Culture is the New Sign-On Bonus

(aka "Show Me the Money - But First Show Me the Humans")

Quick take: Last week, this study: Final-Year Doctor of Physical Therapy Student Preferences for Employment and Postprofessional Education: An Exploratory Survey Study was published in Journal of Physical Therapy Education by Adriaan Louw, Emilio Puentedura, Colleen Louw, Kristin Smith, me, and Michael Walker. While the results are not earth-shattering, it is an ongoing reminder to employers who continue to try to attract PTs and healthcare providers generally using overly objective benefit attractors and sign-on bonuses vs. spending intentional time to create an environment where PTs can thrive, are valued, and want to make a difference. It’s benefits vs. culture and understanding basic table stakes vs. what is a destination employer.

1. What the New Grads Just Told Us 📣

A survey of 219 final‑year DPT students shows that while salary still tops the wish‑list (46 % rank base pay #1), a stout 35 % crown “company culture” as the single biggest factor in choosing their first job — beating PTO, flexible hours, and every other shiny perk you can cram into an Indeed ad.

Seasoned clinicians back them up. WebPT’s 2024 State of Rehab Therapy says most departures trace back to values drift and burnout, not the latest Medicare paper‑cut. APTA’s 2024 hiring‑challenge report lands on the same runway: clinics that can’t articulate (and live) a healthy culture stay in perpetual recruitment purgatory.

Translation: Money talks, but culture seals the deal.

2. So…What Is “Company Culture,” Anyway?

Culture = “How we do things and how we treat people while doing them.”

It’s the invisible operating system that decides how your clinic makes decisions, handles mistakes, and treats each other when the EMR crashes at 4:58 p.m. Buggy OS → staff start rage‑updating résumés. Clean, clinician‑centric OS → people happily install patches (hello, Medicare cuts) because the system has their back.

3. Evidence That Culture > Cash 🔍

4. What Great PT‑Practice Culture Looks Like

5. Culture Killers: Four Fast Tracks to Torch Morale 🔥

Of Note: A $10k sign-on can’t outshine Big-Brother dashboards, robo-schedulers, or scoreboard shaming. Flip these to trust, autonomy, patient-centered metrics, and professional respect and watch retention stats climb faster than a fiber optic upgrade.

6. Practical U‑Turns for Owners & Managers

· Audit your vibe weekly via anonymous pulse surveys (skip the yearly scare‑poll).

· Hire for values fit, train for skills — toxic attitude is the new ransomware.

· Budget CE like rent: mentorship‑rich CE is preventive medicine for turnover.

· Recognition > pizza parties: “Great catch on that red‑flag neuro screen” is free, fast, and retention‑grade.

· Tell salary the truth: be competitive, be transparent, but don’t hide cultural rot behind glitter bonuses.

7. Final Rep

In 2025, PTs are basically walking culture‑ometers. Pay still matters (duh), but lovable culture is the true magnet — and unlike raises, it compounds. Build it, tend it, and your recruiting budget can switch from “panic” to “maintenance.”

larry

@physicaltherapy

Source List

• Final-Year Doctor of Physical Therapy Student Preferences for Employment Factors — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40493437/

• The State of Rehab Therapy Report 2024 (WebPT) — https://www.webpt.com/downloads/the-state-of-rehab-therapy-in-2024

• APTA Benchmark Report: Hiring Challenges in Outpatient Physical Therapy Practices, 2024 — https://ppsapta.org/sites/pps/files/pdfs/APTA-PPS%20Vacancy%20Report%202024.pdf

• Employee Retention Depends on Getting Recognition Right (Gallup) — https://www.gallup.com/workplace/650174/employee-retention-depends-getting-recognition-right.aspx

• Physical Therapy Workforce Data (APTA resource hub) — https://www.apta.org/your-career/careers-in-physical-therapy/workforce-data

• Study: Nearly 50 % of PTs Surveyed Say They’re Experiencing Burnout (APTA news) — https://www.apta.org/article/2023/11/15/burnout-survey