Date of Award

1993

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Physical Therapy (MPT)

Department

Physical Therapy

First Advisor

Henry C. Wessman

Keywords

Job Description; Personnel Staffing and Scheduling

Abstract

The profession of physical therapy continues to experience staff shortages in several areas. As these shortages continue, employees and employers will seek to identify alternative work schedules to attempt to meet this demand. Job sharing is one type of alternative where two people share the duties and responsibilities of one full-time position.

The purpose of this study was to 1) determine the prevalence of job sharing in physical therapy departments in acute care hospitals and rehab facilities, 2) review the types of schedules utilized by job sharing partners, 3) identify the job title of the shared position, and 4) discuss the perceived advantages/disadvantages to the employee/employer.

The sample consisted of 85 randomly selected physical therapy departments in a six-state region. A survey was sent to the director of physical therapy in each facility identified in the sample.

Results indicated that job sharing occurred in 23 of the 61 facilities returning the survey (38%) with staff therapist the most common position held by job sharing partners. The average number of FTEs (full-time equivalent) allotted for job sharing positions was 1.5, and the most frequently utilized schedule was 3 days on/2 days off, alternating weeks. Several advantages/disadvantages to the employee/employer are identified.

The results of this survey may be beneficial to employees and employers who may be considering job sharing in their facility. It also may offer new ideas to those who currently have this type of arrangement.

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