By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

Traveling physical therapists, travel occupational therapists and traveling speech language pathologists are in demand by hospitals and patients with increasingly complex medical needs across the country. Continuing education is a certification requirement for most health care providers. Perusing CE course listings is also a savvy way of staying current with your industry while receiving training in skill areas that patients need the most.

Specific patient populations in need of targeted rehabilitation therapy include children (sports injuries, increasing rate of autism), baby boomers (complications related to cardiac disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, back problems, weekend warriors) and the elderly (multiple medical conditions, increasing number of hospice and home care patients, fall prevention).

Here are some hot topics in continuing education for each area of rehabilitation therapy to research and register for locally or online.

Physical Therapy
Sport Safety for Children
Fall Prevention for the Elderly
Interventions for Low Back Pain
Family Caregivers Doing Double Duty

Occupational Therapy
Dizziness in the Elderly
Improving Critical Thinking Ability (the OT)
Hospice Concerns for OTs
Cultural Factors in Pain Management

Speech Therapy
Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention
Understanding Asperger Syndrome
Treating Adults Who Stutter
Intro to Interactive Metronome

Travel rehab therapists especially do not have the option of lapsing into a comfort zone in terms of skills, current research and field knowledge. With each assignment there are new expectations and standards from clinical settings and supervisors. Staying current with continuing education, via required CE credits as well as additional research and learning, is a valuable asset for traveling therapists.

Sources: TodayinPT, TodayinOT, American Speech-Language Hearing Association

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

We continue to celebrate Occupational Therapy Month and honor occupational therapists and travel occupational therapists for their work in maximizing life’s daily potential for all types of patients. To accomplish this, occupational therapists address all aspects of the individual – physical, psychological, emotional and social. Therefore, OT services are particularly valuable to individuals being treated for addiction.

Creative but extremely effective therapeutic occupational therapy approaches such as art therapy are frequently used with patients in treatment for addiction. One of the goals of art therapy for these individuals is, through targeted arts and crafts and creative writing activities, to assist the occupational therapist in understanding some of the deeper motivations, psychology and history behind the addictive behaviors. A project by occupational therapy students in Scotland, also found success treating individuals experiencing addition by teaching them the skills needed to adapt and cope with daily life.

The path to, effects of and recovery from addiction is deeply personal and unique to each individual who experiences it. Occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals who choose to work in this area of rehabilitation are often personally motivated by the stories of recovering addicts or in some cases the stories of family members, friends or even their own personal success stories.

Are you an occupational therapist who wants to enjoy the excitement and challenges of a travel health career while specializing in addiction therapy? Visit our “apply now” page and speak with a recruiter about assignments in addiction medicine. Addiction is a steadily growing area of healthcare with a big demand for treatments that work. Occupational therapists and travel occupational therapists are needed more and more to meet this demand.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

Physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists who take advantage of stimulating travel therapy assignments to exciting destinations, also experience many opportunities to give back to the communities they visit. Rehab therapists regularly accept assignments working in all-sized communities from the most bustling cities to the most rural town settings. Travel therapists can act as an objective set of eyes and ears as well as an educational resource for the people of the community.

True to its name, World Autism Day, marked earlier this month on April 2nd raises worldwide awareness about the prevalence of Autism and its associated spectrum of disorders. Travel rehab therapists work with children who suffer from autism on a regular basis and therefore are in a unique position to raise awareness year round. There is a proven special need for raising autism awareness in smaller communities. Without the proper medical guidance and availability of public health information, the behavioral, speech and physical symptoms of autism are often misconstrued as a shy or misbehaving child. The travel therapist is in the valuable position to separate fact from myth and connect the child with the help they need to improve their prognosis and quality of life.

Every travel assignment taken on by a physical therapist, occupational therapist and speech therapist comes with its own distinctive set of challenges as well as caregiving opportunities. The power to educate members of a smaller town or community is the power to improve the lives of the residents in it.

Physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists who take advantage of stimulating travel therapy assignments to exciting destinations, also experience many opportunities to give back to the communities they visit. Rehab therapists regularly accept assignments working in all-sized communities from the most bustling cities to the most rural town settings. Travel therapists can act as an objective set of eyes and ears as well as an educational resource for the people of the community.

True to its name, World Autism Day, marked earlier this month on April 2nd raises worldwide awareness about the prevalence of Autism and its associated spectrum of disorders. Travel rehab therapists work with children who suffer from autism on a regular basis and therefore are in a unique position to raise awareness year round. There is a proven special need for raising autism awareness in smaller communities. Without the proper medical guidance and availability of public health information, the behavioral, speech and physical symptoms of autism are often misconstrued as a shy or misbehaving child. The travel therapist is in the valuable position to separate fact from myth and connect the child with the help they need to improve their prognosis and quality of life.

Every travel assignment taken on by a physical therapist, occupational therapist and speech therapist comes with its own distinctive set of challenges as well as caregiving opportunities. The power to educate members of a smaller town or community is the power to improve the lives of the residents in it.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

The American Occupational Therapy Association has designated April as Occupational Therapy month, so it seems only fitting to honor the occupational therapy assistants and the traveling occupational therapy assistants who are a big reason that occupational therapy works. In return, the occupational therapy assistant with aspirations to become a therapist is in a beneficial position to learn the profession from the ground up.

FAQ:

Q: How long do I have to go to school to become an occupational therapy assistant?
A: You can earn an Occupational Therapy Assistant Associated of Applied Science in a 2 year program found at community colleges and technical schools. Another option is earning a 1-year certificate from an accredited academic institution. Both programs have required, supervised work in the field and must pass a licensing exam prior to practicing.

Q: What is the basic job description?
A: You will work with developmentally and physically challenged patients under the supervision of the OT, on exercises such as muscle strengthening, work and societal skills and chart patient progress.

Q: Where will I work?
A: OT assistant opportunities are pretty evenly divided between hospital, OT office, residential care and other settings such as the workplace and long term care facilities.

Q: How much can I expect to make?
A: The current average salary for an OT assistant is $51,000.

Q: What are the career opportunities like?
A: Excellent! Better than in most other fields, actually. Employment opportunities are projected to increase by a whopping 25 percent by 2016.

If this sounds like the career opportunity you’ve been looking for, start calling your local schools or research programs online. Add a love of seeing the country and gaining experience in a variety of clinical settings, and perhaps a career as a traveling occupational therapy assistant is what you’ve been searching for. The sky’s the limit!

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

The demand for traveling rehabilitation therapists – in physical, occupational and speech therapy – has not been even remotely hampered by these challenging economic times. Travel professionals in these fields have more career choices than ever. Healthcare providers in these vital and rewarding fields have earned opportunities through extensive education, dedication to their patients and a commitment to gaining continuous experience rehabilitation patients and improving their quality of life. Therefore, rehabilitation therapists might enjoy considering passing along some of their knowledge and passion for their profession, to the next generation.

Whether they choose to personally mentor a physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology assistant or student in training or participate in a high school career day, acting as a professional role model for aspiring therapists can be a mutually rewarding endeavor. For the traveling rehabilitation therapist, mentoring can be an excellent way to pass the time between assignments while investing in the physical, occupational or speech therapy profession and giving back.

Volunteer Ideas:

• Contact your local school system and get their schedule of upcoming career day events; volunteer to participate!

• Contact the Career Services department of local colleges and universities and do the same. I can attest from personal experience that folks at Career services love to involve professionals from the community in fun career oriented student outreach events!

• Look up any local job skill training and development programs and do the same

• Contact any physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy schools in your area and volunteer your services as an in class guest speaker (as needed of course)

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

Physical and occupational therapy in the workplace can prevent further physical pain and trauma for employees and legal headaches for employers. Occupational rehab therapists play a valuable role in teaching healthy, uninjured employees how to stay that way, promote workplace ergonomics, and conduct OSHA training among their many other teaching, training and therapeutic tasks. They also screen at-risk employees for high blood pressure and other potentially dangerous and medically liable conditions while assisting injured patients return to work.

In order to perform these vital functions in the workplace, occupational and physical therapists must have the traditional Master’s degree from an accredited program required for work as an OT or PT, as well as having passed the national licensure exam. The rehab therapist working in occupational health may also be required to obtain continuing education in workplace specific areas such as ergonomics and OSHA, depending on the employer or agency.

Or, in the case of one Ohio man the certification list could include “none of the above.” Earlier this year, Michael Stinson, accused of performing physical therapy on occupational health clients without a license, was convicted and sentenced to 37 months in federal prison. His sentence also included repaying over 2 million dollars to the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation and the IRS.

Fortunately for legitimate rehabilitation therapists and travel therapists working in physical and occupational therapy, there is plenty of legal money to be earned in an occupational health career or travel assignment in this area. Worker’s compensation claims and in the worst cases, lawsuits, can be traumatic for both employer and employee alike. Occupational and physical therapists have the expertise, skills and special gift for employee training, that can help employer’s meet the universal goal of reducing illness and injury in the workplace.

Traveling physical therapists and traveling occupational therapists with a special passion for teaching and safety training should mention their interest in a workplace occupational health assignment to their travel agency recruiter.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

If you love being a rehab therapist, whether in physical or occupational therapy or speech language pathology, but working in a hospital or other traditional clinical setting is not for you, consider the more intimate atmosphere of a career or a travel therapy career in home health. There are a variety of reasons for the growing number of patients requiring rehabilitation therapy at home, from the aging population of America and their complex medical needs to insurance limitations on inpatient and therefore in-house therapy time.

Home health rehabilitation therapy assignments may include helping the stroke patient restore function and ability, providing range of motion and flexibility exercises for hospice or bed bound patients or speech therapy for children with disabilities such as Autism.  Working with patients in the familiarity and comfort of their own home may also increase patient compliance with the treatment objectives. Another perk is ensuring that at the very least, your patient will show up for treatment.

Fast Facts*:

• Average Home Health Physical Therapist Salary: $54,000
• Average Home Health Occupational Therapist Salary: $53,000
• Average Home Health Speech Language Pathologist salary: $59,000

A travel physical therapist, travel  occupational therapist or travel speech language pathologist working in home health will see several patients in the course of their 6-8 hour work day. With an expanding population of patients requiring home health rehabilitation services, there is a growing demand for rehabilitation therapists, including those in travel careers. Recruiters are accepting applications from both new and experienced physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists who prefer working with patients in the privacy and comfort of their own home. If this is you, be sure and visit our “apply now” page and get matched with a travel agency that best fits your needs.

*Simplyhired.com; salaries vary based on therapist experience and location of assignment.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

While it’s true that the majority of career opportunities for occupational therapists and travel occupational therapists lie in hospital settings, there are also a variety of opportunities in community based rehab therapy. Occupational therapists with a desire to take their passion for helping people and serving the community to the next level will find many enticing options in this area of healthcare. Those pursuing careers in travel occupational therapy expand their options even further, with the opportunity to serve a variety of different communities around the country.

Opportunities to explore in community centered occupational therapy exist in the school or other education settings, at homeless shelters, at daycare centers, in the area of health promotion as a community educator, and in the workplace where a role as teacher and advocate is key in preventing workplace injuries. Although salaries vary depending on the setting, employer and experience level of the occupational therapist, one of the main draws of the community setting is fulfilling the universal desire of healthcare providers to help and serve those who need it the most.

A traveling occupational therapist on a community based assignment has the opportunity to experience and gain knowledge from working with a variety of patient demographics in all sizes of rural towns to big cities. Every patient population has its own set of unique rehab therapy needs and the town or city that surrounds them often plays a major factor in determining those needs. A travel occupational therapist in Florida for instance, may work with a great number of patients recovering from strokes, simply because of the older age demographic in that state.

• If you are an occupational therapist (new or experienced) with a strong desire to be involved in community health, then a career in travel occupational therapy may be an ideal solution that allows you to serve patients in many different communities across the country.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

Speech therapists and occupational therapists in Utah (and traveling therapists in these professions) could start seeing the benefits of legislation meant to help in the treatment of autistic children, by July 2010. Utah Senator Howard Stephenson co-sponsored the bill, called Clay’s Law for a Utah boy who no longer suffers from autism following two years of intensive rehabilitation therapy. The bill dictates that private health insurance companies cover the diagnosis and treatment of all disorders within the autism spectrum and specifically to patients under 17 years old. Clay’s Law, if passed, will specifically cover rehabilitation therapy for autism patients, including occupational therapy and speech therapy along with behavior therapy, pharmaceuticals and psychological care.

Eight other U.S. states currently have similar legislation in place to assist families of patients with autism fund the often expensive care required, by some estimates up to $45,000 per year. 28 other states are also working on such legislation, including most recently Virginia and Missouri.

If legislation similar to Clay’s Laws is passed in these states and spreads around the country, it could create new career opportunities for speech therapists, occupational therapists, travel speech language pathologists and those working in travel occupational therapy careers.  Autism and its related spectrum of disorders require intensive rehabilitation therapy, frequently occurring in the school environment. With additional funding made available to patients and their families, there will be an increased need for speech therapists and occupational therapist to fill these very important roles in improving the quality of life for children with autism.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

What was once called “alternative” or eastern medicine has come a long way here in the west.  Practitioners are now looking beyond simple slicing, dicing and drugging and seeing the whole patient versus an assembly of parts.  I can personally attest to the prevalence of this philosophy in nursing practice, where the concepts of holistic or complementary medicine started as one aspect of a nursing school education and are now rooted in it.

Rehabilitation therapists have many unique opportunities to incorporate concepts of holistic and complementary medicine into their practice.  The very basis of physical and occupational therapy, assisting a patient in restoring function and quality of life, requires looking at the patient as a whole person and integrating their mind body and spirit.  The rehab therapist looks at the effect of the patient injury or disability, even if it seemingly just affects one body part, on all aspects of the patient’s health, their personal life and work. Building on this expertise, a variety of complementary medicine modalities that may be career opportunities for rehabilitation therapists are gaining popularity.

• Music Therapy: playing a musical instrument can improve a patient’s fine motor function in their fingers, hands and wrists; listening to classical music has been proven to elicit relaxation effects in patients, particularly in times of pain (useful for PT sessions)

• Art Therapy: a useful method of psychotherapy with a proven ability to improve the patient’s cognitive abilities

• Animal-Assisted “Pet” Therapy: Specially trained animals can work alongside the trained therapist to improve patients’ fine motor skills, balance and develop recreation skills; excellent opportunity for the pet loving occupational therapist.

• Therapeutic Touch or other Energy Therapies: A perfect adjunct for the rehabilitation therapy industry, which relies so much on hands-on guiding, supporting and demonstrating movement to the patient.

The objectives of these modalities share the main objective of traditional physical and occupational therapy, to improve the patient’s functional ability. Some of these areas may require special training for the already certified therapist or traveling physical or occupational therapist interesting in exploring opportunities on the road.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.