Last Updated Oct 2013
So the time has come… you’ve been in therapy school for what seems like an eternity, you’ve completed your field work, taken your boards, and now are ready to hit the ground running and find a job! Traveling is something that you have thought of but have been told by your professors that as a new therapist it is a bad choice because you won’t have any support.
I’d like to shed some light on this topic and give you the pros and cons of traveling as a new therapist because it is not the right choice for everyone and it is good to know what to expect.
- Support staff on your assignment. As a new traveler you will have support within the facility that you are working. Many people including your professors think that you will be the only therapist and you will be hung out to dry to fend for yourself. The truth is there is no benefit to anyone by doing this. If you are not supported you won’t be productive, which means that all sides fail.
- Ability to pick the locations that you want. Your travel recruitment agency will work with you to get you to the location that you want to go. Many times we have travelers that come to us as recent graduates and they are looking for an area that is very competitive. While we work to satisfy our employee’s wants, certain areas of the country are far more competitive than others.
A new graduate looking for a first travel job in Metro Boston or NYC would be very difficult. You would be competing for positions with therapists that are very tenured. An experienced recruiter will help you realize that the competition is just too strong in one particular area and that finding a travel job as a new graduate there is a long shot. Getting an assignment or two underneath your belt will greatly increase your marketability as you continue your traveling therapy career.
- Ability to pick the settings you want. One of the greatest things about travel therapy is that it will allow you to work in different settings as a therapist which ultimately will benefit you and help round out your skill set. We work with therapists that specialize and focus on particular settings and we also work with therapists that work in all settings. The more open you are and the more experience you in have in different therapy settings the more options you will have as far as locations.
The myth that many travel jobs are just skilled nursing facilities does not hold true. While there are many positions within the skilled nursing arena there are also many hospital, home health, outpatient, LTAC, and school based travel openings. Also, sometimes one facility may have many different types of settings under one roof.
There are great things out there for a new therapist who considers traveling. The opportunity to see the country, earn a great living, and really advance your career and gain some great experience are just a few of them.
About the Author: Craig Matijow, Recruitment Manager for Cirrus’s Rehab Therapy division started with Cirrus in September of 2006 and has 7 years of overall medical staffing experience. Prior to joining Cirrus Craig specialized in home health RN recruitment and pharmacy placement.
To learn more about travel therapy and travel therapy job opportunities, please visit Cirrus Medical Staffing.