Physical therapists can’t work from home, right? Wrong! I can think of five ways you can use your skills as a physical therapist without stepping foot inside a hospital, clinic, or gym. These remote physical therapy jobs don’t require any extra schooling; just a little creativity, some courage, and a strong internet connection!
Remote PT Jobs
When you decided to become a physical therapist, you didn’t necessarily throw away the opportunity to work from home. Sure, in a conventional setting, therapy takes place in-person through direct, manual contact. But there are plenty of other ways to earn a living as a work-from-home PT. Below is a roundup of 5 remote physical therapy jobs that will help you use your degree without using your car.
1. Telehealth Physical Therapist
Also known as Online Physical Therapist or Virtual Physical Therapist.
Role
This is the remote PT job that will feel the most familiar to your current role and require the least career change. As an online physical therapist, you’ll perform evaluations, guide treatments, create exercise plans, write notes and monitor patient progress all from behind your computer. To do this, you can join one of the many virtual physical therapy clinics or organizations already in existence. But you can also start your own practice using a telehealth PT platform.
Pros
Besides the perk of working from home, telehealth PT can widen access to many patients you may otherwise never reach. And you’ll have a reason to brush up on technological skills as you master the latest telehealth apps and remote patient monitoring software.
Cons
Not all your patients will seamlessly transition to the online format, and you may have trouble attracting new patients who aren’t aware of the benefits of telehealth therapy. And because telehealth is still relatively new, the rules and regulations for it may change frequently, leading to billing headaches for you.
Requirements
If you’re opening up your own online practice, you’ll need skills in billing and marketing. MedBridge Education has many courses to help fill those gaps, as well as classes to reup your telehealth skills.
Regardless of your online practice, you’ll need to make sure you’re licensed in the state where your patients live. To broaden your options as an online PT, consider applying for PT Compact privileges. The PT Compact is a multi-state agreement that allows you to use your license in one state to treat patients in another. Check out this article to learn more.
Pay
Telehealth PT can fetch you a salary very similar to the one you receive now as an in-patient PT. But it can also vary widely, depending on whether you’re joining an existing telehealth PT practice or striking out on your own. According to ZipRecruiter, the average pay for a telehealth physical therapist is just over $66k per year. But working for a telehealth company like TeleDoc could earn you $120k/year.
2. Insurance Reviewer
Also known as Clinical Reviewer, Chart Reviewer or Utilization Reviewer.
Role
For this job, you’ll review the notes and records of other physical therapists’ cases and determine whether the treatments were medically necessary, appropriately planned, and correctly documented. Your tasks will involve analyzing written reports, researching the requirements of Medicare and other insurance plans, consulting the provider involved, and writing a report of your own. Most of the time, utilization reviewers work for an insurance company or a company that contracts reviewers for insurance agencies.
Pros
This job is perfect for someone who loves the healthcare industry and wants it running efficiently. You may never see another patient again, but you’ll still use almost all of your degree to check the work of other therapists and ensure healthcare benefits are being applied fairly. Most positions are full-time with benefits, providing you a consistent schedule and steady income stream.
Cons
The work of an insurance reviewer can get a bit predictable…even dull, if you prefer a more action-packed workday. And the most action you’ll get could be a heated phone call over denied claims.
Requirements
As long as you have an active license in PT, there are no further requirements to get started as a clinical reviewer.
Pay
A salaried position for utilization review ranges from $60k–100k per year, with just under $88k being the national average. Like other remote physical therapy jobs, your Clinical Reviewer salary may fluctuate to reflect the local cost of living.
3. Healthcare Recruiter
Also known as Therapy Recruiter, Staffing Manager, or Talent Acquisition Specialist.
Role
If you’ve ever dabbled in travel therapy, you already know how important the work of a healthcare recruiter is. Therapy recruiters work as staffing managers for clinics, hospitals, and other agencies who need health professionals in a pinch. To do this remote job, you’ll work with healthcare facilities to create job descriptions that will attract the right talent, then set up a system to track any applicants. You may screen and interview potential candidates over the phone and help negotiate contracts between the applicant and the facility, then step away and allow your matchmaking magic to spawn a great fit.
Pros
Like many work-from-home jobs, healthcare recruiting usually follows a flexible schedule. You’ll need to meet your quota each week, but you may not have to do so within a set number of working hours. That means a long lunch break and the opportunity to run some errands between calls—one of the perks of remote physical therapy jobs!
Cons
A flexible schedule also means a blurred line between work time and free time. You may have to take a call over the weekend, in the evening, or even on vacation if you’re trying to hustle.
Requirements
You won’t need an active PT license for this job, although being a PT can help you build rapport with your applicants. Otherwise, you’ll need excellent communication skills and the ability to multi-task and stay organized, juggling dozens of job postings and applicants at once!
Pay
Some healthcare recruiting roles are compensated only by commission, but most offer a base pay plus commission. The average salary for a Healthcare Recruiter in the US is $53,931, but it can be double that if you play your cards right.
4. Healthcare Sales Professional
Also known as a Medical Sales Professional or Sales Representative.
Role
A Healthcare Sales Professional sells healthcare products, such as EMR systems and software, to clinics and providers. In this role, you may work for one company, or you may contract with different companies to sell multiple products. Depending on what you’re selling, some of your work may require on-site visits—especially if you’re selling medical devices—but you may also be able to provide demos and consultations remotely. For a purely remote position, check out jobs that sell software-as-a-service, or SAAS sales. Whatever your product, the follow-up work (e.g., calls, emails, and documentation) will typically take place at home.
Pros
Working as a Healthcare Sales Professional has the potential to rake in a lot more cash than you’d see as a clinical therapist or in other remote physical therapy jobs. You’ll also have control over your work schedule and the amount of traveling you do.
Cons
It can be a demanding job. While the pay may be better, you’ll probably work longer days. Some positions require travel, and you may find it’s hard to work strictly remotely while reaching your income potential.
Requirements
There are no additional education requirements to become a healthcare sales professional, although you will probably go through some training provided by the company that hires you. Taking some courses in sales ahead of time can help boost your resume and land you the job you want.
Pay
This career usually earns a salary plus commission, with the potential to make six figures, depending on your tenacity and how many companies you work for simultaneously. According to a survey by MedReps, the average salary of a medical sales professional was over $104k in 2021!
5. Physical Therapy Educator
Also known as Physical Therapy Instructor, Clinical Instructor, or Online Instructor of Physical Therapy.
Role
If you’re interested in moving your PT instruction from the gym to the classroom, consider teaching. A great way to start is by teaching a continuing education course through an online platform such as Medbridge Education. You can cover topics in the specialty of your expertise as well as other non-clinical subjects, like management or patient compliance, if you have training in those areas. Teaching a course here and there is a good place to start, but it might take several classes and partnerships to accrue a livable wage.
The next step may be to teach at a community college that offers online courses in anatomy, biology, physiology, and kinesiology. Some schools may require you to be on campus occasionally, for instance to film classes, but you’d manage your class and grade their work from home.
To really make online PT education a career, look for any instructor openings at DPT and PTA programs that utilize a hybrid or online-only model. Professor-level jobs may require scholarly research as well as class instruction and lesson planning.
Pros
There are many pros to teaching, and you may find it reaps similar rewards to those of clinical practice. You’ll make a difference in the next generation of PTs, and you may not even have to leave your house.
Cons
This career shift would almost certainly be a gradual one. You’d need to gain experience teaching while still earning a living outside of the (virtual) classroom. And tenure-track professorships are incredibly competitive, even if they’re mostly online.
Requirements
Besides a DPT or master’s degree in physical therapy, you may need to complete an online teaching certification, depending on the level of online education you aspire to. You’ll also want to ensure you have good public speaking and presentation skills.
Pay
Your compensation for teaching a CEU course all depends on the platform and the type of course—if it’s a live webinar or a pre-recorded course, for example. The platform may pay you a fee up-front or pay you a commission each time someone takes your course.
For an online faculty job, your pay will reflect your status as an adjunct, assistant, or lead professor. Adjunct teachers are usually paid per course, with most fees ranging from $2–5k. An assistant professor salary starts at around $50k but can eventually surpass your current salary as a physical therapist, depending on the school. If you work your way up the ranks and become a full-tenured professor, you could see your salary climb to six figures—even as high as $150k! Read all about the prospects of physical therapy faculty jobs here.
