Questions Every New #physicaltherapy Graduate Should Ask on their First Job Search

For this week’s newsletter, it is getting closer to PT graduation time-generally the summer months and at the beginning of the year. I have spent some time with some upcoming grads recently and they all asked me the same question, “What Should I be looking for? and What should I be asking? For the first, simply read the Employee Wants post and Employer wants Part I and II. For the second question, this would be a good start!

1. Is this a new position or am I being hired to replace somebody?
2. How many new graduates have you hired in the past 3 years?
3. How long has each new graduate been employed? What is their average length on this first job?
4. What is your PT retention rate? How much turnover in staff do you have on average per year?
5. What are your productivity requirements? how do you inform the PT’s if they are not meeting these requirements?
6. Is there a job description with expectations that I can review?
7. How would you describe the culture of the company?
8. How long has my supervisor been employed here? What are my supervisors qualifications?
9. How will my progress be tracked?
10. How often can I expect to meet with my supervisor and obtain feedback?
11. Will feedback from my patients as well as clinical outcomes be taken into account on my performance?
12. Can you detail your compliance program including training, accountability, and reports
13. Do you have a mentoring program? If so, can you please provide the details?
14. Do you have a certification or residency program or do you pay for certification or residency from an outside company?
15. What is the compensation including a detail list of external benefits? Will this be in an offer letter?

-health insurance-what is the plan and amount that I need to contribute monthly?

-401k or other retirement program-what is the match?

-other insurance-disability, life, dental-what is available?

-any student debt retirement programs?

-any incentive or bonus plans? If so, how often and how are they calculated?

-how much paid time off per year is offered? How many days per year for education purposes can I expect?

Thoughts? Did I miss anything?

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@physicaltherapy