08/11/2026
Where did all the good physical therapy clinics go?
We spend so much time talking about what NEW GRADS want in their first job…but maybe we need to start asking the therapists who have been out 5, 10, or 15 years what happened to them.
New grads enter this profession excited, optimistic, and ready to help people.
And unfortunately, that can make them the perfect target for high-volume clinics.
16–20 patients a day. Double and triple booking. Documentation through lunch. Notes after work. Productivity constantly hanging over your head.
At first, you might think: “This is just what being a PT is.”
But what happens after 5 years of it?
How many great therapists have already left outpatient PT—or the profession altogether—because the system burned them out?
We keep talking about a physical therapist shortage while continuing to feed new graduates into the same system that burned out the generation before them.
Maybe we don’t have a PT shortage.
Maybe we have a GOOD CLINIC shortage.
PTs who have been practicing 5+ years: What do you think? 👇