Physical Therapist II - Spine Clinical Specialist

UNC Health • Chapel Hill, NC

4d • Onsite

About The Position

UNC Hospitals Rehabilitation Services is seeking an experienced, clinically skilled Physical Therapist II to join UNC Therapy Services – Spine Center at the UNC Hospitals Imaging and Spine Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This full-time, onsite position provides advanced, evidence-based rehabilitation for patients with acute, recurrent, and persistent cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and lumbopelvic conditions. The caseload includes spine-related pain, referred or radicular symptoms, movement and mobility impairments, cervicogenic headaches, spinal stenosis with neurogenic claudication, complex degenerative or traumatic conditions, and rehabilitation following spinal procedures such as fusion, discectomy, decompression, and laminectomy.

Care is individualized to each patient's presentation, postoperative precautions, functional goals, and stage of recovery. Treatment emphasizes restoring mobility, strength, functional capacity, and confidence in movement, and supporting patients' return to work, daily activities, exercise, recreation, and other meaningful pursuits. The team uses comprehensive assessment, differential screening, clinical reasoning, and active, evidence-informed rehabilitation. Interventions may include therapeutic exercise, graded activity, movement and motor-control training, manual therapy when indicated, patient education, and long-term self-management strategies. The clinic values individualized application of specialized approaches, including MDT/McKenzie principles and directional-preference strategies when appropriate.

The clinic primarily provides personalized, one-on-one care, with evaluations and treatments generally scheduled for 45 minutes; appointment durations and templates may vary according to patient needs and operational requirements. The position works within a specialty spine center and offers opportunities to collaborate with spine surgeons, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, pain management clinicians, advanced practice providers, and rehabilitation colleagues. The PT II serves as an advanced clinical resource, helps manage complex cases, supports mentorship and education, and may contribute to quality improvement, interdisciplinary initiatives, and specialty program development.

The schedule is full-time at 1.0 FTE and 40 hours per week. It is a day shift, generally Monday through Friday, with scheduling availability and flexibility for shifts within approximately 7:30 AM–5:15 PM. Start and end times are established based on the selected candidate’s availability, clinic coverage needs, and operational requirements. The position is onsite at UNC Therapy Services – Spine Center, UNC Hospitals Imaging and Spine Center, 1350 Raleigh Road, 2nd Floor, Chapel Hill, NC 27517.

This is a State position employed by UNC Health Care System. The listed hiring salary range is $38.55–$55.43 per hour; pay offers are determined by experience and internal equity. Eligible full-time teammates may access benefits subject to applicable plans and eligibility requirements.

Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited Physical Therapy program.
• Licensed as a Physical Therapist in North Carolina.
• BLS certification.
• Five years of experience as a licensed Physical Therapist, including one year in the specialty field.
• Advanced clinical reasoning and physical therapy examination skills for spine-related musculoskeletal, neurologic, and complex pain presentations.
• Ability to develop and progress evidence-based, individualized treatment plans and safely manage patients following spinal procedures.
• Effective communication, patient education, interdisciplinary collaboration, documentation, organization, and caseload-management skills.
• Capacity to provide clinical consultation, support mentorship and learner education, and contribute to team-based quality improvement and specialty service development.
• Ability to recognize indications for additional medical consultation or referral and uphold clinical safety and patient-centered care.
• Ability to perform physical responsibilities associated with physical therapy evaluation and treatment, with reasonable accommodations as applicable.

Nice To Haves

• Outpatient orthopedic and spine rehabilitation experience, including care of complex nonoperative and postoperative spine conditions, is strongly preferred.
• Advanced orthopedic, spine, or manual therapy certifications are valued but not required.
• Experience or familiarity with MDT/McKenzie principles and advanced manual therapy is valued.

Responsibilities

• Provide physical therapy examination, consultation, skilled treatment, and patient and caregiver instruction for complex spine and related neuromusculoskeletal conditions.
• Integrate clinical findings, patient preferences, and functional goals into individualized plans of care.
• Perform and interpret musculoskeletal and neurologic examinations, functional measures, movement assessments, and specialty tests; evaluate symptoms and functional limitations, identify red flags, and recognize indications for referral or medical evaluation.
• Reassess treatment response and modify plans of care as appropriate.
• Select and provide evidence-based interventions, including therapeutic exercise, graded strengthening and conditioning, motor-control and movement retraining, manual therapy or mobilization when appropriate, symptom modulation, and self-management strategies.
• Incorporate MDT principles and directional-preference strategies when clinically indicated and consistent with training and competencies.
• Provide postoperative spine rehabilitation in coordination with referring teams, accounting for procedure-specific precautions, tissue healing, neurologic status, functional progression, and return-to-activity goals.
• Manage persistent pain and complex functional limitations using individualized, biopsychosocially informed active rehabilitation and appropriate interdisciplinary communication.
• Educate patients about symptom management, movement confidence, activity modification, exercise, ergonomic considerations, and long-term functional independence.
• Use patient-reported and performance-based measures to guide progression and evaluate outcomes, supporting shared decision-making and realistic goals.
• Maintain timely and accurate clinical records, charges, and required metrics in accordance with departmental, payer, and regulatory standards.
• Manage a specialty caseload efficiently while meeting applicable productivity expectations and supporting access, safety, clinical quality, and continuity of care.
• Serve as a clinical resource for less experienced clinicians and rehabilitation personnel on complex spine cases.
• Participate in staff orientation, clinical teaching, competency development, and mentorship of students, residents, or fellows as assigned.
• Contribute specialty knowledge through case discussions, in-services, and evidence-based professional education.
• Communicate with spine surgeons, physiatrists, pain management teams, advanced practice providers, and rehabilitation clinicians to coordinate care, clarify precautions, support referrals, and promote consistent treatment plans and outcomes.
• Contribute to the development, implementation, and evaluation of spine protocols, specialty services, evidence-based practice initiatives, access improvements, and quality improvement efforts.
• Participate in clinical research, educational outreach, departmental initiatives, and professional activities as appropriate.
• Demonstrate advanced professional judgment, accountability, collaboration, and leadership in daily practice and support patient-centered care and the growth of rehabilitation services and colleagues.

Benefits

• Eligible full-time teammates have access to medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement options, wellness resources, and other UNC Health employee benefits, subject to applicable plans and eligibility requirements.
• Continuing education, educational assistance, specialty certification and fellowship pathways, clinical instruction, program development, and advancement opportunities may be available, subject to program availability, eligibility, and organizational policies.
• Eligible employees who currently participate in TSERS or the ORP through another North Carolina agency may continue participating in those plans at UNC Health.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior