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.

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

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

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, MD, BSN

Considering a career as a speech therapist (or as its officially titled, speech-language pathologist) or as a traveling speech therapist in these areas?  The opportunities for professionals, new graduates, and experienced professionals alike, in this area of rehabilitation therapy extend well beyond the restoration of speaking abilities that many may associate with speech therapy.

The median annual earnings of a speech-language pathologist is $57,710 per year.**  SLPs work with patients suffering from disorders that impact their ability to make sounds (ex. patients with aphasia), those with difficulty in the areas of speech rhythm and fluency (stuttering), people with specific voice disorders and individuals such as stroke patients who have swallowing difficulties. Spanish and English bilingual therapists are especially in demand.

Spotlighted Work settings for SLPs/Speech Therapists:

Schools: Speech therapists have the opportunity to diagnose and treat children with speech and voice disorders while working in pre-schools, elementary and secondary schools. When I recently interviewed the mother of an autistic child (see previous blog), she emphasized the great work done by the speech therapists at her son’s school. This is definitely a work setting where skilled and passionate professionals can make a difference in the life of a child and that child’s family.

Self-Employment/Private Practice: Being self-employed is an excellent way to define the parameters of your speech therapy career and what kind of patients you most prefer to work with. However, most SLPs who are self-employed are also affiliated with a hospital or similar medical setting.

Speech Therapists also are in high demand in these settings:

• Hospitals

• Long term care facilities/nursing homes

• Home health services

• Outpatient care centers

• Child day care services

** U.S. Department of Labor Statistics

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

Building a strong patient-provider relationship with the parents of a child with a disability is one of the most important bonds a rehabilitation therapist can develop. The care giving parent has a finely tuned radar of their child’s behaviors, responses and tendencies. Parents can be excellent barometers for the physical therapist, occupational therapist and speech pathologist of how well the child’s therapy goals are being met. For the travel physical therapist, travel occupational therapist or travel speech pathologist parents can be a vital source of background information on a new patient.

I recently spoke with the mother of a 10 year old boy with autism. She is a self-described, extremely hands-on mom who has always been a very active partner in her son Jonathan’s rehabilitation therapy. Jonathan has worked with physical therapists and speech therapists, some who have traveled to the family’s home for rehabilitation therapy.

What are some things you like the best about the rehabilitation therapists who have worked with your son?

Patience is very important. I obviously also like it when the therapist is a nice person. However I also need them to be strict and firm with my son because that’s how I am with him. Don’t baby him. Be a good nice person but lay down a firm hand when you have to.

I like it when he learns a lot from his therapists. I can see a big difference when my child has learned a lot from someone or if they haven’t. If at the end of the school year, they’re the same child they were at the beginning of the year, and nothing has changed, then I won’t be all that impressed with the physical therapist, speech therapist, or whomever Jonathan is working with throughout the year.

In general, I think it’s all about who loves their job and loves what they do.  It’s important for someone to really have the experience, patience and take the time to teach my child new things. I like when therapists take the time to observe my son, learn how he behaves and how he has a certain way of doing things. You really need to take the time to sit there and observe the child, instead of just expecting that he will behave like a “typical” autistic child.

I also like when they make an effort to involve me in the treatment progress. For example, a speech therapist is currently using a new speech device with Jonathan. Every time she sees me at school, she stops and tells me all about the speech therapy sessions. I like that involvement. When the therapists show me how my son is doing I get excited too.

What are some things you like the least about some of the therapists who have worked with Jonathan?

I can always tell if my son does not like a therapist or if he’s not happy and comfortable with them. It’s easy to see when a therapist is lacking in their job skills, when my son is not learning anything from them, or when they’re not being as good or as patient with Jonathan as they should be. The bottom line and most important thing, is that whether my son is comfortable with the therapist. If he’s not – I’m not.

What advice would you give physical therapists, occupational therapists or speech therapists about working with children with disabilities?

It’s very important to be who you are as a person and make sure that you communicate well with the child. You need to have some kind of relationship with the child. I always tell the therapists to make sure you get to know my son, build a relationship and that you have to make him trust you. You need to let him know that you can trust him. Let the child know that you know him and you understand his ways and behaviors. Also, a lot of children with disabilities can sense when a therapist is new (to the field) and they try to get away with things. You have to be firm.

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

Traveling speech pathology jobs, and related positions such as speech therapists and speech language pathologists, are becoming increasingly available. Speech therapists have more opportunities than ever, to hone their craft and sharpen their skills while traveling to exciting destinations around America.

While you’re here on the site, be sure and take a moment to fill out our brief, simple application (“Apply now”). We not only want to learn about your professional background, but also about your career goals as a traveling speech pathologist and therapist. Still undecided about whether a travel career is right for you? Here are some exciting statistics about the rapidly growing field of speech therapy, to help make up your mind.

*Average Salary: $48,000 per/year*
*Travel career agencies offer competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits including stock sharing and 401K opportunities
*Agencies also assist with relocation and reimburse expenses
*The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics predicts “excellent” opportunities for speech-language pathologists in the coming year, especially for those who can speak a second language and those willing to relocate to geographic areas with great hiring needs
*The Bureau is predicting 11% growth in speech-language pathologist employment by 2016

Attention traveling speech pathologists, traveling speech therapists and other vocations within this career: I want to hear from you. What benefits have you found in a travel career versus a traditional career in one location? Or if you are a speech therapist considering a travel career, what are your questions and concerns? Thank you for your contributions and comments!

*Simplyhired.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

I mentioned in my first blog the growing demand for travel rehabilitation therapists. Physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech and language pathologists in particular – I’m talking to you. Unlike travel nurses, who typically need a year of experience before a travel nursing company will place them in a travel position, rehabilitation therapists are being offered travel positions right out of school. This means that if you are a physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, and also respiratory therapist or other allied health position, your travel therapy career is waiting for you.

Travel rehabilitation therapists in all the areas I mentioned are in very short supply and high demand. The benefits of travel PT jobs, OT jobs and other allied travel jobs in rehabilitation therapy are as diverse as they are attractive.

• Love to travel? Take your career on the road and get paid for it with all expenses reimbursed, and private furnished housing a standard perk.
• Love money and benefits? Enjoy competitive salaries and benefits from day one.
• Love stability? Find an agency you like and enroll in one of their 401K options.
• Love your work? A travel career means you are sent where you are most needed and where your skills and passion will be most appreciated.

In the next series of blogs, I will profile each individual rehabilitation therapy and allied health career. This way you can see for yourself how a career as a travel occupational therapist, travel physical therapist, travel speech therapist and more, might be just what you’re looking for.

Are you already a travel rehabilitation therapist? I want to hear from you. Please comment on this and my other blogs and let me know how you travel career differs from a traditional career in your discipline (if you’ve done both). I look forward to your feedback!

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.