How to hire a physical therapy internship

How to hire a physical therapy internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step physical therapy internship hiring guide:

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

What does a physical therapy internship do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The physical therapy internship hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 physical therapy internship 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.

   Here's a comparison of physical therapy internship salaries for various roles:

   Type of Physical Therapy Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Physical Therapy Internship	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.	$25-46
   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
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Physical Therapy Assistants
   • Rehabilitation
   • Ultrasound
   • Patient Care
   • Occupational Therapy
   • Acute Care
   • Gait Training
   • In-Service
   • Surgery
   • Traumatic Brain Injury
   • Therapeutic Exercises
   • Electrical Stimulation
   • ICU

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
   • Monitor vital signs of all patients and devise physical therapy sessions commensurate with patient stability.
   • Evaluate and treat CVA and TBI patients in the inpatient setting.
   • Observe and assist in measuring patients for range of motion limitations following a CVA.
   • Perform evaluations and co-treatments with OT's and delegate treatment plans to PTA's.
   • Assist in putting patients on and off of 2 war traction machines and the decompression machine.

   More physical therapy internship duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your physical therapy internship job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A physical therapy internship salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, physical therapy interns' average salary in arkansas is 46% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level physical therapy interns earn 46% less than senior-level physical therapy interns.
   • Certifications. A physical therapy internship with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a physical therapy internship's salary.

   Average physical therapy internship salary

   $71,624yearly

   $34.43 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level physical therapy internship salary

   $52,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 24, 2025

   Average physical therapy internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$117,013	$56
   2	California	$110,675	$53
   3	Washington	$87,657	$42
   4	New Jersey	$78,782	$38
   5	Oregon	$77,971	$37
   6	Minnesota	$77,058	$37
   7	Virginia	$75,215	$36
   8	Virginia	$75,088	$36
   9	Arizona	$74,745	$36
   10	Illinois	$74,604	$36
   11	Illinois	$74,592	$36
   12	Illinois	$74,583	$36
   13	New York	$74,417	$36
   14	New York	$74,343	$36
   15	Idaho	$73,646	$35
   16	Louisiana	$72,837	$35
   17	Alabama	$72,387	$35
   18	Colorado	$71,810	$35
   19	Texas	$71,567	$34
   20	Wisconsin	$71,269	$34

   Average physical therapy internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Oracle	$89,614	$43.08	26
   2	Mayo Clinic	$85,909	$41.30	58
   3	Gillette	$84,963	$40.85
   4	Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas	$79,533	$38.24	1
   5	P&G	$78,903	$37.93
   6	St. Luke's Health System	$76,885	$36.96	98
   7	East Alabama Health	$76,650	$36.85	4
   8	El Centro Regional Medical Center	$76,077	$36.58
   9	Henry Ford Health System	$76,061	$36.57
   10	Lehigh Valley Health Network	$75,155	$36.13	2
   11	CSL Plasma	$74,568	$35.85
   12	Kforce	$74,321	$35.73
   13	Mount Sinai Health System	$74,029	$35.59	19
   14	Froedtert South	$73,658	$35.41
   15	ON Semiconductor	$73,588	$35.38
   16	YAI	$73,514	$35.34	8
   17	EXOS	$73,136	$35.16	5
   18	MedPro Healthcare Staffing	$72,812	$35.01
   19	AdventHealth	$69,794	$33.55	135
   20	Youth Villages	$69,446	$33.39	2

4. Writing a physical therapy internship job description

   A job description for a physical therapy internship role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a physical therapy internship job description:

   Physical therapy internship job description example

   **Title:**
   
   Metrology Physical Science Intern (Summer 2023)
   
   Around here, we define the future.
   
   We are a company of innovators, thinkers, creators, explorers, volunteers, and dreamers. But we all share one goal: to improve the world responsibly and safely.
   
   KBR is seeking a Metrology Intern to work with engineering staff supporting a variety of projects.
   
   **Must be a U.S. Citizen**
   
   **Internship dates: TBA**
   
   **Responsibilities/Duties** :
   
   + Calibrates and certifies Physical, Mechanical, and Electro-Mechanical Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology utilizing certified laboratory standards and manufacturer, commercial or military specifications/calibration procedures.
   
   + Calibrates and troubleshoots fault isolation, adjustment and repairs using Test Measure Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) certified laboratory standards.
   
   + Troubleshoots/repairs Physical and mechanical and Electro-Mechanical TMDE and integrated electronic systems utilizing theories of operation, block diagrams, schematics, logic trees and software diagnostics.
   
   + Performs statistical analysis of data, data systems, equipment performance, procedure effectiveness, and laboratory production metrics.
   
   + Perform complex research studies and research measurement projects utilizing knowledge of physics and physical sciences measurement knowledge
   
   + Areas of knowledge to include Pressure, Temperature, Humidity, Force, Torque, Vibration, Flow and/or Mass/Weights and Measures
   
   + Accurately records/reports maintenance actions using applicable maintenance data collection.
   
   + Perform other duties as assigned
   
   **Qualifications** :
   
   Specific contract requirements regarding education and experience will prevail.
   
   + High school diploma with 4+ years relevant experience, OR Undergraduate degree or applicable training and 3 years experience. equivalent experience in lieu of degree
   
   + U.S. Citizenship Status required due to client requirement.
   
   + Areas of knowledge to include Pressure, Temperature, Humidity, Force, Torque, Vibration, Flow and/or Mass/Weights and Measures
   
   + Formal military PMEL, TMDE or calibration school training a plus.
   
   + IndySoft, Fluke Met/Team, Fluke Met/Track and Met/Cal experience a plus.
   
   + Previous customer service experience is a plus
   
   + Proficient using Microsoft technology, including Excel
   
   Work Schedule: Estimated at 20-30 hours/week with flexibility to accommodate intern's education
   
   In compliance with the U.S. federal government's vaccine mandate, only candidates who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have a reasonable accommodation or approved medical exception will be considered for this position.
   
   KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find physical therapy interns 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 physical therapy interns they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level physical therapy interns 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 physical therapy internship job on Zippia to find and recruit physical therapy internship candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit physical therapy interns, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 physical therapy internship

   Once you've found the physical therapy internship candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new physical therapy internship. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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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