined since it was first reported 20 years ago.

A 2016 study by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—a federal agency that administers and enforces civil rights laws against workplace discrimination—showed that 25% of women will be the victim of sexual harassment in the workplace. That number could actually be as high as 85%, however, as it is also estimated by the EEOC that 75% of those who are victims will not report harassment for a multitude of reasons, including fear of repercussions or retaliation, or due to outright trauma. In a female-dominated profession, such as Physical Therapy, those numbers are particularly alarming, especially when you consider research that indicates the risk for nonfatal violence in the workplace is 16 times greater for healthcare professionals in the U.S. than it is for other professionals.

A 1997 study of PTs found that the prevalence of inappropriate patient sexual behavior (defined as leering and sexual remarks to deliberate touch, indecent exposure, and sexual assault) over the length of a career averaged 81% to 86%, and those numbers have not declined. Twenty years later, a 2017 survey of 892 PTs, PTAs, and PT students found that 84% had experienced inappropriate patient sexual behavior at some point during their careers or training, and 47% encountered it over the prior 12 months. A study published just this June found similar results—38.5% of 1,027 PTs, PTAs, and PT students responded that they had faced inappropriate patient sexual behavior over the prior 12 months.

The is no way to dispute such numbers; the problem is pervasive, and clearly persistent. But what can be done?

In June of 2018, the APTA House of Delegates voted unanimously to strengthen their position on sexual harassment, encouraging incidents of harassment to be reported. On a clinical level, this means enacting stronger sexual harassment policies, including complaint processes that are easy for victims to navigate. As with most forms of sexual violence, it becomes the unfortunate burden of the victim to bravely speak out and report the incident, in an effort to stop others from being harmed by the same perpetrator in the future. Given the stance of the APTA and stronger policies at clinics across the country, and in this age of #MeToo, with the declining number of stigmas related to being a victim of sexual violence, it is hopeful to think that these crimes against clinicians will not go underreported much longer, and will, in turn, protect future PTs and PTAs from experiencing the same dangers.

This problem will not go away, unless action is taken to stop it.

We urge PTs and PTAs to familiarize themselves with their employer’s sexual harassment policies and procedures, and to inquire about any available sexual harassment training.

If you have been a victim of sexual assault in the workplace, we encourage you to call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673 to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Physical Therapy and the Gender Pay Gap

Though typically a female-dominated industry, a new report indicates that women PTs are still paid less than their male counterparts.

Despite being widely disputed by non-believers, there is no shortage of data showing that the gender pay gap is alive and well, with women being paid just 80% of what men are paid, on average. It seems that holds true in the physical therapy profession, as well.

Though typically a female-dominated industry, the 2018 State of Rehab Therapy report from WebPT shows that females are still earning less than their male counterparts. This is despite females now outpacing males in all leadership categories, except C-level executive roles, in which men out-represent women by only 9%. As reported by therapists themselves, more than half of the therapists who responded to the report indicated their salaries fell into the range of $50,000 to $90,000, with nearly a third falling into the $60,000 to $80,000 range. However, men were more significantly represented in the $70,001+ salary range, and females were more significantly represented in the salary range below $70,000. These findings are on par with the latest U.S. Census data from 2016, which showed that within the physical therapy occupation, women earn only 87.6% of their male equivalents’ salaries.

With more females in places of leadership within therapy practices around the country, these numbers may shift, in time. However, it is projected by the American Association of University Women that, as a whole, the gender pay gap across all industries is not expected to be closed until 2119.

These numbers, however, do not seem to be upsetting therapists too much, overall. According to the report, more than 60% of therapists who responded agreed that they liked being a therapist, which may indicate that success and satisfaction cannot only be measured by numbers.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Debt and the DPT: What Went Wrong?

The majority of PT students will have more than $70K in student loan debt at the time of graduation, making some therapists question whether elevating PT education requirements was the right move.

from Evidence in Motion

Last month, my team and I released the results of our second annual State of Rehab Therapy industry survey, and while some of our findings aligned with expectations, there were several data points that left us pondering—and worrying about—potential implications for the profession as a whole. One such finding: The astounding levels of debt reported by DPT students. According our survey results, the majority of PT students (more than half) will have more than $70,000 in student loan debt at the time of graduation, and over one-third will owe more than $100,000.

Read More →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.