Most PT practices will tell you they invest in their people, but few tell you in plain language what that means in practice. At Highbar, we think the difference between a nice mission statement and a real commitment comes down to exactly that: what that real commitment actually looks like and how our staff can feel that commitment impact their day to day.
So, let’s talk about what “investing in a clinician” actually looks like at Highbar, dollar by dollar.
- Loan helpdirect contributions toward your student loan balance
- H-Sharesreal equity in the company for eligible employees
- $15k+professional development budget in your first 18 months
Grad School Student Loans Got You Down?
Paying down student debt, not just talking about it
Many PT students graduate with six figures of debt attached to a career that, historically, unfortunately hasn’t paid like other doctoral professions. We think that gap deserves more than sympathy. Our student loan assistance program puts direct contributions toward a clinician’s loan balance. Real money, moving the principal down, not a one-time bonus that disappears into the minutiae of daily living.
It’s a program that is built to work alongside the rest of your compensation, not instead of it. A sign-on bonus gets you in the door. Ongoing loan contributions impact the next five or ten years, not just the first month.
How Does Highbar Support Mutual Investment in Success and Growth?
Ownership, not just employment: H-Shares
We are proud to have created an opportunity for our team that is rare in this industry at any level, let alone for staff clinicians: Highbar offers eligible employees what we call “H-Shares,” actual equity in the company.
Most clinicians have never been offered ownership in the place they work. Equity is usually reserved for founders, executives, investors… not the PT actually treating patients on the floor. We built H-Shares because we believe the people doing the clinical work that makes Highbar what it is should have a real stake in the growth of the company that goes beyond a standard paycheck.
We’re confident in putting our money behind our hard-working clinicians and communicating that we believe there is an opportunity to share in what we build together.
How Does Highbar Support Professional Development?
Meaningful funding and access to programs that start on day one
Investment isn’t only financial in the loan-and-equity sense. It’s also what a company is willing to fund toward your growth as a clinician. At Highbar, new hires get a $15,000+ funded development budget in their first 18 months, uncapped after that. That covers:
- Continuing education and certifications
- Courses tied to our five specialty interest groups
- For clinicians who want it, a path into our in-house orthopedic residency, which has a 100% board-certification pass rate
At Highbar, we believe all clinicians should be able to practice at the top of the license they hold (#PATTOTL!)… and we back that claim in a real and meaningful way.
None of that comes out of your own pocket, and none of it requires you to already be senior to access it.
Why Do We Approach It This Way?
Individually, each of the things covered here is a meaningful benefit. Together, they’re meant to say something bigger: that a clinician’s career at Highbar isn’t just a position to be filled, but rather something we’re invested in. Financially, not just in spirit.
- A caseload that allows you time and space to be thoughtful in your approach
- A mentor and structured guidance in your first year
- A development budget meant to support your passions and career growth on day one
- Direct contributions toward the debt you took on to get here
- For those who stay and grow with us, real ownership in the company itself
It’s all part of the Highbar culture of support and community and how we ensure our clinicians are able to thrive in their career.
If that’s the kind of investment you’ve been looking for in an employer, we’d love to talk.
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