How to hire a pediatric physical therapist

How to hire a pediatric physical therapist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step pediatric physical therapist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a pediatric physical therapist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new pediatric physical therapist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a pediatric physical therapist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your pediatric physical therapist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a pediatric physical therapist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect pediatric physical therapist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents pediatric physical therapist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Pediatric Physical Therapist	Description	Hourly rate
   Pediatric Physical Therapist	Physical therapists, sometimes called PTs, help injured or ill people improve their movement and manage their pain. These therapists are often an important part of the rehabilitation, treatment, and prevention of patients with chronic conditions, illnesses, or injuries.	$26-49
   Therapist	A therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients... Show more	$18-38
   In Home Therapist	An in-home therapist provides case management, counseling, resource system development, support system development, and crisis intervention services for family members and children. They provide goal-oriented and structured therapy on referral issues for families that help recover from neglect, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, or physical abuse... Show more	$19-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Rehabilitation
   • Autism
   • Home Health
   • Physical Therapy
   • Early Intervention
   • Kids
   • Treatment Programs
   • ABA
   • Occupational Therapy
   • Acute Care
   • Adaptive
   • Discharge Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
   • Experience in administering modalities including: NMES, IFC, iontophoresis, ultrasound, and cervical traction.
   • Evaluate and write letters of necessity to obtain adaptive equipment including: mobility devices, adaptive seating device and positioning devices.
   • Start OT career at Eisenhower as regular staff OTR; continue to work often as long-term/temporary OTR.
   • Evaluate patients in medical and surgical ICU and provide ROM and ambulation exercises and prepare them for the discharge.
   • Educate patients on performing daily living activities and the use of supportive equipment such as crutches, wheelchairs and canes.

   More pediatric physical therapist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your pediatric physical therapist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A pediatric physical therapist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a pediatric physical therapist in Arkansas may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level pediatric physical therapist usually earns less than a senior-level pediatric physical therapist. Additionally, a pediatric physical therapist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average pediatric physical therapist salary

   $75,699yearly

   $36.39 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level pediatric physical therapist salary

   $55,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average pediatric physical therapist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$103,895	$50
   2	California	$103,620	$50
   3	New Jersey	$82,514	$40
   4	Colorado	$82,095	$39
   5	Texas	$81,831	$39
   6	Oregon	$80,817	$39
   7	Indiana	$77,928	$37
   8	Nevada	$71,901	$35
   9	Georgia	$71,400	$34
   10	Illinois	$69,845	$34
   11	Ohio	$69,528	$33
   12	Missouri	$68,871	$33
   13	Florida	$68,565	$33
   14	Kentucky	$67,705	$33
   15	New York	$67,516	$32
   16	Virginia	$66,678	$32
   17	Arizona	$66,281	$32
   18	Michigan	$62,290	$30
   19	Iowa	$59,655	$29

   Average pediatric physical therapist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Tenet Healthcare	$93,238	$44.83	190
   2	Mayo Clinic	$92,132	$44.29	61
   3	Kaiser Permanente	$88,456	$42.53	237
   4	Stellar Therapy Services	$88,034	$42.32	4
   5	Theraplay	$85,185	$40.95	2
   6	Northwell Health	$85,129	$40.93	148
   7	University Hospitals	$84,916	$40.83	6
   8	Legacy Health	$84,168	$40.47	23
   9	Blue Bird	$84,054	$40.41	2
   10	Aya Healthcare	$83,987	$40.38	6
   11	Sportscare Institute	$83,649	$40.22	52
   12	FeldCare Connects	$83,468	$40.13	781
   13	Hospital for Special Surgery	$83,402	$40.10	15
   14	PT Solutions	$82,978	$39.89	327
   15	Compass SLS and ILS	$82,655	$39.74	6
   16	Emerson Hospital	$82,633	$39.73	8
   17	Central Vermont Medical Center	$82,287	$39.56	4
   18	THERAPY SOLUTIONS	$82,251	$39.54	13
   19	Sparrow Health System	$81,968	$39.41	22
   20	PEDIATRIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER	$81,737	$39.30	46

4. Writing a pediatric physical therapist job description

   A pediatric physical therapist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a pediatric physical therapist job description:

   Pediatric physical therapist job description example

   • Competitive Rates, Based On Experience ($65+/hour)

   • Flexible Schedules & Locations of Your Choice

   • Eligible for direct deposit

   • Eligible for paid sick time

   We are currently hiring full or part time Pediatric Physical Therapists (PT) to work at our Sunshine Center Outpatient Pediatric Clinic.

   The Sunny Days Sunshine Center offers children and their families a place for developmental services and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) therapy. A one-of-a-kind center designed to promote positive behavior, increase quality of life, and enable individuality; the Sunshine Center embraces each child and their individual needs.

   Job Requirements:

   • Pediatric Experience Required

   • Licensed in the State of New Jersey

   • At least one year’s experience serving the ASD population

   The Sunshine Center is dedicated to children of all ages who may be experiencing challenges with learning, social skills, sensory processing. In addition we offer Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Feeding Therapy.

   The Sunny Days Sunshine Center provides both individual and group Occupational, Speech and Physical therapy sessions to children of all ages.

   As a business started by women to help children with disabilities, we’re accustomed to fighting for change and are dedicated to increasing representation for people of all backgrounds in our industry.
   
   For more information on our Sunshine Centers, please visit our website at www.sunnydayssunshinecenter.com

   Sunny Days is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, disability, age or covered veteran status.

   Keywords: Pediatric, Physical Therapy, Center based PT,, PTA, Outpatient PT, Outpatient Physical Therapist, Pediatric Physical Therapist, ABA, BCBA, Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior, Autism, autism, ASD, Outpatient pediatrics, home care, healthcare, health care, therapy, behavioral therapy, therapy manager, outpatient, setting, therapeutic, Licensed Behavior Specialist, Registered Behavioral Therapist, RBT, behavioral health, social services. INDNJC

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find pediatric physical therapists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any pediatric physical therapists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level pediatric physical therapists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your pediatric physical therapist job on Zippia to find and attract quality pediatric physical therapist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting pediatric physical therapists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new pediatric physical therapist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the pediatric physical therapist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new pediatric physical therapist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a pediatric physical therapist?