Physical Therapist

Published: 6/14/2022

Healthcare

Job Description

Do you enjoy spending more than 15 minutes with a patient?

Do you occasionally think, "There's probably a reason this keeps happening," instead of handing someone a clamshell and calling it a day?

Do you like talking to people? Like, actually talking to them?

Do you want enough time to figure out what's going on, make a plan, and then actually do the plan?

If you answered yes to most of those questions, keep reading.

About Us\n

Summit Physical Therapy & Performance is a cash-based physical therapy clinic in Stowe, Vermont, built around a pretty simple idea: people deserve better physical therapy.

Our patients are active adults and outdoor athletes who don't want to be told to stop doing the things they love. They want to run, ski, ride, hike, climb, lift, paddle, play, and generally keep doing all the things that make living in Vermont worth it.

We give them the time, attention, and expertise to do that.

That means one hour, one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. No aides. No double-booking. No bouncing between three patients while trying to remember who was doing what exercise.

We look at the whole picture, figure out what's actually driving the problem, and build a plan that gets people back to what they want to do.

And once they're out of pain, that's when we really get started.

We care about strength. We care about performance. We care about prevention. We use technology, manual therapy, dry needling, exercise, education, and whatever else makes sense for the person in front of us.

We also happen to work with a pretty cool group of humans.

About the Role\n

We're looking for a full-time physical therapist to join our team.

You could be a seasoned ortho PT. You could be a newer clinician who is hungry to learn. You could have a particular specialty you're passionate about. We're less interested in how many years you've been practicing and more interested in whether you're smart, curious, personable, and want to become really good at what you do.

You'll see approximately 28–32 visits per week, with every visit being one-on-one and an hour long.

You'll evaluate and treat patients, develop individualized plans of care, build strength and performance programs, and help people return to the activities they care about.

You'll work with runners, skiers, cyclists, hikers, climbers, weekend warriors, competitive athletes, and people who simply want to keep doing the things they enjoy without their knee/shoulder/back/hip/ankle/etc. constantly reminding them that they're getting older.

You'll communicate clearly with patients about what's happening, why it matters, and what they can do about it.

You'll use manual therapy, dry needling, exercise, education, and other appropriate interventions as part of a bigger plan, not as the plan itself.

You'll have plenty of autonomy, but you won't be practicing on an island. We meet weekly to discuss challenging cases, bounce ideas around, learn from each other, and occasionally discover that three PTs can have four different opinions about the same patient's hip.

You'll also have opportunities to get involved in community outreach, networking, events, and marketing.

You'll make the occasional appearance in our Instagram videos. Cringe is temporary. Good content is forever.

What You Will NOT Do\n

Double-book

See 12 patients in a day while trying to document on the fly

Spend 23 minutes rubbing someone's hamstring while they scroll Instagram

Have your patients warm up for 35 minutes on the bike

Give everyone the same 47-exercise printed out HEP

Tell every patient with knee pain that they need to "strengthen their glutes." Well, wait. They probably do need to do that.

What You'll Need to Be Successful\n

You like people. This one sounds obvious, but it matters. Our patients spend an hour with us at a time. You should genuinely enjoy talking to them, listening to their stories, understanding what matters to them, and building relationships.

You can think for yourself. We want clinicians who can assess the situation, make a decision, explain their reasoning, and take ownership of the outcome.

You're curious. You don't need to know everything. In fact, we'd be slightly concerned if you thought you did. You should want to learn, ask questions, challenge your own thinking, and get better.

You like working with other smart people. Autonomy doesn't mean isolation. Bring your tough cases to the team. Have opinions. Challenge us. Be willing to change your mind when someone has a better idea.

You believe exercise is medicine, but you're not a one-trick pony. We love strength training. We also know that not every patient needs another set of Bulgarian split squats. Good clinicians have a big toolbox and know which tool to use and when.

You take ownership. Something didn't go well? Own it. You made a mistake? Own it. You don't know the answer? Say so and go find it. See something that could be better? Speak up.

You can laugh at yourself. We're serious about doing good work, but we also like to have fun. With each other, with our patients, and occasionally at our own expense.

And if you own more skis, bikes, running shoes, or outdoor gear than is financially responsible, you'll probably fit right in.

Why Summit?\n

You get to practice the way you probably imagined physical therapy would be when you went to PT school.

You get time with your patients.

You get autonomy.

You get to work with active people who actually want to get better.

You get to build relationships with your patients and see the entire process from "I can't do this anymore" to "Holy crap, I just did that."

You get to become a better clinician and work alongside clinicians who care about getting better themselves.

You get a flexible schedule. Want to come in later in the winter so you can ski a few runs in the morning? Want to get out a little early in the summer so you can go for a bike ride?

And you get to work in Stowe, Vermont, where our patients have a tendency to do some pretty cool things outside.

Most clinics have to convince their patients to exercise. At Summit, we occasionally have to convince ours that a recovery day is, in fact, a thing.

Compensation\n

This is a full-time, 40 hour per week position with a salary of $76,000–$90,000 per year, plus a quarterly bonus, commensurate with experience. You'll also receive up to $1,000 per year for CEUs, retirement plan benefits, health care stipend, and more.

Sound Like Your Kind of Place?\n

We're looking for someone who wants to be part of building something, not just filling a position. If that's you, we'd love to meet you.

And if you've made it this far, tell us something in your cover letter that proves you actually read the whole thing. Bonus points if it makes us laugh.

Click here to apply with your resume and cover letter. We're excited to meet you.

Summit Physical Therapy is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. We welcome all qualified individuals to apply and join our team.