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You’ve Graduated

Now What?

April 28, 2025

California - Student SIG

Jodi Miller PT, DPT

Clinical Connections Mentoring

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Hello and Welcome!!

  • Email: JodiMillerDPT@gmail.com
  • Instagram: @clinicalconnections
  • Website: www.clinicalconnections.org
  • Facebook Group:

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Hello and Welcome!!

  • Outline
    • What to look for in a new job
    • How to pick your first job
    • Interview Tips
    • How to set yourself apart
    • Negotiating

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What Do I Look For??

  • Salary
  • Mentorship
  • Vacation Time/PTO/Sick Time
  • Benefits
  • Growth/Career Ladder
  • Productivity Expectations
  • Job Requirements
  • Schedule

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Salary

  • What everyone wants and cares about!
  • Can vary by setting and location
    • Rural vs Urban
    • Outpatient vs Skilled Nursing
  • Do a quick search ahead of time to find the average for the setting and area

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Mentorship

  • Is there support or are you the only clinician?
  • Are there other employees willing to Mentor you?
  • Will you be given help when you need it?
  • How much training will you get at the beginning?
  • What does the Mentoring program look like?
  • This doesn’t have to be a make or break
    • You can find mentors elsewhere
    • Some Mentoring programs actually cost significantly less than a Residency and offer more individual guidance than a Residency or an in-house mentoring program offers

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Vacation Time

  • How much time-off do you get each year?
  • When can you start using your time-off?
  • What Holidays do you get off?
    • This will vary by setting

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Benefits

  • What are the benefits?
  • Ask about the Retirement Plan
    • Contribution, matching
  • Is there a Sign-On Bonus?
  • Is there Tuition Reimbursement?
  • Do you get money for Continuing Education?

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Growth/Career Ladder

  • Is there opportunity for Career Advancement within the department/organization?
    • What are those opportunities?
    • Is it possible to move into management roles?
    • Is there a Career Ladder and what does that look like?
  • How is growth supported?
    • How much money is provided for CEUs?
    • APTA dues?
    • Conferences?
    • Certifications or Specializations?
    • Additional degrees (MBA, HA, etc)

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Productivity Expectations

  • What is the Productivity Standard?
    • How many patients per day?
    • How many units?
    • When are you expected to meet this Standard?

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Job Requirements

  • What is expected of you as a clinician at that facility?
  • Do you have to work weekends/holidays?
    • How many? How often?
  • Are you expected to do things outside of clinical work?
    • Presentations
    • Health Fairs
    • Marketing

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Schedule

  • What is your expected schedule?
    • Hours (Evenings?)
    • Days
    • Location
  • Consider the commute
    • Will you be spending hours commuting each day?

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How Do You Decide?

  • What are the 3 most important things to you?
    • Set your priorities here
    • Are your Top 3 met by the job offer?
  • Ask yourself these questions:
    • Does the Job/Facility’s Values align with yours?
    • How did you feel after the Interview?

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Compare

Job #1

Job #2

Job #3

$70,000

$80,000

$100,000

3 weeks vacation + major holidays

2 weeks vacation + major holidays

1 week vacation +�Christmas, New Year’s

75% productivity

85% productivity

90% productivity

1 patient/hour

2 patients/hour

3-4 patients/hour

Consistent Mentorship

In your own clinic with 1 other PTA

Sporadic mentorship

Slow career growth

Slow career growth

Potential to own your own clinic in the future

Work 3 weekends a year

Work 1 weekend a month

No Weekends

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Interview Prep

  • Do your research
    • Look up anything you can about the job, department, facility, company, etc.
    • Write a list of questions you want to ask during the Interview
  • Ask around
    • The PT world is VERY small
    • Everybody knows somebody!
    • Ask about the facility, the department, the management, the employees
  • Clean up your Social Media
    • Employers will search your name

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Interview Day

  • Be Yourself!
  • Answer honestly, not how you think they want you to answer
  • You DO have weaknesses
    • They are “The things you want to improve on…”
    • It looks bad when you say you don’t have any
  • Ask questions
    • It shows you are interested in them and the job

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Set Yourself Apart

Resume

  • Don’t need irrelevant information from High School
  • List relevant Awards/Recognitions from PT School only
  • List Clinical Experiences
      • Any presentations, projects
  • List PT related conferences you’ve attended
  • List Volunteer experiences relevant to PT or the Job applying for
      • Mission Trips
      • Pro-Bono Clinic
      • Leadership positions

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Set Yourself Apart

Interview

  • Be confident!
  • Be unique!
    • Everybody wants to help people…why are you different?
    • What can you bring to the Clinic/Facility/Department?
  • Ask.The.Questions
    • Don’t just answer their questions
  • Hand write a Thank You note and mail it following the interview
  • For students - if you are about to go on a clinical
    • This is your interview!

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Negotiating

  • Always negotiate!
  • There is always wiggle room
  • Benefits are part of your salary
  • If you don’t ask, the answer is always “No”
  • Negotiating happens AFTER you’ve interviewed and been given a job offer

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Highlights

  • Decide what is most important to you�
  • Do your research and ask questions�
  • Stand out�
  • Treat your Clinical Experiences like job interviews�
  • Always negotiate

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Complete Clinician Program

Email: JodiMillerDPT@gmail.com

Instagram: @clinicalconnections

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Thank You!