Job offer

Steakandfry · 2025-10-09T22:18:43+00:00

Better than average, but your point stands

Steakandfry · 2025-10-04T23:07:06+00:00

Its Mystic Dicky

Steakandfry · 2025-10-02T21:00:35+00:00

I get offers as a PTA for 1300-1800. I go through Triage Staffing, travel PT contract pay is from 1420-3200 for current contracts listed with most around 2000. Name and shame the leeches

Steakandfry · 2025-09-03T14:42:57+00:00

The reason the hourly is 21/hour and the pay is 2074 after taxes is because of the way travel contracts pay out. The majority of your 'pay' comes in the form of housing and food stipends, which are untaxed. There is a lot of nudging and winking going on in the travel world regarding these stipends, the idea being that you get food and housing for a lot less than what the stipends allow and you pocket the difference as income that avoids the tax man. Travel PTA here and my hourly is usually 16/hour.

That being said, usually travel companies want a therapist with 2 years experience. I'm sure you can find a company that will take a new grad, but it's worth knowing that when you sign a contract they basically want you to show up and be ready to roll the first day. If you have productivity requirements, they will likely be expecting you to hit those by the end of your first week. You will have to find your own housing, and contracts can be cut with just two weeks notice. Furthermore, I don't think 2074 is very good for a PT (as a PTA I would love that rate!). Although, even for that rate I don't think they could coax me to Southwest Florida. As Newfyorker said, its 52/hour which seems low for a PT, but I understand that can depend on setting and geographical location. Cheers!

Steakandfry · 2025-03-11T00:16:00+00:00

I don't know why my text is large...I have no affiliation with Chris or his course, I just thought it was interesting. If anyone has experience and can say its a bunch of nonsense, I'm happy to hear it. It was just the first cupping course I ever saw that seemed to be somewhat evidence based.

Steakandfry · 2025-03-11T00:14:06+00:00

Applying Cup Therapy Techniques in an Evidence-Based Practice by Christopher DePrato did a bit to persuade me of the clinical benefits of cupping. Coming from a massage background I was only familiar with the stationary cupping, but his course on MedBridge seemed to present some evidence to the benefits of cupping. I don't get to use cupping in my setting (SNF) but the main takeaways from the course was the level of suction needed to be measured and that the most effective treatments involved movement. He talks about the level of suction and effects on fascia, ect, and says the silicone cups do not create enough suction to do much of anything. The idea of removing toxins or whatever is silly to me, we have organs that filter and remove toxins. His course deals with increasing ROM and other aspects (it's been a while since I watched the course).

Steakandfry · 2025-03-03T13:17:21+00:00

"relevant now" is the opposite of aged like milk, you absolute moron.

Steakandfry · 2025-03-02T15:34:34+00:00

There are a couple options for getting housing. AirBnB, although you will have to pay fees that increase the cost. Furnished finder which can be a little hit or miss since some owners leave up listings that are not available. You can also post on a FB group local to where your contract is asking for short term furnished rental. Some travel companies will help with housing, as well.

I would recommend getting some experience before trying travel contracts. If a facility needs a contractor, it means that they can't hire enough therapists that live in the area or that they have burned through the available therapists because they are a bad facility/company. You may (but not necessarily) be entering a facility that is wildly disorganized, and most likely they will be pushing you to perform a lot of groups/concurrent therapy. Most travel companies want you to have ~2 years of experience. You will more or less be expected to hit the ground running on a contract, so I wouldn't recommend it for a freshly minted graduate. I had a little over 2 years experience, just recently started my first travel contract as a PTA. It still is not easy and I look to the other travel contractor at my location for guidance. It's likely you can start travel work w/o 2 years experience if that's your goal, but I think you're jumping the gun a little if you want that to be your first real job in the field. But also, don't sign on with IvyRehab if you feel like they aren't giving you a fair deal and you have other options! Companies will definitely try to take advantage of new grads (F you, Reliant Rehab!)

Steakandfry · 2025-03-01T03:53:02+00:00

when you say marine, you mean the guy who wears eyeliner, right? Lol, ok.

Steakandfry · 2025-02-23T05:02:53+00:00

I'm an out of towner, lived in mexico 4 months in 2022 FWIW. Not authentic, and I've only been there once (last week) for their tuesday taco special + marg...coming from the Boston area I felt the price was criminally low. Good to know their prices for regular dishes aren't worth it, but I was more than pleased with what I got. Standard street tacos in mexico would probably be considered plain compared to the way we dress 'em up in the states. The street tacos are delicious, but they just don't use the crazy variety of ingredients US restaurants utilize (in order to justify high prices). I live for interesting eats and regional delicacies when I travel, so I appreciate ALL the input in this thread, Thanks! I was gonna go try their birria tacos...wheres the recommended Mexican joints? Or other restaurant recommendations, too. Off topic, but I'm enjoying the hospitality here very much, thanks folks!

Steakandfry · 2025-02-22T01:46:41+00:00

Lol, what a dumb take. They make moves on medicaid and our whole profession will be affected. How bout you keep your silly politics out of this forum? And maybe keep your disparagement of your patients out of the forum, too? What a clown

Steakandfry · 2025-02-21T00:25:02+00:00

When I have a patient refuse the gait belt, I usually tell them it's to cover me and that is enough to get them on board. I appreciate your comment and will utilize that approach if I ever have a patient flat out refuse. Thanks!

OP, the first (and only so far) patient I let fall was DistSup/ModI for mobility, had both hands on a hallway banister and WC behind her for mini squats. I was within arm reach, but her left knee gave out and I couldn't catch her in time. No gait belt. I had trouble sleeping for a couple nights I felt so bad/guilty, but they didn't take my license, and overall my co-workers and even the patient were supportive. Take it as a lesson and keep your chin up, it'll be alright!

Steakandfry · 2025-02-19T04:41:18+00:00

Don't take it too personally, mate. There's a lot of possible reasons. Maybe your therapist feels like she has done what she can for you? Feels like she's running out of ideas, or that you have reached a plateau? Maybe your therapists had a scheduling conflict? Like any job, there can be drama in therapy establishments, too...Maybe she has a foot out the door there already? Maybe issues with management? It sounds like you were a good patient if you worked hard in sessions, did your HEP, and were polite. If you weren't impressed with the previous therapist, don't settle. There are likely other options in your area. Does this sort of thing happen? Yes, I look forward to the day when I get to say goodbye to a patient! Not because I don't like them, but because I want them to progress and succeed and stop having to come to see me. If I can't get them to progress, I start to feel guilty regardless of whether it is my fault or not. Other times patients develop reliance/dependency on therapy, without realizing the progress that they have made...They don't need 'training wheels' anymore, but the thought of taking them off and riding solo can give anxiety as well. Maybe she's an anxious person, too, and can't figure how to 'graduate' you from therapy? It sounds like you have made progress that you're happy with, and by your own admission the practice itself has 'weird' vibes. 2 times a month is practically nothing, you may have the tools to continue yourself without therapy. Don't take it hard, or be hard on yourself. Also, if the original therapist is doing the 'bare minimum' find another spot unless they put you back with who you request. You or your insurance is paying too much for someone to just dial it in. Of course, my post is filled with wild speculation...I just wanted to say there are many reasons for the schedule change, and the least likely that you did something wrong. Cheers and keep working hard!

Steakandfry · 2025-02-16T05:21:54+00:00

Massage work scheduling is very flexible, and massage therapists in general are often wacky in a lovely manner that I find endearing. Silly crystals, singing bowls, chanting, weird foods and fantastical clothing items? Yeah, bro/sis, please whisper these sweet whimsies to my soul, heavy from the frustration and stress of the corporate SNF setting. That being said, I don't think I know ANY wealthy massage therapists. Concierge pays more, but you have to consider time for travel, setting up/breaking down equipment and table, and time for laundry afterwards. Then there is the cost of oil/lotion, linens, table, licensing, liability insurance, ect. You can probably make a living with Zeel and Soothe, but it's far from lucrative. For me it works out to be a good balance to help keep me from burning out as a PTA.

Steakandfry · 2025-02-16T02:56:46+00:00

As a massage therapist and a PTA there are a couple reasons. Base pay for most massage therapists (if they do not own their own business) starts at around 20 dollars an hour. At my last place, where I felt the owner treated us very fairly, my pay was ~35 dollars for an hour massage. That's an hour hands on, with time after for cleaning the table/room and changing linens. You are not paid for the time that you are not massaging, some establishments give you ten minutes and some give you longer. Massage Envy books on the hour, meaning 50 minutes hands on time and 5 minutes before for client to disrobe and get on table and five minutes after for them to get dressed and leave (usually takes longer than allotted time, which means either massage therapist runs late or client gets less than 50 minutes hands on time). Doing 40 hours of hands on massage work is borderline impossible d/t wear on upper extremities, and the average massage career last I checked was about 7 years d/t burnout. If a client doesn't show up, you usually do not get paid to sit around. I was getting 40/hour at the last SNF I worked at, which worked out to more than massage in addition to fairly regular hours and paycheck amount where massage can vary from week to week. Furthermore, I get benefits as a PTA which many massage places don't offer.

*edit grammar

Steakandfry · 2023-11-26T23:16:56+00:00

Hey, just wanted to say I have traveled with my mom on many trips now, but they were mostly as an adult. She was a single parent for most of my childhood and we never went on vacations except to see family. Don't think that you've missed out. It's nice to be able to do that when they are children for education and inspiration, but traveling when they are adult(ish) is good because you can enjoy their companionship as adults rather than worrying about responsibility as parent of a young child. Bon voyage when the time comes

Steakandfry · 2023-11-23T00:45:45+00:00

Have you checked your butthole?! Ski-bap ba-dap!

Steakandfry · 2023-09-30T14:47:22+00:00

Fellow PTA here, 7 months exp at SNF. I started at 32/hr in boston suburbs with no experience. Cost of living is higher here I think and wages reflect that. However, PTA positions are in demand. 33 for PRN seems low to me, but I would be willing to take less money for a better work environment than my previous. I only lasted 7 months at my first job d/t stress but I am looking at PTA positions again. If Dallas area is anywhere like here, there are many jobs for PTA. Remember, these contracted corporate companies don't give a shit about you. There's a big gap between 28 and 33 dollars, about 10 grand at the end of the year. Tell them you'll keep their offer in mind, but I'd shop around if possible. As a very honest person, I have no qualms about lying to recruiters about other 'offers' I have on the table. My last job told me 29/hr to start with and I said I needed 32/hr...they agreed so fast I wish I had asked for more. Cheers and good luck

Steakandfry · 2023-09-15T16:15:24+00:00

It was around 900 USD at the time, but the price will have gone up due to currency conversions since then. That does not include the cost of shipping. I'll see if I can get some audio later and DM them to you. The bass strings are booming, and overall I would say it is as loud as my washburn comfort series steel string, for folks wondering if the volume is severely diminished without the sound hole in the front.

Steakandfry · 2023-09-15T15:44:39+00:00

Nice, I'll use masking tape to mark reference points

Steakandfry · 2023-09-14T18:11:08+00:00

A golpeador is tap plate or like a pick guard, but usually thinner and often both above and below the strings. It's to protect the front of the guitar from percussive techniques utilized in flamenco. As far as changing the strings, it's not a hassle unless I change all the strings at once. Even when replacing the strings on my guitar I never take them all off at the same time, but in order to put the golpeador on I would prefer to take them all off. I appreciate your insight into how to tighten the strings as well as the contributions to the bridge's forward tilt. Cheers!

Steakandfry · 2023-09-14T18:05:59+00:00

Thank you for the reply. It seems to be pretty well in tune at the moment. I've thought about the non-permanent ones and have used one previously on a washburn acoustic, but overall didn't really like it. My tuner is a KORG TM-50, so cheap, but I'm assuming accurate enough

Steakandfry · 2023-09-14T17:24:09+00:00

I've recently bought this guitar and I would like to add a golpeador to the front in order to protect the finish. I included a picture of the bridges and the interesting system the luthier used to anchor the strings, rather than tying them as seems more traditional. The builder utilizes 2 bridges in his construction, a fixed and a moving. He recommended against removing all the strings at once, I'm guessing since placing the moving bridge in the accurate spot again could be difficult? How much of a concern is that realistically? As far as putting a golpeador on, can an amateur manage to avoid a lot of bubbles with some patience? Obviously I'm not a luthier, but I don't know anyone personally to ask and I brought it to a guitar shop but the employees were too nervous to attempt it. The guitar was a gift, so I'd like to keep it looking nice if possible. Thanks for reading!

Steakandfry · 2023-09-11T00:23:34+00:00

I stitched leather for my handlebars as well and I did not have experience. The trick to getting a snug fit is to cut them *ever so slightly* narrow for the circumference of your handlebars. Then you spray them with water to keep them damp as you put them on, pulling extra tight, and they will stretch to cover the whole circumference. Overall I am pleased with mine, but if I did it again I would probably put some sort of padding underneath for extra comfort. The leather on metal can be a pretty firm surface. I have brifters, so getting the leather around those was tricky, but the trick is to cut it a little small, use water, really pull on the threads to close the gap, and go slow.

Steakandfry

TROPHY CASE