Rehabilitation · Comparing offers
Compare physical therapist offers beyond the job title
Compare physical therapist duties, schedules, support, compensation terms, and written commitments using a consistent decision record.
By Practica · Published
Compare the assignment before the headline
Compare the site, caseload expectations, travel, cancellation policy, documentation time, and any productivity measures. Ask how those measures are calculated and how evaluation visits differ from follow-ups in the schedule.
Compare evaluation and follow-up scheduling, patient populations, interdisciplinary handoffs, and documentation expectations. Ask how cancellations, travel, and care-team meetings affect the schedule rather than comparing appointment counts alone.
Put the written offers beside the current postings and your interview notes. Compare the same fields for every employer. Mark a missing term as unresolved and ask the responsible contact for clarification instead of filling the blank from a general careers page or another employee's experience.
Request the complete compensation and schedule terms
Record the offered pay basis, stated hours, differentials if any, benefits eligibility, required availability, work sites, and the conditions attached to training or relocation support. Ask what is guaranteed and what depends on scheduling or eligibility. Keep a quoted rate separate from a projection based on hours that have not been promised.
For per diem, temporary, travel, or shift arrangements, ask who employs you, how assignments are offered, and what the written agreement says about changes or cancellations. Compare only terms the employer has actually provided; the employment-type label does not establish the complete arrangement.
- What duties, locations, and hours are included in writing?
- Which payments or benefits have eligibility conditions?
- Does any training or relocation support include a repayment condition?
Evaluate the support behind the responsibility
Ask for documentation access, referral processes, equipment orientation, escalation contacts, and a plan for introducing new patient populations. Confirm who will review your first evaluations and answer setting-specific questions.
Ask how the assignment changes after orientation and who decides you are ready. Compare access to supervision, equipment, systems, and escalation support alongside the duties. Use your own priorities to distinguish an acceptable tradeoff from an unanswered question that prevents a decision.
- What mentoring is available for an unfamiliar patient population?
- How are discharge planning and cross-discipline handoffs organized?
Keep the final decision tied to confirmed information
Do not turn job-search examples into patient treatment instructions. Your application should explain your experience and the preparation required for the vacancy.
Write a short comparison with your essential conditions, the terms confirmed for each offer, and the unresolved items. Obtain clarification through the employer's official contact before relying on a verbal statement that materially changes the offer. Save the final accepted terms and the next-step instructions together so the assignment, documents, and starting arrangements can be checked during onboarding.