Welcome To Your New Career
Starting your career as a Physiotherapist is an exciting time, even during a global pandemic. The NBPA would like to congratulate you. You have worked hard over the last 6+ years and the finish line is in sight. We commend you persevering during this unprecedented time. We recognize that you didn’t finish your degree in the way you imagined you would and can appreciate the challenges and stress you have felt, and continue to feel, as you prepare for your PCE and new career as a Physiotherapist. Although things currently look different for our profession, we know you will enjoy your new career. We wish you the best on your future endeavours and hope that if you chose to practice in NB that you consider becoming a member of the NBPA/CPA. We are stronger together.
What Questions Do I Ask?
Please see below for information that current practicing Physiotherapists felt is important to be aware of and to discuss with potential employers prior to accepting a job. We strongly feel that it is important to work in a setting that aligns with your values both as an individual and as a clinician, and we encourage you to ask the questions necessary to determine if a job will be a good fit for you
Salary
- Is your employment conditional on successfully passing the PCE?
- Will you be paid via salary or a fee for service?
- If salary/hourly based
- What does the pay structure look like for a new graduate and as years of service are accumulated? Is it true salary with a set number of scheduled hours with vacation/sick/statutory holidays included? Is it hourly with percentage vacation pay top up and statutory holidays? What is the salary
schedule based on- hours per day, within what hours-evenings/weekends? - How much time can be allocated for things such as writing reports, filling out billable forms within that workweek?
- What does the pay structure look like for a new graduate and as years of service are accumulated? Is it true salary with a set number of scheduled hours with vacation/sick/statutory holidays included? Is it hourly with percentage vacation pay top up and statutory holidays? What is the salary
- If fee for service/commission based
- Is it percentage based or flat rate?
- What are the options for advancement / raises?
- Will you be paid for WS reports, MVA reports, billable forms? If so, what percentage of the fee, or paid for time to complete?
- Will you be paid for snow days, cancellations, no shows?
- What happens if your caseload is slow?
- Employee vs. independent contractor
- If considering working as an independent contractor, we recommend seeking out mentorship from a physiotherapist who is an independent contractor and/or a lawyer or accountant for further details.
- Remember that as an employee your employer is remitting your EI, CPP and income tax for you, whereas an independent contractor you would be responsible to inquire what your remitting process is.
Benefits
- Vacation and other types of leave should meet the minimum standards established by the Employment Standards Act (New Brunswick)
- Paid time off vs percentage top up per paycheck
- Holiday Pay: Will you employer pay you for statutory holidays? Does your employer work through non-statutory holidays or close the clinic and pay you holiday pay? Are there times the clinic closes but you must take unpaid leave?
- Health, disability, life, AD&D insurance
- Does your employer cover any part of these?
- Education
- Does your employer provide any funding for continued education? How much?
- Will you need to take vacation days or unpaid leave to attend courses?
- Does your employer require certain courses or certifications (i.e. first aid), will they cover the costs if required?
- Is there any situation where you would have to pay back your educational allowance?
- CPA/ CPTNB fees
- Does your employer provide any funding towards association or registration fees?
- Are you aware that CPA has a discount for student and new graduate membership?
Mentorship
- Does your employer offer any form of mentorship? Paid vs. unpaid
- Will you ever be expected to work by yourself without support staff?
- Does your employer have a mentorship plan in place for those who have passed the written PCE but have yet to complete the practical PCE? Will they be willing to extend this mentorship as the PCE dates are unusual due to COVID-19? Will your employer be willing to continue mentorship/supervision if you are
unsuccessful with the practical PCE?
COVID-19
- What is the COVID-19 operational plan?
- Will they provide PPE, or will you be expected to cover that?
- In the event you suspect you or a family member has COVID-19 and need to self isolate / be tested will you have paid sick time, or will it be unpaid time off?
- What is the clinic cancellation policy for patient’s who are sick? Will you be compensated?
Miscellaneous
- It is important to obtain advice of a financial advisor to discuss things such as health insurance, personal disability insurance, critical injury insurance, life insurance, AD&D, saving for retirement, and tax planning. Especially important if your employer does not cover any of these.
- Does the clinic have a non-compete clause? For how long?
- What are the expectations of your employer on how many patients you treat per day? How long will you have for initial assessments and follow up treatment sessions?
- What is the average time that it took for a clinician to build a part- or full-time caseload?
- What is the relationship the clinic has with doctors, nurses and other health care professionals? How did they develop these relationships, and will they help you do the same?
- Will you be required to see WorkSafeNB clients? Will you have mentorship on how to navigate WS reports, forms, communication with case managers?
- Will you be required to see clients who have been involved in MVAs? Will you
have mentorship on how to navigate reports, forms, communication with claim managers? - Charting format? Electronic vs. paper. Does your employer store records as required by CPTNB or are you responsible?
- If working in a public setting, will you be required to rotate floors and/or services?
Helpful Links
NBPA Website: nbphysioassociation.net
NBPA Facebook: The New Brunswick Physiotherapy Association
NBPA Instagram / twitter: @NBPhysioAssoc
CPTNB website: cptnb.ca
CPA website: physiotherapy.caIf you have any questions or concerns please reach out to us at atlanticphysiobranches@bellaliant.net we will do our best to assist you in any way we can.
Kind Regards,
Ashley Grant – MacDonald, NBPA President