Physical Therapy Assistant

PTA WantedFor people who are tired of pretending 3 patients at once is "patient-centered care." You already know how this works. A clinic posts a job opening. It says things like: "Fast-paced environment." Translation: We are understaffed. "Must be an excellent multitasker." Translation: You will be treating three people while answering a question from a fourth. "Productivity-driven culture." Translation: Somebody who has never treated your patient will eventually ask why your numbers were down on Tuesday. "Team player." Translation: Please absorb everyone else's workload without becoming visibly upset. "Competitive compensation." Translation: We would prefer not to tell you the number yet. And somewhere in the interview, somebody will tell you how much they value "quality patient care" immediately before explaining that you'll routinely have several patients at once. Makes perfect sense. So let's skip all that. Healing Arts Center is looking for a Full-Time Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant and we are specifically looking for someone who still actually enjoys treating patients. Not moving bodies through a schedule. Not chasing units. Not trying to remember which patient is on the bike, which one needs manual therapy, and which one you accidentally left doing clamshells for 37 minutes. Actual patient care.Here is what we think is crazy: We think it is crazy that PTAs are often treated like interchangeable labor. We think it is crazy that clinics talk endlessly about outcomes while designing schedules that make good outcomes harder to achieve. We think it is crazy that "productivity" can become more important than whether the patient actually got what they needed. And we definitely think it is crazy that healthcare has somehow normalized therapists staying late finishing documentation because there was no reasonable way to complete it during the workday. So we built our PT department differently. We strive for one-on-one patient care. One therapist. One patient. At the same time. Revolutionary stuff. We do not routinely double-book. We do not schedule late-night shifts. We do not schedule weekends. We offer paid holidays. We provide mentorship. We encourage PTAs to develop real clinical skills and specialties. And most importantly: We expect our PTAs to be treated like professionals. Because they are.Now, you probably have some questions. "Okay, but what's the catch?" Fair question. There isn't a secret sentence at the bottom that says: "One-on-one care may include three additional patients depending upon staffing needs." "Am I going to be micromanaged?" We expect you to be competent, professional, and accountable. We do not have a burning desire to stand behind you with a clipboard. "Are you going to care about metrics?" Heck Yeah we care about them. We are still a healthcare business, and we do expect our therapists to be productive. What we don't do is worship units for the sake of units. We are not going to pressure you to manufacture care a patient does not need just to make a spreadsheet look prettier. But on the other hand, if a patient legitimately needs therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, neuromuscular re-education, or another appropriate service, we expect you to actually provide it. Because "I didn't want to seem pushy" is not a clinical philosophy. Neither is giving away skilled care because it is easier. So yes we watch productivity. We push our team when we need to. We expect good documentation, appropriate utilization, and clinicians who understand that providing excellent care and running a healthy department are not competing ideas. We just refuse to turn the whole thing into some bizarre Olympic event where everyone is chasing units and somebody gets a medal for treating six patients before lunch. "Am I going to be treated like the DPT's helper?" No. You are a licensed clinician. You should be respected accordingly. "Am I actually going to get home at a reasonable hour?" That is the idea. We are big fans of employees having lives. Spouses. Kids. Friends. Dogs. Dinner. Church. Hobbies. Netflix. Staring silently at a wall for 45 minutes after working in healthcare all day. Whatever helps.We want a PTA who:Likes people.Takes patient care seriously.Wants to keep learning.Can function as part of a team without requiring a corporate team-building ropes course.Understands that documentation is important.Understands that documentation is not supposed to become their entire personality.Wants to work somewhere they can be proud of the care they provide.We are not looking for a warm body with a license. And hopefully, you aren't looking for just another clinic with an opening. Here's the deal: If you are perfectly happy treating three or four patients an hour while someone emails you a productivity report titled "Opportunity for Improvement," this probably isn't the job for you. There are plenty of those jobs. They appear to reproduce overnight. But if you are tired of the silliness... If you miss actually having time with your patients... If you would like to work somewhere that understands that a PTA is a clinician and not a human treatment conveyor belt... And if no nights, no weekends, one-on-one care, paid holidays, professional respect, mentorship, and competitive compensation sound pretty good... You should probably apply. Worst case? We talk and decide it isn't a fit. Best case? You find out that outpatient physical therapy doesn't actually have to be ridiculous. Apply. Let's Talk. Mark Scribner, Chief of StaffHealing Arts Center Branson, Missouri Compensation: $22.50 - $28.00 per hour