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CAREERS AT DPT
You spent years earning your doctorate. You deserve to practice in a place where clinicians lead, from the exam room all the way to the CEO's chair. This is that place.
Sound Familiar?
Most PT organizations have business people above the clinicians. That means your treatment decisions get second-guessed by administrators. Your schedule gets set by someone who has never held a goniometer. And your ceiling gets determined by a business degree you don't have, and shouldn't need.
It's frustrating. It's wrong. And it's not how DPT operates.
Business decisions override clinical judgment at every turn, and there's no one in leadership who gets it.
You're a great clinician, but the ceiling is a business degree you don't have. Leadership goes to whoever manages the spreadsheet, not the patients.
Churn patients. See more. Document faster. The culture doesn't match the standards you hold yourself to, and you feel it every single day.
The Guide
He started at 14, not as a patient, but as the grunt in the corner folding towels. An injury brought him to PT. Two mentors put their arms around him and gave him a shot. By 16, he was scouting clinic locations. By 21, he'd helped build five or six practices before ever setting foot in PT school.
He earned his Doctorate from USC, the top-ranked PT program in the country at the time. After one year at Edward Hospital in Naperville, he knew he could build something better. On August 4, 2005, he opened the first Doctors of Physical Therapy clinic in Lyle, Illinois. Alone. After mortgaging his wife's wedding ring and their Toyota Camry to make it happen.
Twenty years later, he's still here. Still treating patients. Still showing up in the trenches. DPT is the largest founder-led physical therapy company in the country, and every single operational role, from CEO to clinic director, is held by a licensed PT.
In Aaron's Words
"Any operational role in the whole entire company has a clinician in it. From the CEO all the way down to the clinic director level. There is no one but a clinician. There's no business people in the middle."
Aaron Kraai, PT, DPT · Founder & CEO
The Headline
From Folding Towels to CEO
Aaron has done every job in this company, and still shows up in the trenches to prove it
Founded
August 4, 2005
Lisle, Illinois: one clinic, one therapist, one very clear conviction
What We Stand For
"Highest quality people providing the most evidence-based medicine
that produces the best outcomes and creates the best value.
Transparent, honest, and ethical. That's what it is."
Aaron Kraai, PT, DPT · Founder & CEO
Every director, every executive, every operational role, held by a licensed PT. No business people above you making clinical decisions. That rule hasn't bent in 20 years.
We don't chase trends. Every treatment decision is grounded in current research. The standard is simple: do what's best for the patient. The outcomes prove it.
Trust is earned, not assumed. We're honest about cost, coverage, and your plan before we start. No surprises. No pressure. No shortcuts.
What You Get
DPT was built by a clinician who wanted to practice the right way. Those same standards apply to how we treat the people who work here.
Clinician-led Culture, Top to Bottom
Every person above you holds a PT license. No business people making clinical calls.
Mentorship from Day One
Paired with an experienced clinician from the start. Average tenure across DPT: 12+ years. You walk into a wealth of knowledge.
Your Own University, FREE
We're credentialed to run CEUs. In-house specialists teach free courses. MedBridge is included. Plus $1,000–$1,500 annual CE stipend, with flexibility when you need more.
A Path Built Around You
Stay clinical and master your craft. Or grow into clinic director, area manager, VP. We build roles around the right people.
140+ Locations to Travel Without the Travel Company
Work in Arizona in January. Come back to the Midwest in June. No agency. No starting over.
Direct Access to the People Who Built This
No layers of management between you and leadership. The people making decisions have been in the treatment room.
How to Join
No runaround. No recruiter scripts. You'll talk to a clinician-leader from the start.
By The Numbers
Most PT companies are owned by private equity groups or hospital systems. DPT is owned and operated by the person who built it, a licensed physical therapist who has held every job in this company, from folding towels to the boardroom.
That matters to patients. It matters to the clinicians who work here. And it means every decision made at DPT is made by someone who understands what happens inside the treatment room.
Students / New Graduates
Over 100 university partnerships. Clinical rotations that turn into job offers. A structured buddy system so you're never figuring it out alone. And a company where the average clinician has been here for over a decade, which means you're walking into 12 years of mentorship from day one.
If you're finishing your DPT and looking for the right first home. This is worth a conversation.
We are actively hiring licensed physical therapists across 10
states. If you want to work in a place that respects your
training, trusts your judgment, and
gives you room to lead. This is your next call.
