PTS vs Other Staffing Services: Learn first-hand from a PT!

Do you want to grow your career as a?school-based physical therapist?or other service provider? If so, you may be wondering what your options are when it comes to engaging with a staffing agency. As a therapist working alongside Pediatric Therapeutic Services (PTS), you will have the opportunity to support students in our partnering school districts and collaborate with other passionate professionals in the process.

One of the best ways to find out if engaging with us is right for you is by reading a firsthand account. You may see a bit of yourself in it. Victoria, a physical therapist (PT), shares her experience working alongside PTS!

How Victoria Found Her Niche in School-Based PT

Upon graduation, Victoria initially planned to take the traditional hospital and outpatient therapy route. However, as it so often happens, life took a turn and presented her with an alternative path.

The same day she sat for her Boards exam, she found out about PTS. This changed everything for her, and she switched gears to work as a school-based PT.

Now, she loves working with students every day. She never knows what to expect, and this variety makes her work exciting and deeply rewarding. She has students ranging from 3- to 21-years-old on her caseload, so she uses lots of different skills to build relationships and help them succeed.

To meet with them all, she moves from building to building throughout the day, and even district to district throughout the week, designing interventions that will help each of them reach their individual goals.

Each Day, She Helps Students Achieve Their PT Goals

During her time working alongside PTS so far, Victoria has seen the students she serves grow and reach key milestones in their development. These success stories continue to motivate her to bring her best self to work every day:

·????????High-school student learned to use her custom power wheelchair to get around school (after previously being unable to use it without crashing)

·????????Kindergarten student with blindness and cerebral palsy learned how to walk up and down stairs and throughout school with her cane

·????????High-school student with cerebral palsy, who was in a wheelchair, learned to participate in more activities with her walker (most memorably, walking at graduation!)?

Victoria was a key part of each of these students’ successes and countless others. She has seen them develop new skills, build confidence, and gain control of their lives in a short time that will impact them long after they leave school.

Now, She Has Freedom & Flexibility With Access to Resources & Support

Another thing Victoria loves about engaging with PTS is the freedom to set her schedule and establish a work-life balance that suits her needs. As an independent contractor, she sets and bills for all her productive hours and submits them using PTS’s effective and convenient Budgetwatch? technology.

While engaging with PTS, she also has access to more resources and opportunities than she would at most other staffing agencies:

The key difference between working alongside PTS compared with other staffing agencies is that we don’t just place you in a school—we go with you.

Why School-Based Therapists Like Victoria Love Working Alongside PTS

A key aspect of working in a school environment is learning from and collaborating with other professionals to provide students with the best possible support and care. In the dynamic and fast-paced world of primary and secondary school, both therapists and other service providers like Victoria frequently communicate and collaborate with each other, as well as:

?? Parents

?? Teachers

?? Paraprofessionals

?? School administrators?

To facilitate this team-based approach to special education and related services, PTS Clinical Directors and Lead Therapists act as a bridge of communication. When necessary, they facilitate the problem-solving process, such as by helping therapists secure a room to conduct their therapy sessions.

We also have a Facebook group for therapists and service providers to connect and share resources throughout the year.

Multi-Staged, Personalized Job Placement

When you engage with us, we start the placement process with a Perfect Match Assessment to help you find the right fit. Just as we develop and maintain lasting, long-term relationships with our partnering school districts, we do so with the therapists and service providers who work alongside us.

School-Based Academy & Online Resource Library

Once you get placed, you have an option to participate in PTS’s annual, year-long School-Based Academy that begins every August. During this time, you will gain confidence conducting therapy and other services in a school environment, learn the ins and outs of school-based best practices, and network with other professionals along the way.

A few of the things you can expect to become familiar with include:

?? Writing Individualized Education Plans (IEP)

?? Developing and maintaining relationships with other school-based professionals

?? Managing therapy caseloads through optimal scheduling and the small group model

?? Implementing the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and Response to Intervention & Instruction (MTSS-RtII) approaches

Though many people find the School-Based Academy helpful, it is not required, nor is it an orientation. Rather, it is an opportunity for therapists and service providers to access additional guidance if they want it.

In addition to PTS’s School-Based Academy, you will also have access to an ever-growing online library of therapist-developed resources, activities, and interventions that you can use in your therapy sessions and general education instruction.??????????????

Download Our Free eBook to Learn More About the Benefits of Engaging With PTS

If you think working alongside PTS could be the move for you, download our free PTS vs. Staffing Services: Find the Right Career eBook today. Then, browse through the current openings and submit your application to serve students alongside passionate therapists and service providers like Victoria.

We look forward to reviewing your application!