Acute Care Physical Therapist Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Tennessee
Acute care physical therapist visa sponsorship jobs in Tennessee are concentrated at major hospital systems including Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Regional One Health in Memphis, and Ballad Health across the Tri-Cities region. The state's growing trauma and post-surgical caseloads, combined with consistent PT shortages in rural and mid-size markets, drive steady employer sponsorship activity statewide.
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Get Access To All JobsDiscover 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:
VCH 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.
.
Job Title: Physical Therapist (PT) – Acute Care & Inpatient Rehab
Organization: Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital
Location: Clarksville, TN
Schedule: PRN (Flexible, As Needed)
Job Summary
Physical Therapists at Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital provide inpatient rehabilitation services within an acute care hospital setting. This role supports adult inpatients across multiple units, contributing to interdisciplinary care focused on recovery, safety, and discharge planning.
Position Overview
Physical Therapists support adult patients across Inpatient Rehabilitation, Medical-Surgical units, Telemetry, Progressive Care, and the Intensive Care Unit, including post-operative orthopedic and general surgical populations. The role emphasizes early mobility, strength, balance, gait training, and functional recovery while collaborating with the interdisciplinary care team to support safe and timely discharge planning.
Key Responsibilities
Evaluate and treat patients according to physician orders and established plans of care
Collaborate with physicians, nursing, therapy colleagues, and care management teams
Document evaluations, progress notes, and discharge recommendations per hospital standards
Support safe discharge planning and transitions of care
Qualifications
Graduate of an accredited Physical Therapy program
Current Tennessee licensure or eligibility
Prior acute care or hospital-based experience preferred
About Vanderbilt Health
Vanderbilt Health is a leader in patient- and family-centered care, combining excellence in clinical care, research, and education. Through its regional hospitals, Vanderbilt Health delivers high-quality care close to home while maintaining strong connections to academic medicine.
Apply Today
Join Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital and be part of a collaborative, patient-focused care team.
Vanderbilt Health. Personalized care. Close to home.
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.
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.
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:
VCH 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.
.
Job Title: Physical Therapist (PT) – Acute Care & Inpatient Rehab
Organization: Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital
Location: Clarksville, TN
Schedule: PRN (Flexible, As Needed)
Job Summary
Physical Therapists at Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital provide inpatient rehabilitation services within an acute care hospital setting. This role supports adult inpatients across multiple units, contributing to interdisciplinary care focused on recovery, safety, and discharge planning.
Position Overview
Physical Therapists support adult patients across Inpatient Rehabilitation, Medical-Surgical units, Telemetry, Progressive Care, and the Intensive Care Unit, including post-operative orthopedic and general surgical populations. The role emphasizes early mobility, strength, balance, gait training, and functional recovery while collaborating with the interdisciplinary care team to support safe and timely discharge planning.
Key Responsibilities
Evaluate and treat patients according to physician orders and established plans of care
Collaborate with physicians, nursing, therapy colleagues, and care management teams
Document evaluations, progress notes, and discharge recommendations per hospital standards
Support safe discharge planning and transitions of care
Qualifications
Graduate of an accredited Physical Therapy program
Current Tennessee licensure or eligibility
Prior acute care or hospital-based experience preferred
About Vanderbilt Health
Vanderbilt Health is a leader in patient- and family-centered care, combining excellence in clinical care, research, and education. Through its regional hospitals, Vanderbilt Health delivers high-quality care close to home while maintaining strong connections to academic medicine.
Apply Today
Join Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital and be part of a collaborative, patient-focused care team.
Vanderbilt Health. Personalized care. Close to home.
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.
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.
Acute Care Physical Therapist Job Roles in Tennessee
See all 455+ Acute Care Physical Therapist Jobs in Tennessee
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Search Acute Care Physical Therapist Jobs in TennesseeAcute Care Physical Therapist Jobs in Tennessee: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for acute care physical therapists in Tennessee?
The largest sponsors for acute care physical therapists in Tennessee include Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Tennessee Oncology, Regional One Health, Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga, and Ballad Health serving the Tri-Cities area. Large hospital systems and academic medical centers account for most sponsorship activity because they have established HR and legal infrastructure to manage H-1B visa petitions and PERM labor certification processes.
What visa types realistically apply to acute care physical therapist roles in Tennessee?
Acute care physical therapy qualifies as a specialty occupation, making the H-1B the primary option for most international candidates. Canadian and Mexican citizens can pursue TN visa status under the USMCA Physical Therapist classification, which requires no lottery and allows entry at the port of entry with proper documentation. F-1 OPT and STEM OPT are available for recent graduates during their authorized training period. EB-2 and EB-3 green cards are common long-term pathways for sponsored PTs at larger Tennessee health systems.
Which cities in Tennessee have the most acute care physical therapist sponsorship jobs?
Nashville leads Tennessee for acute care PT sponsorship, anchored by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, HCA Healthcare's flagship facilities, and Saint Thomas Health. Memphis is the second-largest market, with Regional One Health and Baptist Memorial Health Care operating Level I trauma centers that require inpatient PT coverage. Chattanooga and Knoxville also show consistent sponsorship activity through Erlanger and University of Tennessee Medical Center respectively.
How to find acute care physical therapist visa sponsorship jobs in Tennessee?
Migrate Mate lists acute care physical therapist roles in Tennessee filtered to employers with verified visa sponsorship history, so you can focus on facilities already familiar with the sponsorship process rather than applying broadly. Tennessee's hospital market is concentrated among a handful of large health systems, so searching by city, Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, on Migrate Mate helps identify which campuses are actively hiring and sponsoring internationally trained PTs.
Are there state-specific factors that affect acute care PT sponsorship in Tennessee?
Tennessee does not require state-specific licensure beyond the standard Physical Therapist license issued by the Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy, which requires passing the NPTE. Foreign-trained PTs must have their credentials evaluated through an approved credentialing agency before applying. Tennessee's large rural health shortage areas, including parts of Appalachia and West Tennessee, can support J-1 visa Conrad 30 waiver opportunities for PTs willing to commit to underserved community placements in exchange for waiving the two-year home residency requirement.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored acute care physical therapist jobs in Tennessee?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.