By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

Following, is the conclusion of my conversation with Ann Marie Ruggiero, Director of Travel Therapy and Recruiting at Medical Connections. Here, Ann Marie discusses other aspects of a career in travel therapy including how current health care trends may affect this field.

Which areas hold the most opportunities for travel therapists right now?

The majority of assignments are in skilled nursing settings like assisted living facilities, outpatient settings and of course in acute hospital settings. There is a pretty even need between physical therapy travel jobs, occupational therapy travel jobs, and travel speech therapy jobs.

How much experience is ideal for the aspiring travel therapist right now to get hired?

All therapists who aspire to travel need is one year of experience after graduation. The reason for this is that there is often a very minimal amount of orientation on a new assignment.  You may be hitting the floor by 10am on your first day.

In your opinion, how are current healthcare trends affecting travel therapy?

The increase in baby boomers will increase the need for travelers, especially in the skilled nursing facilities that we have contracts with throughout the United States. Even with the economy the way it is, we have found that therapy has slowed down slightly but there is still a big demand for traveling therapists at this time.

In light of this demand, we recommend that our therapists have multiple state licenses to make themselves more marketable and be able to accept a new assignment quickly. These are therapists who do not have a problem finding work at all. One of our benefits is 100% licensure reimbursement.  If you are contemplating going into travel, get at least one or two other state licenses.

Anything else we should know about Medical Connections?

We have wonderful benefits at Medical Connections as well as several solid clients we work with throughout the U.S.  We have recruiters available every day, even on Saturdays.  You can also go to our website (www.medicalconnections.com) to ask a question or submit an application through our website. Most important, I want travel therapists (or those considering this career) to know that we have so many travel therapy jobs right now that we can’t even fill them.

Medical Connections
www.medicalconnections.com

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

Following is part one of my conversation with Ann Marie Ruggiero, Director of Travel Therapy and Recruiting at Medical Connections, another valued travel agency partner of Allied Travel Careers.  I spoke with Ann Marie Ruggiero about her company and the hottest physical therapy travel jobs, occupational therapy travel jobs, and speech therapy travel jobs.

What would you like travel therapists to know about your company?

We specialize in travelers and accommodate our clients the best we can for travel, whether for a typical 13 week assignment or sometimes we do shorter assignments based on their needs.  We also have a permanent placement division.  This is great for therapists looking to stay in a certain area or those looking for something more on the permanent level.

What makes Medical Connections really stand out is our customer service. When someone has initially made that call to us, or we receive an ATC lead, customer service is the number one priority for us.  The travel therapy candidate is in constant communication with their recruiter.  They answer any questions the candidate has about the assignment, benefits, compensation, and any other information we have available for them. The recruiter and candidate keep in contact throughout the entire assignment.  A lot of companies, especially the bigger ones, let you speak to your recruiter at one point before the assignment, but once you are on the job you really don’t have any communication with them. That is the biggest difference between us and the competition.

What would you like rehab therapists (physical, occupational, speech) to know about being a travel therapist?

A travel assignment does not necessarily have to be in another state; it’s anything over 50 miles from your home.  People who have never done travel really don’t know that unless a recruiter tells them; they think they have to go to another state.

What are the most popular states for travel therapy assignments right now?

We have assignments everywhere and here are some examples.  California has the largest amount of needs I have seen in awhile. Texas is also a really hot state right now. So are Arkansas, Louisiana, Hawaii, Georgia, Ohio, New Mexico and New Jersey. How about going to the shore for the summer?  The assignment possibilities are really unlimited. This is a great time for travel therapists to go anywhere they want to work.

Read Medical Connections Travel Therapy Company Focus part two.

Medical Connections
www.medicalconnections.com

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

There are specific benefits for people who recover from injuries, convalesce from illnesses, and receive palliative end of life care in the home versus in a hospital or extended care facility. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and travel therapists in these fields play key roles in home health care, especially for seniors. Now, there is recent research showing just how valuable physical and occupational therapy can be for the elderly in their homes.

The study was done by researchers from the Applied Research no Aging and Health at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. The study participants were seniors living in their homes who were otherwise healthy but starting to experience functional challenges (trouble bending, opening jars, button clothing, get out of the tub, etc.).

It showed that those who received specific physical and occupational therapy interventions lived on average three and a half years longer than those who did not receive the rehab therapy. In addition to physical and occupational therapy, the intervention also included minor safety modifications to participants’ homes.

Physical and occupational therapists play valuable assessment, problem solving and therapeutic roles in home health. Therapists as well as traveling physical therapists and travel occupational therapists teach seniors to perform activities of daily living in a safe way that conserve energy, provide balance and stability training, educate seniors and their families about fall prevention, and provide memory retraining exercises in some instances.

Rehabilitation therapy interventions in the homes have been proven to increase the life expectancy, social and psychological health and quality of life for America’s aging population. There is a huge need for physical therapy travel jobs and occupational therapy travel jobs (and those who aspire to enter the field) who want to make a difference in this area of home health.

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 Kat Sanders

The job outlook for physical therapists (PT) has never been better, what with the advances in medical science increasing the life spans of older people and improving the prospects of survival for accident victims and babies with chronic conditions and diseases. A PT is a god-sent blessing to people who need their services because of the immense contribution they can make in improving the quality of life of people who need rehabilitation or occupational therapy. They play a large role in regulating and minimizing their pain and in helping them get back to normal life or live as normally as possible.

A qualified PT must graduate from an accredited physical therapist education program (a Master’s or Doctoral degree) in accordance with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education and be licensed according to the requirements in the State he or she chooses to practice in. Besides this, they are required to continue their professional development through continuing education courses and workshops in order to maintain licensure.

Physical therapy job opportunities and physical therapy travel jobs are usually available in hospital and home settings for rehabilitative, therapeutic and orthopedic care. According to the US News & Career Report, the employment of PTs is expected to grow much faster than the average for all other occupations until the year 2014. While hospitals remain the largest employers of therapists, jobs are aplenty in private homes, nursing care facilities, offices of physicians and corporate offices (to develop exercise programs and teach safe work habits to employees in order to reduce injuries). Some therapists prefer to go into business on their own and freelance at various hospitals, adult day care centers, home health centers, rehabilitation centers and private homes, as and when their services are needed. Others choose to enter the field of consultation or teach in schools and colleges; a small number also choose to dedicate their lives to research.

If you’re looking to travel and see new places, a career as a traveling physical therapist could just be the opportunity you’re looking for. When your reputation is well established, you could gain employment in various parts of the country and work at jobs that pay well, provide you with decent accommodation, and make it worth your while with medical benefits, relocation allowances and other incentives.

You can expect to earn around $50,000 a year at the entry level and go on to make as much as $95,000 with experience and skill gained with the passing of the years. The average salary for physical therapists is around $78,000.

So if you’re good with people and are able to treat them with kindness and patience and help them cope with and get over their physical disabilities, you could check out the physical therapy profession – it could be your cup of tea.

This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of physical therapy assistant schools at her blog Physical Therapy Blog. To contact Kat, visit her website.

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

Following, is part two of my conversation with Candace Berk, President of Cirrus Allied (formerly MDI Medical).

What kind of advice would you give to new travel therapists?

Make sure your company has your back and understands your career goals. For instance, some people just want to try one travel assignment and see if it works or just travel for the summer. Others may come across a facility where they would like a permanent position. Those are all things that we can accommodate, but it’s important for all therapists to make sure that their travel company understands what they want and not what the company needs.

How can new travel therapists determine which agency is best for their needs?

To start with, it comes down to your relationship with your travel recruiter. Are they calling you back when they said they would?  Are they clear on the job expectations? Do you trust that how they will represent you will be based on what you want? Do you connect with them? Are they listening to what you need? Ask for therapist references.

Can travel therapy work if the therapist has a family?

Most of our travelers will be young and not yet have a family.  They will do travel therapy jobs before they settle down.  We also have empty nesters as travel therapists.

We do have people who travel with families who make it work either by home schooling their kids or keeping the therapist busy in the area they want to work in.  We’re a large enough company where we have that kind of flexibility.

Which travel therapy careers are most in demand now?

Physical, occupational and speech therapists are all in high demand now. It also depends on the setting. For instance, speech language pathologists are most in demand by schools.  Across the board, physical therapists are needed everywhere.  Physical therapists and occupational therapists are both needed in home health.

In closing?

As a travel therapist, your job is to enable patient satisfaction. If you’re focused on that, everybody wins.

Cirrus Allied (formerly MDI Medical)
www.mdimedical.com

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

As promised, here are the highlights of a very informative conversation I recently had with a representative from Atlanta, Texas and Charlotte based Cirrus Allied, a valued travel agency partner of Allied Travel Careers.  I spoke with President Candace Berk about her company, what they look for in travel therapists and advice she has for aspiring travel therapists.

What makes Cirrus Allied stand out from other travel therapy companies?

Cirrus Allied, formerly MDI medical, has been in the travel therapy market for 7 years. We dedicated ourselves specifically to the therapy market before it was cool to be in therapy. Our therapist clients find it great that we have a niche focus in a broad setting. We place therapists in schools, government settings, home health agencies, hospitals and in skilled nursing facilities across the country. We have also received outstanding recognition for our customer service. We understand that therapists have their choice of companies to work with and are honored that they choose us. We also offer excellent benefits, something we’re seeing competitors drop in the current market. We have a broad client base and get travel therapy jobs anywhere in the country.

Who are the best candidates for a career in travel therapy?

Therapists who have at least one year of experience who want to grow their resume, experience level, and make more money doing it. They have to be adaptable to different clinical settings while understanding that certain personality traits match up with each setting. It’s not just about matching up clinical skills.

What are the most important questions new travel therapists should ask about a new assignment?

They should get a clear expectation of the pay rate, benefits, housing specifics (some companies really shave money on the housing), job expectations including caseload and really the totally package from their recruiter and the client. Unfortunately in this market there are many verbal commitments so they should make sure the promises are all in writing. Also ask about the orientation provided. Most places provide anywhere between 8-24 hours. Once a therapist has some experience traveling, they generally know how things work other than learning a few new idiosyncrasies of each new place. Very often we’ll sit in on the phone interviews with clients to make sure it’s the right fit, especially if they’re new to travel.

See our next blog for the conclusion of my interview with Cirrus Allied President and travel therapy industry expert Candace Berk.

Cirrus Allied (formerly MDI Medical)
www.mdimedical.com

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

As part of my research for upcoming columns, I have had the pleasure of interviewing travel therapy recruitment representatives from www.AlliedTravelCareers.com list of valued partner agencies. I have to admit that, even though I was well aware of the need for rehab therapists in hospitals and acute care settings across the country, I had no idea the extent of staffing needs in this area of medicine.

Each travel agency representative I have interviewed so far (with several more to go), has expressed a great need for physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists who are looking for travel therapy jobs. One representative even pointed out that the definition of “travel” is a flexible one that can mean within 50 miles from your home.  Many of these same recruiters are hiring therapists into permanent positions.  If you are a therapist looking to custom design your career – from assignment locations (Texas is overflowing with available assignments) to salary, comprehensive benefits, your choice of clinical settings and assignment flexibility – this is absolutely the time to contact a recruiter from our partner agencies.

Stay connected with the blog here on ATC for more details from these interviews including specific information about the travel therapy companies and what they have to offer. Whether you are already a traveling therapist or considering a career in travel physical therapy, travel occupational therapy, or travel speech language pathology, the information generously shared by these industry experts will benefit your career.

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

Burns are one of the most traumatic injuries the human body can endure.  Multiple body systems are simultaneously involved and, depending on the severity, burns can appear deceivingly non-threatening while doing most of their dirty work beneath the damaged skin. Damaged blood vessels dilate causing inflammation and edema are typically listed among many other life threatening problems.  Once the patient is stabilized and undergoes graft surgery, the rehabilitation work begins.

Following surgery, the possibility of webbing between fingers and toes along with the presence of scar tissue and its potential to prevent debilitating contractures, especially in joints, requires the skilled touch of a physical therapist. Patients with the most severe (third and fourth degree) burns are the ones who most often require intensive physical therapy (often called “physiotherapy” for those traveling physical therapist considering assignments in English speaking countries overseas). If not prevented through rehabilitation, skin, joint, muscle, tendon and ligament contractures can have a devastating effect on a burn patient’s life.  Rigid, contracted limbs can easily become the end of mobility and independence for patients.

Speech therapists and speech language pathologists are also an integral part of the burn patient’s treatment team in the case of smoke inhalation injuries.  Occupational therapists have a vital role in helping burn patients relearn activities of daily living.

Traveling physical therapists, travel occupational therapists and travel speech therapists all have the opportunity to have a positive and permanent effect on the lives of burn patients around the world. With the average rehabilitation time for serious burns being 18 months to two years, there are undoubtedly many opportunities for assignments in this area of patient care.

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 an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure than physical therapists, occupational therapists and traveling rehab therapists in these fields have many reasons to be optimistic. It is important for rehab therapists including traveling physical therapists and travel occupational therapists to remind the public that it’s not necessary to wait until something is broken, pulled, strained, dislocated or twisted before seeking the services of a therapist.  Here are some specific patient demographics for traveling therapists with a passion for patient preventative education to target for assessments and consultations.

Elderly Patients: Fall prevention, balance and core stability are key preventative measures for this age group. Traveling occupational therapists can also focus on risks that elderly patients encounter in their activities of daily living.

Weekend Warriors: Teach these ambitious folks to seek out therapy before they find themselves sprawled on the basketball floor or at the bottom of a ski slope. They can benefit from ROM assessments, teaching about proper warm up and stretching techniques and an assessment to determine their health level for desired sports and activities along with recommendations for maximum exertion levels.

Office Workers: Therapists are a valuable source of info for employees at risk for carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive use injury and other ergonomic issues.

Child Athletes: Physical therapists are an excellent resource for young athletes and their parents to learn about how to prevent injuries and assessments for any movement, alignment or balance issues that place the child at a higher risk for problems.

All of the Above: All individuals suffering the regular aches and pains of life can benefit from a therapy assessment to learn how a more conservative therapy approach may benefit them more than their medications or other forms of current relief.

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 aren’t the only ones touting the benefits of non-surgical and alternative therapies for back pain.  An article in the May 2009 issue of Consumer Reports Magazine reports that 55% of the 14,000 back pain sufferers interviewed were highly satisfied with physical therapy as a treatment for back pain.  Ranking lowest on the satisfaction scale for back pain treatment was the care these patients received from primary care physicians (34%).

This data may be a revealing glimpse into patient perceptions of pharmaceutical care for pain (most often dished out by primary care doctors) versus a more hands-on approach utilized by physical therapists, rehabilitation therapists, acupuncturists and other therapeutic practitioners.  Since nearly 80 percent of American adults report suffering from some level of back pain at some point, this is encouraging data that will most likely drive more back pain sufferers to physical therapists.  It’s no wonder that U.S. News & World Report recently ranked a career in physical therapy as number one, of “5 jobs that may be your best shot at finding work.”

Physical therapists and traveling physical therapists have seen the debilitating effects of chronic back pain in their patients.  The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has expressed their optimism about the Consumer Reports data, particularly in regards to back pain patients looking at conservative treatment approaches first.  Orthopedic surgery and narcotics are of course viable solutions for many patients, however, seeing a physical therapist first may be a wiser approach for patients seeking more conservative treatment.

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.