Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Recruiters
Healthcare Headhunters recruits healthcare professionals for employers. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
This is what we do all day: recruit healthcare professionals.
Hire a Physical Therapist Assistant who carries out delegated therapy work, documents each visit, and follows your supervision model.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
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What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
- PTA
- LPTA
What does an open seat cost you every week?
An open role costs you more than the recruiting fee. Someone covers the work, waits for care, or stops a service. We ask what is falling behind and who is carrying it. Use your own figures to compare the cost of waiting with the cost of hiring.
The seat is costing you every week.
Overtime, diverted patients, a stretched team and a schedule held together by favors.
The posting brought the wrong people.
Applicants arrive, but the person who has done this exact work is employed and not looking.
You are the one chasing.
Screening calls, no-shows and follow-ups land on the desk of someone with a facility to run.
What does this hire really come down to?
A PTA, sometimes called an LPTA, supports the physical therapist’s plan during assigned visits. The work may include guiding exercises, assisting with gait or transfers, setting up equipment, observing tolerance, and recording what occurred. The assistant reports changes and questions to the physical therapist instead of changing the plan independently.
The setting changes the job. In an SNF, a PTA may move among residents, manage missed visits, and document treatment before the next assignment. In outpatient care, the assistant may lead a scheduled exercise sequence, prepare treatment areas, and communicate progress between appointments. Home health adds travel, field documentation, and therapist contact away from the clinic.
We ask candidates to describe an actual delegated visit. What instructions did the physical therapist give? What did the assistant record after the session? If a patient reported a change or could not complete the planned activity, who did they contact and what information did they provide?
We arrange locum tenens, travel and contract coverage on request.
What do we check before you see anyone?
State PTA license. We verify an active state PTA license through the relevant board and review publicly available restrictions or disciplinary information. We ask where the candidate may practice before presentation. Supervision rules for your setting. State rules may differ among SNF, outpatient, and home health work.
- We ask how the candidate received direction, reported progress, and reached the supervising physical therapist during a shift.
- SNF or outpatient productivity. We ask about daily visits, missed appointments, travel where relevant, and documentation timing. This separates a candidate used to treatment-heavy SNF schedules from one used to back-to-back outpatient appointments.
- Documentation practice. We ask what the candidate records about delegated interventions and patient response. We also ask how they finish notes when a session runs long or a patient is unavailable.
- Modalities and equipment. If the role includes specific modalities, exercise tools, or transfer equipment, we ask what the PTA has used and what training they received. A preferred certificate is not treated as a universal legal mandate.
- Physical work and communication. We ask about exercise setup, gait work, transfers, and reporting tolerance to the therapist. We also ask how the candidate handles a declined activity or a question from a family member without stepping outside assigned duties.
Where do we find them, and why would they move?
Our search can include PTAs from SNFs, outpatient clinics, home health, and CAPTE-accredited PTA programs. These source pools differ in visit flow, documentation habits, therapist contact, and travel expectations. A PTA may explore a move for a shorter commute, different patient mix, schedule pattern, or closer match with a supervision approach.
We ask what prompted the search and whether your position addresses that reason. We also discuss a possible counteroffer before you spend interview time.
Which mistakes stall the search?
A common mistake is treating SNF, outpatient, and home health backgrounds as interchangeable. Ask what the PTA did during a normal day and when the physical therapist became involved. Another is comparing only visit totals. Ask when notes were completed, what caused late entries, and how the assistant handled cancellations or unavailable patients.
Assuming general rehabilitation experience covers your equipment. List the modalities, exercise tools, transfer demands, record tasks, and therapist coverage used in the role.
How would we run the search for this opening?
Tell us the setting, schedule pattern, patient mix, documentation process, equipment, and physical therapist coverage. We review license status, work history, supervision experience, and SNF or outpatient productivity. You interview selected candidates and complete credentialing and clinical assessment. We screen license status, work history, and workday fit through these specific questions.
Describe the workday
We turn that information into focused screening questions.
Review the match
We also discuss the reason for a move and the practical fit with your schedule.
Interview and hire
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire, under the written agreement’s fee and replacement terms.
National median annual wage. SOC 31-2021, Physical Therapist Assistants.
The published occupation matches Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA). BLS wages are not a specific employer offer.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025-05, released 2026-05-15. View source. See the full guide.
Open roles
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Can you help with temporary PTA coverage?
We arrange locum tenens, travel and contract coverage on request. Credentialing, licensing and malpractice coverage are confirmed per engagement before anyone starts. Per diem placement adds a clinician to your own pool rather than filling individual shifts. Credentialing, licensing and malpractice coverage are confirmed per engagement before anyone starts.
How do you assess whether a PTA can handle our daily schedule?
We ask about actual visit flow, documentation timing, cancellations, and common interruptions. We compare those answers with your SNF or outpatient schedule instead of relying on a general productivity claim.
Can you recruit for a PTA role with strict therapist supervision?
Yes: tell us how your physical therapists direct delegated work and receive updates. We ask candidates how they obtained instructions, reported changes, and handled situations needing therapist review.
Do PTA candidates need modality certificates?
That depends on the modality, state scope of practice, and your organization’s policies. We ask about training and prior use, while your credentialing and clinical assessment process determines what you accept.
Are there upfront costs for a permanent PTA search?
No: permanent contingency placement means you pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What should you send us about this role?
Send us the role, where the person will work and what needs to change with this hire. We will ask about the work, not just the title. Share any license or schedule limits that could rule someone out before we begin the search.
Send us the PTA workday you need covered, including setting, supervision, schedule, and documentation expectations. We will speak with candidates who can address that work directly.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
Which other positions in this family should you consider?
Physical Therapist (PT, DPT) · Occupational Therapist (OT, OTR/L)
What do you get at each step of the search?
Our process for every search: calibrate the seat with you, map the market, research the real people, reach out to each one personally, qualify them in live conversation, then hand you a short list with a written brief on each person and support through the offer.
Search Calibration
You get an agreed brief: the work, reporting line, credentials, schedule, and offer you can make.
Market Mapping
You get a search aimed at relevant backgrounds, including people working now who have not applied.
Professional Contact Intelligence
We check appropriate ways to reach the people identified for your search. You do not have to chase them yourself.
Persistent Personalized Outreach
We explain your actual job and follow up with people who may consider a conversation.
Live Candidate Qualification
You see people we have spoken with about the work, interest, and practical fit, not an unread resume pile.
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a written brief and support through interviews and offer discussions. You make the hiring decision.
How long will it take to see a short list?
That depends on the job, schedule, available people, and what your employer can offer. We discuss those constraints before outreach and update you as candidates respond. We do not promise a fixed shortlist date. We check the job brief before arranging interviews. Tell us which parts of the role you can change.
What if a candidate receives a counteroffer?
We ask why the person wants to move and discuss competing decisions before an offer. A counteroffer can still change their choice. Keep the duties and offer clear rather than assuming more money settles every concern. Tell us early if parts of your offer cannot change, so the candidate hears it from us first.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement. Ask us to walk through those terms before you sign, so you know how a replacement would work for your opening and who would start it.
What do we not do in a standard permanent search?
We do not bill standard contingency search by the hour or simply repost your job. Temporary coverage is a separate arrangement. Any retainer or different engagement must be agreed, not assumed. Tell us early if you need coverage while the permanent search runs.