u/Evening-Charge4903

Asking genuinely — I own an outpatient ortho/sports clinic and we're in the process of restructuring how we hire and develop newer clinicians.

From what I'm seeing, the cash-pay and performance-based settings are getting all the attention on social media, and insurance-based OP clinics are struggling to attract new grads even when the job itself is solid.

Curious what this community thinks. For those of you who are new grads or a few years out:

• What made you choose the job you took?
• What did you wish you'd known before taking it?
• What would a truly ideal first job actually look like to you?

Not trying to sell anything — just trying to understand what matters to this generation of clinicians before we finalize what we're building. Appreciate any honest answers.

We built a 2-year track at our insurance-based clinic specifically designed to help you eventually leave and open your own clinic. Here's the structure.

I own a sports PT clinic in Huntersville, NC. I've watched this community debate the mill problem, the cash-pay dream, and the new grad experience gap for a while now. So I want to share what we built and see if it resonates with anyone here.

Most new grads want cash-pay autonomy but don't have the clinical volume or business knowledge to make it work yet. We're not pretending otherwise. So instead of hiring someone and hoping they figure it out, we built a structured 2-year track.

Year 1 is clinical. You'll learn The PRO Method (our criteria-based framework), build your eval confidence, and get real reps with ortho and sports cases.

Year 2 is business. How to market yourself. How to build a caseload. How to actually run a PT practice when you're ready.

We expect you to leave after 2 years. It's built into the model.

The basics:

• Title: Physical Therapist
• Location: Huntersville, NC (20 min north of Charlotte)
• Compensation: $70,000–$90,000
• Setting: Outpatient ortho/sports

Not for everyone. But if you're 1–3 years out and feel like you're not getting the mentorship or development you were promised — this might be worth a look.

Happy to answer questions in the comments.

Built a 2-year residency model at my sports clinic specifically designed to help new grads eventually build their own cash-pay practice. Curious if this is something the community would actually find valuable — happy to share the details.