u/Aggravating_Head1215

I’m a graduated PT student, licensed already, practicing in San Diego, California. Through a friend I got a job with Kaiser down here. Outpatient ortho setting.

My main motivator was $$$, benefits/pension.

I make more money than most of my peers who stayed in their home state after school, and apparently even more than other seasoned PTs.

That’s not the point. I’m honestly drowning. We see 4-6 evals per day — honestly lately it’s been 5-6. I can’t see my patients for weeks, 4-6 weeks out.

It’s making me become jaded to patient’s problems because since it’s also an HMO plan, the patient can just come in and throw the book at me: low back, knee, shoulder. There’s no way I can do an effective evaluation on all these body parts, provide treatment, and somehow expect them to get better when I can’t see them for weeks.

It honestly makes me feel like I have no support because this is what management is pushing on all of us here. I wonder if my colleagues feel the same… any other Kaiser PTs out there?

How do I cope and handle this? Do I just “care less” as far as patient care goes? Provide the bare minimum evidence based, safe, treatment?

I have templates and phrases that I use - the documentation part is fine. It’s actually cool bc we get charting time.

But it’s gotten so bad that I even stopped working out this past week because I just feel like I need to turn my brain off after work. Like, even though I sleep, I can’t quite recover from the previous day, so working out just takes extra effort.

Just venting. Starting to wonder if this is worth it… but then what else is out there? I feel like it’s the same crap everywhere — worse at mills, and even other subs like nursing and physician assistants complain of similar things. Is this what they mean by golden handcuffs?

Hello everyone - moving to LA soon.
Got a job where I’ll have to travel between Westwood and Mid City/Wilshire.

I’m trying to keep the commute as short as possible.

Budget is 2500-3000. I mostly care about in unit W/D and parking.

I’m transitioning jobs right now.
I’ll be leaving a full time with benefits position for a per diem (as needed) position without benefits.

The plan is that the position will transition to full time.

This means no 401k/403b for 2-3 months.

I have a Roth IRA. I have not maxed it yet — but plan to.

What other accounts should I invest in, in the meantime?

No credit card debt other than what accumulates during the month which I fully pay off each month.

Car payment monthly.

I have a 401k and 401a; I’ll be consolidating the two so that it’s just in my 401k. Together, that’s ~$100.5K. Is there anything I need to know about maintaining this account even though I’m leaving the company?

Should I just use that time to go hard on my HYSA? Please advise.

I have the option of two jobs. I am an allied healthcare professional (OTD, OD, RDH, RT/RCP, DPT, etc.). Let’s just assume that these are the top two choices in my state/sector — “it’s as good as it gets”.

Retirement income goal: let’s say ~180K. Frankly, it’s a number I’m just throwing out there. I may still have a mortgage into my early to mid 60s.

Retirement age goal: 60 yo - I can’t see myself working full time in my career past this age; maybe I’d drop to part time or transition to a passion project, like coaching a track team or maybe even a small business

Current age: 32 yo - no house yet - HYSA savings <10K. I’m quite a ways away from having liquid cash for down payment.

Job #1: unionized

Pension: state/university hospital - years of service * 2.5% age factor * highest average plan compensation (as opposed to my “final” salary)

Pension requirements: contribute 9% pre tax income (lowers taxable income - not sure)

Note: age factor 2.5% at 60 years old (I can claim full pension benefits at 60)

Retirement: 403b contributing 12-15% income (no employer match given the pension above) is my plan; they also offer 457b

Salary: hourly rates

5           63.85

6           65.10

7                  66.39

8           67.75

9           69.09

10          70.47

I will be starting at step 5.

The following across the board increases apply: 24–26% through 2028.

I’d be at around ~78-80hr by 2028 with more raises in the subsequent years.

Hours worked per week: 40

Job #2: unionized

Pension: private non profit hospital

years of service * 1.5% factor * final average monthly compensation

Pension requirements: none - “free”; note that I am already vested in this particular plan since it’s my current employer — been 5 years with this company — I’d be switching jobs

Retirement age to get full benefit: 65 (withdrawing pension at 60 = 75% of payout or a 25% reduction)

Retirement: 401K contributing 10-12% income is my plan; employer 2% of annual salary contribution and 5% of annual salary contribution to a supplemental after-tax (not Roth) account

Salary: I will start at step 5

5 68.10

6 69.76

7 71.51

8 73.25

9 75.1

10 76.9

The following across the board raises apply: 21.5% through 2028.

I’d be at around ~88-90/hr by 2028; possibly more raises in the subsequent years.

Hours worked per week: 20-32 (based on postings - seems 40-hr positions are rare)

———————

I plan to rollover my 401k to either plan and I also have a Roth IRA. Between my accounts I’m at ~ $110K. I plan to max my Roth IRA annually starting this year.

I ran some numbers, using the pension formulas, estimated pension looks like this, assuming full time, and retiring at age 60:

Job #1: $116,491.20 (at 65 = $137,292)

Job #2: $68,112.50 but drops to $51,084 (75%) [at 65 = $95,180]

This means that even though I’d have less in my 403b if I go with job #1, the pension does a lot of the heavy lifting, where I wouldn’t need to withdraw a lot of money from those accounts anyway. I’d also have a 457b.

However, having a higher 401k amount and missing out on free money from job #2 makes me pause. I’d have to withdraw a lot more from my retirement accounts to meet my projected retirement income.

I am trying to make a decision on where I should work long-term while keeping in mind balancing work-life (go on trips/travel, experiences, etc.), optimizing my retirement accounts, and having money from a pension.

If you had a choice between these two jobs, which would you pick?

TLDR:

Job #1: lower salary but the pension is a nice safety net that means my retirement accounts don’t have to work as hard, but contributing 19% (9% pension + remainder for 403b) of my paycheck means less cash in hand; can retire at 60 and claim full pension; does not penalize me for becoming part time down the road since they calculate based on my highest salary; slightly better workload

Job #2: higher salary, more cash in hand, employer match 401K means free money, less overall pension that gets more nerfed if I drop to part time and retire before 65 (75% of full amount) workload is more soul sucking; higher salary $$$

I have the option of two jobs. I am an allied healthcare professional (OTD, OD, RDH, RT/RCP, DPT, etc.).

Retirement income goal: let’s say ~180K.

Retirement age goal: 60 yo - I can’t see myself working full time in my career past this age; maybe I’d drop to part time or transition to a passion project, like coaching a track team or maybe even a small business

Current age: 32 yo

Job #1: unionized

Pension: state/university hospital - years of service * 2.5% age factor * highest average plan compensation (as opposed to my “final” salary)

Pension requirements: contribute 9% pre tax income (lowers taxable income - not sure)

Note: age factor 2.5% at 60 years old (I can claim full pension benefits at 60)

Retirement: 403b contributing 12-15% income (no employer match given the pension above) is my plan; they also offer 457b

Salary: hourly rates

5           63.85

6           65.10

7                  66.39

8           67.75

9           69.09

10          70.47

I will be starting at step 5.

The following across the board increases apply:

5% in July 2026

2% in January 2027

4% in July 2027

2% January 2028

4% in July 2028

Then, union bargaining takes places again, probably resulting in higher wages for the next 3-4 years after that.

Every year, you move up a step.

I’d be at around ~78-80hr by 2028 with more raises in the subsequent years.

Hours worked per week: 40

Job #2: unionized

Pension: private non profit hospital

years of service * 1.5% factor * final average monthly compensation

Pension requirements: none - “free”; note that I am already vested in this particular plan since it’s my current employer — been 5 years with this company — I’d be switching jobs

Retirement age to get full benefit: 65 (withdrawing pension at 60 = 75% of payout or a 25% reduction)

Retirement: 401K contributing 10-12% income is my plan; employer 2% of annual salary contribution and 5% of annual salary contribution to a supplemental after-tax (not Roth) account

Salary: I will start at step 5

5 68.10

6 69.76

7 71.51

8 73.25

9 75.1

10 76.9

The following across the board raises apply:

6.5% since March 2026

6.5% in Fall 2026

3% in August 2027

3% October 2027

3% Fall 2028

Every year, you move up a step.  

I’d be at around ~88-90/hr by 2028; possibly more raises in the subsequent years.

Hours worked per week: 20-32 (based on postings - seems 40-hr positions are rare)

———————

I plan to rollover my 401k to either plan and I also have a Roth IRA. Between my accounts I’m at ~ 110K.

I am trying to make a decision on where I should work long-term while keeping in mind balancing work-life (go on trips/travel, experiences, etc.), optimizing my retirement accounts, and having money from a pension.

If you had a choice between these two jobs, which would you pick?

TLDR:

Job #1: lower salary but the pension is a nice safety net that means my retirement accounts don’t have to work as hard, but contributing 19% (9% pension + remainder for 403b) of my paycheck means less cash in hand; can retire at 60 and claim full pension; does not penalize me for becoming part time down the road since they calculate based on my highest salary; slightly better workload

Job #2: higher salary, more cash in hand, employer match 401K means free money, less overall pension that gets more nerfed if I drop to part time and retire before 65 (75% of full amount) workload is more soul sucking; higher salary $$$

I’m trying to decide if I’m getting overworked or if I simply just can’t handle this setting 😂 state how long your shifts are and how many patients you see per day total, as well (not just evals).