Physical Therapist (2556) - Citywide

The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status.

This is a Citywide Exam posting. Your application to this posting is an application to take a citywide exam. 

• Application Opening: September 6, 2023

• Application Deadline: Continuous

• Salary: $117,182 - $165,022 ( /Annual

• Appointment Type: Permanent Civil Service (

• Recruitment ID: CCT-2556-H00079

• Work Arrangement: Onsite

The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. Fulfilling this mission requires employees working across our hospitals, clinics, programs, and offices to deliver services and support the communities we serve. Individuals interested in joining SFDPH should expect to work in person across these settings.

The San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration are the core divisions of SFDPH. The San Francisco Health Network is the City’s only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers. The Population Health Division (PHD) provides core public health services for the City and County of San Francisco: health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and disaster preparedness and response. Behavioral Health Services operates in conjunction with SFHN and provides a range of mental health and substance use treatment services.

• Start with this required exam at  ✅

• Then, submit an online application   

Under general supervision, the Physical Therapist provides physical therapy evaluations and treatments to a diverse client population.

Duties Include

• Performing physical therapy evaluations including assessment of functional status and physical condition

• Developing physical therapy treatment plans including goal setting

• Administering appropriate physical therapy interventions and procedures, including education and training of caregivers

• Communicating with other care team members with professionalism and respect

• Documenting per regulatory and Practice Act Guidelines

• Meeting all administrative requirements including attendance of staff meetings and record-keeping

• Overseeing care provided by physical therapy assistants in all settings and CHHAs in home environment

• Providing clinical case management and supervision over the home health care team when appropriate

• Participating in patient care meetings and performance improvement projects as assigned

• Explaining treatment objectives and methods to patients and their families, including instructing them in the use of prosthetic and orthotic devices and other special equipment and in procedures to be continued at home

• Instructing students-in-training and auxiliary personnel in elementary physical therapy procedures and techniques, and coordinating patient rehabilitation with physicians, nurses, teachers, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, and personnel in other departments

The 2556 Physical Therapist performs other related duties as assigned/required.

Please note that incumbents in this classification may be required to perform duties as listed in the class specification, which can be found on DHR’s website: 

Registration as a Physical Therapist licensed by the Physical Therapy Board of California

Certain positions may also have Special Conditions in addition to the standard minimum qualifications associated with this class code.

Basic Life Support for Professional Rescuer (BLS) Certificate Requirement/Provision

Possession of a valid Basic Life Support for Professional Rescuer (BLS) Certificate issued by the American Heart Association is required as a provision to employment for all positions. Eligibles who do not possess such a certification may participate in this examination process and be appointed to a position(s), but will be required to obtain the certificate within two (2) weeks of the hire date and maintain validity throughout the length of employment. A photocopy of the valid Basic Life Support for Professional Rescuer (BLS) Certificate must be provided to the appropriate supervisor of the appointment within the allotted time frame. Failure to demonstrate/show proof of possession of valid certification within two (2) weeks of the hire date and throughout the length of employment may result in dismissal and/or termination of employment.

Verification of Education and Experience: 

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications ( for considerations taken when reviewing applications.   

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education or experience verification is required, information on how to verify education and experience requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at  

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco. 

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following. 

Training and Experience Evaluation (Weight: 100%)

The Training and Experience Evaluation is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job related areas which may include but not be limited to: Knowledge of disease processes; Knowledge of physical therapy methods; Knowledge of safe and proper handling of patients; Ability to evaluate for treatment plan; Ability to perform tests; Ability to provide good customer service; and/or Communication skills.

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Certification

The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of the List.

A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission. 

Candidate names will remain on the list for a maximum period of 12 months. Candidates that are not selected and expire off the list may re-apply. 

To find Departments which use this classification, please see the city’s Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments ( .

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights: 

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at 

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at  

Additional information regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process (

• Conviction History

• Employee Benefits Overview (

• Equal Employment Opportunity (

• Disaster Service Worker

• ADA Accommodation (

• Veterans Preference

• Right to Work (

• Copies of Application Documents

• Diversity Statement (

Where to Apply  

All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit  to begin your application process.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment. Please consider using a personal email address that you check regularly rather than a work or school account. 

Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall ( , 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110. 

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues. 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from View email address on click.appcast.io that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Your application will be active for the duration of the eligible period listed above. You do not need to reapply during this period. 

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, View email address on click.appcast.io or View phone number on click.appcast.io. 

We may use text messaging to communicate with you on the phone number provided in your application. The first message will ask you to opt in to text messaging.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.