What Does a $115K PT Caseload Look Like?

When you first start building a caseload, it can feel daunting to grow it to a point that’s financially sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and reflects the enormous amount of value you bring to people’s lives and the community.

As a PT student back in 2015, I was told by more than one clinical instructor that it was impossible to earn over $100K/yr as a physical therapist. Well, now the truth is, you most certainly can.

At MovementX, there are countless examples of full-time physical therapists making well over a six-figure salary treating around 4 patients per day.

When you do the math, it can feel pretty achievable—it almost looks too easy…

 

What are Sustainable Patient Caseload Levels at MovementX?

By the Numbers: First, let’s see how the numbers break down to start from scratch (0 sessions/week) and ultimately achieve 16+ patient sessions in a week, which is a good initial caseload goal when first starting out as a physical therapist with MovementX.

At first, jumping from 0 to 16 sessions may sound like quite the challenge from a caseload building standpoint. But when you do the math, that’s…

• 5 patients being seen 2x/wk
• 5 patients being seen 1x/wk
• 5 patients being seen 1x/mo

 

That equals roughly 16 sessions/week. This 5/5/5 paradigm can be an encouraging reminder that although you may think it will take a overwhelming amount of marketing efforts, email blasts, and promotional workshops to fill any given week with 16 sessions, it’s really much simpler than that.

• What five previous patients could benefit from a monthly session to ensure they are able to remain mobile and pain-free?
• What additional 5 people would easily agree to a once/week frequency to recover from surgery or make more consistent progress?
• Lastly, what 5 patients need a higher twice/week frequency in order to meet their goals?

 

Ok, that’s good when starting out. But what about as you become a more seasoned PT with MovementX? What if you want to make it to 20 sessions/week or more? For this, the 5/5/5 paradigm doesn’t look too different…

• 6 patients being seen 2x/wk
• 6 patients being seen 1x/wk
• 8 patients being seen 1x/mo

 

That equals 20 sessions/week. Not drastically different numbers on paper. Growing your own private patient caseload is achievable with the right community, marketing, and resources—just the tip of the iceberg of everything MovementX has to offer.

Next, with these numbers in mind, let’s talk money.

 

 

Ok, But How Much Money Do I Earn as a PT with MovementX?

Now, let’s see how your hourly rate affects annual take home earnings at the 20 sessions/week (aka patients/week) level. Each chart shows the impact of changing your hourly rate, which most MovementX providers set at around $200/hr.

• The charts show your total take-home earnings after the standard commission split and assuming 4 weeks of vacation.
• These charts don’t even include the value of other benefits like paid time off, 401K, & tax savings from being a MovementX employee.
• Lastly, a “Base” level is included to depict the estimated safety net amount that all new full-time providers are eligible for when first building their caseload.

 

Hourly Rate of $190.00

Fig 1: At an hourly rate of $190/hr, 20 pts/wk yields ~$109K in take home earnings. Note the ~$26K difference between that and 15pts/wk.

 

Hourly Rate of $200.00

Fig 2: Raising your rate by just $10 to $200/hr equates to an increase in yearly take home earnings of over $5,000 when seeing 20 pts/wk. Several MovementX providers have achieved over 25 pts/wk consistently at this hourly rate level.

 

Hourly Rate of $210.00

Fig 3: At a rate of $210/hr, a yearly earnings total of $90,000 can be achieved by seeing only 15 pts/wk… that’s just 3 patients per day! Several experienced MovementX providers charge upwards of $250/hr or more.

 

What Blows My Mind: Across the country, tens of thousands of PTs see more than 15 patients in a single day, 5 days a week, with half the amount of vacation, but still only make the standard salary of around $85K/yr.

• With MovementX, you can see that same number of patients over a full week, make $90K/yr, get 4 weeks vacation, practice with full flexibility, and receive other benefits.
• It feels weird even comparing these two career pathways because they’re really not in the same league.

Personally, I believe that skilled, passionate, and driven PTs deserve more. That’s why we created MovementX.

The Bottom Line: We hope that this exercise in mapping out the numbers is empowering, convincing, and motivates you to take one step closer to the “life of your dreams,” whatever that may be.

 

Interested in learning more about becoming a MovementX PT?