Physical Therapist PRN – Acute Care & Outpatient

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

Physical Therapy

Job Summary:

JOB SUMMARY
Under medical supervision, the Physical Therapist is responsible for the delivery of services that help restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities of patients suffering from injuries or disease.

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Make a Difference Every Day – Join Vanderbilt Health

Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital is seeking a PRN Physical Therapist to join our nationally recognized rehabilitation team in Lebanon, Tennessee. This position offers the unique opportunity to provide patient care across both Acute Care/Inpatient and Outpatient Rehabilitation settings, including orthopedic, sports medicine, and general rehabilitation populations.

Whether you're an experienced Physical Therapist seeking flexible supplemental income or a clinician looking to maintain skills across multiple practice environments, this role offers variety, autonomy, and the support of Vanderbilt Health's collaborative care team.

Schedule

Weekday shifts (2–3 days per week)

• Weekend shifts (minimum of 2 weekend days per month)

How You Will Make a Difference

Perform evidence-based physical therapy evaluations and treatments for patients with a wide variety of diagnoses and functional limitations.

Provide physical therapy services across acute care, hospital-based inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient orthopedic rehabilitation, sports rehabilitation, and general outpatient physical therapy settings as needed.

• Collaborate with physicians, nurses, case managers, and rehabilitation professionals to develop and implement individualized treatment plans.
• Educate patients and caregivers on diagnosis-specific treatment strategies, home exercise programs, injury prevention, and recovery goals.
• Document patient evaluations, treatments, progress, and outcomes in the electronic medical record.
• Assist patients in maximizing mobility, independence, safety, and overall functional outcomes.
• Contribute to a patient-centered culture focused on exceptional clinical care and service excellence.

Ideal Candidates

Acute Care Physical Therapists seeking supplemental hours.

• Outpatient Physical Therapists interested in expanding their hospital-based clinical experience.
• Experienced clinicians looking for schedule flexibility and diverse patient populations.
• Physical Therapists who enjoy working across multiple practice settings while maintaining a high standard of patient care.

Qualifications

Graduate of an accredited Physical Therapy program.

• Current Tennessee Physical Therapist license or eligibility for Tennessee licensure.
• CPR/BLS certification required.
• Experience in inpatient acute care, hospital-based rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation, orthopedic rehabilitation, and/or sports rehabilitation preferred.
• Strong communication, clinical reasoning, documentation, and time management skills.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a multidisciplinary healthcare team.

Why Join Vanderbilt Health?

Nationally Recognized – Vanderbilt University Medical Center is consistently ranked among the nation's leading healthcare organizations.

Diverse Clinical Experience – Gain exposure to both acute care and outpatient rehabilitation environments.

• Flexible Scheduling – Ideal for clinicians seeking work-life balance or supplemental income opportunities.
• Collaborative Culture – Work alongside highly skilled rehabilitation professionals, physicians, nurses, and interdisciplinary team members.
• Professional Growth – Access continuing education, mentorship, clinical development, and career advancement opportunities.
• Patient-Centered Mission – Be part of an organization committed to improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve.

Join Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital and help patients regain mobility, restore function, and achieve their highest level of independence in both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation settings!

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Provides and documents assessment of strength, range of motion, balance and coordination, posture, muscle performance, and motor function.
• Provides and documents various treatments including exercise, electrical stimulation, hot packs or cold compresses, ultrasound to relive paid or reduce swelling.
• Provides and documents patient education regarding treatment plan, activity, exercises, assistive and/or adaptive devices such as crutches, walkers, prostheses, and wheelchairs.
• Assesses wounds, implementing the appropriate skin care protocol.
• Performs duties and responsibilities with indirect supervision and must frequently make independent decisions.
• Participates in discharge plan rounds as needed.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES
• Rehab Therapist Patient Documentation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in documentation practices. Documents in the appropriate templates and utilizes only approved abbreviations within patient documentation. Meets institutional standards for quality and timeliness of documentation.
• Rehabilitation Therapist Patient Evaluation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in evaluating patients with physical deficits including impairments, developmental disabilities, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function by obtaining information pertinent to the assessment and administering and scoring standardized tests and objective measures of deficit areas. Selects appropriate measures and performs a functional assessment to document patient's status requiring skilled therapy. Interprets the results of the assessment and their significance to the patient, family, referring physician and other members of the health care team.
• Treatment Implementation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in providing treatment consistent with physician prescription and established plan of care. Able to modify treatment plan as needed to demonstrate provision of skilled therapy services including progression of treatment throughout course of care, and revision of treatment interventions of goals not met. May supervise and direct certified athletic trainers (PT only), physical therapist / occupational therapist assistants, technicians and volunteers and students. Selects and follows correct protocol for care and utilize evidence based treatments. Has completed at least one year of clinical experience in treatment implementation.
• Treatment Planning & Goal Setting (Novice): Demonstrates sufficient proficiency in developing a plan of care that incorporates treatment interventions focused on meeting objective goals. Develops and documents patient focused short and long term goals that are functional and measurable. Identifies the need for and referral to other services, as needed.
• Physical/Occupational Therapist Patient Education (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in communicating functional impact of assessment findings, treatment interventions, treatment planning diagnosis, and disease process. Considers the communication needs/level of understanding of audience and may share appropriate information/literature. May supervise, educate and train students from professional programs of physical therapy, occupational therapy and athletic training.

Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings.

These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health’s reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South.

Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.

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Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area. Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues:- Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.- Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services:- Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.- Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.- Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.- Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.- Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation:- Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.- Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.- Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

LIC-Physical Therapy License - Tennessee

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level :

Less than 1 year

Education:

Bachelor's

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.