By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

Every month, a company called Wanted Technologies gathers data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and online job boards in each U.S. state and researches the number of employees in every professional occupation by city. Then, Wanted calculates the difference between the available supply of employees in each profession in each city in proportion to the demand for employees in that profession. The company then ranks all professions and all cities based on national average. Those that exceed the national average are considered your best bet for finding a job.

The Wanted data regarding jobs in physical therapy, physical therapy assistant, occupational therapy and speech language pathology confirm that these are all some of the “most wanted” health care professionals all over the country. As a travel physical therapist, traveling physical therapy assistant, traveling OT or travel speech language pathologist, these opportunities multiply as new assignments continue to be made available. Here are some of the locations with the greatest demand for rehabilitation therapists and support staff. Contact a travel agency recruiter to find out where your skills are needed the most as a travel therapist.

Travel Physical Therapist Jobs: Orlando, FL; Atlanta, GA; Tucson, AZ; Charlotte, NC

Traveling Occupational Therapy Jobs: Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater area of FL; Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue area of WA

Travel Speech Therapy Jobs: Tampa, St, Petersburg, Clearwater area of Florida

Physical Therapy Assistant Jobs (among the highest demand of all Wanted careers): Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue area of WA; Dallas Fort Worth and Arlington areas of TX

Occupational Therapy Assistants: Philadelphia, PA; Camden, NJ; Wilmington, DE

The Wanted website also features industry wide job forecasts as well as recession forecasts. For more information visit: www.wantedtech.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

Physical therapists and traveling physical therapists are in great demand by all ages and types of patients in many different clinical settings from home, to assisted living and long term care facilities, clinics, and of course in hospitals. A career in physical therapy is widely considered to be one of the most, solid “recession proof” paths that a new college graduate or an individual in career transition can embark on, especially in this unstable economy.

But, according to some including the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), there is still more awareness to be gained about the importance of physical therapists and travel physical therapists, and increasing patient access to these skilled rehabilitation therapy providers. Earlier this year in May, two hundred therapists, PT assistants and students of the profession converged on Capitol Hill to make lawmakers aware of how critical it is for all patients to have better access to physical therapy services. The group was compromised of APTA members. The three key issues of the day were: removing therapy caps on Medicare part B outpatient rehabilitation services, benefits of direct access to PT services and the importance of academic debt repayment for physical therapy program graduates those chose to practice in underserved areas where they are needed the most.

Similar issues are currently at the heart of the national health care reform debate. These issues include raising public and lawmaker awareness about the important role taken on by health care providers, the challenges the system faces with distributing providers across the country where they are most needed, and tackling reimbursement challenges. It is important for the APTA and their physical and physical therapy travel job holders, as well as all health care providers to ensure that their voices are heard in this game changing debate.  To learn more about travel pt jobs, visit our website.

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

New Jersey looks to be the 14th state in line to pass an autism treatment bill that will make it mandatory for health insurance companies to cover autism treatments as well as other developmental disabilities. Treatments for autism include speech therapy and speech language pathology. This will increase the already high demand for speech therapists, speech language pathologists, travel speech therapists and traveling speech language pathologists – all integral in autism therapy treatments.

On June 29th, bill “A-2238/S-1651” made its way to the governor’s desk, after passing by a large margin in the Assembly and unanimously in the Senate. The autism bill, following suit with similar such bills in other states, places a $36,000 annual cap on insurance coverage. The bill would require insurance companies to cover expenses related to the screening and diagnosis of autism (and other developmental disabilities), and also includes treatments such as prescribed physical therapy and occupational therapy in addition to speech therapy. Insurers will no longer be able to deny coverage based on the reason that the treatment is not “restorative.”

A study by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stated that in the 14 states where legislation has been (or is being) passed, one in every 150 children on average is diagnosed with autism. Other states that have recently passed similar legislation, and are likely to have increasing needs for traveling speech therapists, travel physical therapists and traveling occupational therapists, include Wisconsin and West Virginia. Children with autism and other developmental disabilities have multi-disciplinary treatment plans with a strong rehabilitation therapy component, therefore increasing the need for travel therapists and travel therapy jobs in schools and health care facilities nationwide.

Sources: Autism Society of America, IFA Web News

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

In a tough economy and even tougher job market, the following should be music to physical therapists’ ears: “This job tops the list of jobs referred to by several job sites as “best shots at finding work.” The websites, including LinkUp, Indeed and Simply Hired, also point to the comparatively easy training requirements and lower turnovers than other jobs. Physical therapy has a dramatically lower unemployment rate than the national average. Current career stats have physical therapy jobs and traveling physical therapist jobs growing by a whopping 207% in the past two years, with an average annual salary reported to be $52,000. Job growth is forecast at 2006-2016 between 2006 and 2016.

The demand for physical therapists and physical therapy travel jobs is on the rise, partly because of the growing need for therapy and rehabilitation by aging baby boomers and partly due to the increased awareness of healthy habits by the rest of the population. Costly health insurance premiums and co-pays are also on the minds of the American health care consumers, especially as they make the connection between price tag and physician visit. Physical therapists can help solidify this connection in their clients’ minds, emphasizing healthier ways of functioning and avoiding injuries.

Physical therapists and travel physical therapists can provide relief to patients from all walks of life from wounded weekend warriors, to elderly clients suffering from chronic debilitating conditions, heart attacks and strokes to babies born with severe birth defects and in need of rehabilitation to improve their future. The profession is also growing, as new medical advances allow trauma survivors who once would have expired, to survive and require rehabilitation.

Sources: American Physical Therapy Association, Simply Hired.com, U.S. Bureau 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

There is a big demand for speech language pathologists and speech therapists in the schools to work with children diagnosed with developmental disorders such as Autism (where increased funding is being sought in state after state), with cognitive disorders, and articulation and language impairments. Traveling speech language pathologists and travel speech therapists are also encouraged to seek out these positions in schools.

While educators work to fill these open positions, speech-language pathologists at Kent State University in Ohio are working on an alternate solution to the conventional face-to-face, one-on-one SLP approach. They have started using a method of SLP practice called “telepractice” in various rural schools, as a way of delivering speech and language therapy remotely to students in need. For the pilot program, the students treated experienced articulation, phonological and language impairments. Similar to conventional SLP, the sessions went according to the child’s existing education plan. The difference was that the sessions were conducted between the SLP and child via a website, computer program and special software with an “e-helper” onsite to assist the child (not from a therapy standpoint).  The Kent State SLP’s who conducted the study reported that one disadvantage they noted was reduced communication between the speech-language pathologist and the classroom teacher. They are currently reviewing results, comparing conventional to “telepractice” SLP and planning future studies.

There are similar telepractice and telemedicine program in various other disciplines in other states as well. Travel speech language pathologists and traveling speech therapists may not have immediate access to these types of technological advances in therapy yet. But, there are still numerous opportunities and slp travel jobs to work directly with children in schools who need speech therapy.

Source: Advance for Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists

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 an orthopedic nurse, I saw for myself the thriving cottage industry that is total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. What alarmed me, was the age differential in TKR surgery patients and total hip replacement (THR) patients. While relatively older individuals were the classic THR candidates, I saw younger to middle age folks routinely going under the knife to have their fragile, worn out, cartilage depleted knees replaced, bionic style. The most common reasons for this include obesity, a hyperactive lifestyle of repetitive use (athletes). These reasons in younger patients, along with aging of course, are making osteoarthritis a more and more common occurrence, with approximately 500,000 TKR’s done in the U.S. annually.

Physical therapists and traveling physical therapists have always been one of the most important players in a patient’s recovery and rehabilitation from total knee replacement procedures. Now, ongoing research is finding that the faster and more aggressively that physical therapists rehab these patients, the better their outcomes. A study published in Arthritis Care and Research showed that the patients who worked with their therapists on progressive strength training had the most function restored in their legs and fastest. This is a technique that does not reduce range of motion and does not cause increased swelling or pain (the issues that prevented such an aggressive approach before, primarily keeping patients on bed rest of non-ambulatory). Study participants showed a 53% increase in stair climbing speed, 32% increase in walking time and distance and 70% increase in quadriceps muscles strength.

As America ages, continues its battle of the bulge, and as weekend warriors continue to underestimate the fragility of their joints, physical therapist and traveling physical therapy job holders will play more and more of a vital role in health care. For traveling physical therapists, these unprecedented job opportunities are coupled with the opportunity to travel and work in dream destinations across the country.

Source: CBS News

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 a long time classical flutist I can personally attest to this statement. After especially extended rehearsal times, my lips have been known to go numb and tingly, my fingers to cramp up and my shoulders and arms to feel like I have been lifting weights from sustaining the same position for hours. Yes folks – art can hurt. I have the utmost respect and sympathy for professional artists who do this on a daily basis for three or four times as many hours as I ever have. For creative professionals, art doesn’t just hurt sometimes – it can be nearly debilitating.

If a physical therapist, occupational therapist, chiropractor or physician were to glance at a patient chart and see injuries such as pinched nerves, unaligned spinal columns, broken toes, muscle strains, carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder bursitis, neck injuries, hearing loss, herniated discs, rotator cuff injuries, back spasms, would they associate such conditions with the delicate grace of being an artist?  Whether they make that connection or not, the fact remains that repetitive use and strain injuries affect painters, dancers, singers, instrumentalists and other artists. These injuries can be blamed on the adage “practice makes perfect,” from holding the body in sustained, often awkward positions or simply from the physical exertion of throwing oneself into a performance with every ounce of themselves. In fact, many artists who are cognizant of the physical effort required to practice their art, train their body with the same intensity as athletes. Let it never be said that being an artist is a “soft” way to make a living.

As a traveling physical therapist or travel occupational therapist on assignment, the next time you see some of the injuries I listed above – you might want to think “artist” not “athlete.”

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 are needed across a range of specialty areas and departments in hospitals. Intensive care units (ICU’s) are one of the places where PT’s and traveling physical therapists on physical therapy travel job assignment are needed the most. Research and studies are now showing the benefit of early physical therapy in the rehabilitation of critically ill patients in the ICU.

A University of Chicago study showed that patients who underwent physical and occupational regimens of exercise and mobilization within 72 hours of being placed on a ventilator, experienced improved levels of independent function by time they were discharged from the hospital. Patients receiving physical therapy interventions also experienced more days off of ventilators. ICU patients frequently experience long term complications after surviving a life threatening illness, such as weakness and neuropsychiatric diseases. Rehabilitation therapy interventions can help prevent these complications. The interventions in the study included passive range of motion exercises in the extremities of unresponsive patients and in alert patients, assisted range of motion exercises while still in bed. The physical and occupational therapy interventions then progressed to sitting up in bed and performing balance activities, activities of daily living, sitting and standing transfers and eventually ambulation.

The study revealed that there are benefits to incorporating physical and occupational therapy in the treatment of ICU patients. Therapy interventions help to reorient patients who have been sedated on a ventilator. Assisting patients to ambulate early in the ICU led to a decrease in muscle atrophy and an increase in independent function. Traveling physical therapists and travel occupational therapy job seekers with an interest in assisting ICU patients should contact a travel recruiter today to check on the availability of assignments in this area.

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 recently had my first golf lesson by my significant other. His major critique was that I should stop swinging the club more like a baseball bat (what can I say, it’s my favorite sport). Other than that, there was no serious damage done and no injuries or pulled muscles that would send me screaming to a doctor or in, increasingly more cases of sports injuries, a physical therapist.

Many physical therapists and traveling physical therapists are likely to see an increase in golf related injuries this time of year, due to that sport’s peak popularity in the summer when the sun is shining and the lush greens start to beckon. When the amateur golfer, especially the “weekend warrior” golfer, is not in proper shape, they are in danger of sustaining a variety of injuries from the swing of the club. One bad swing (not “bad golf game” bad either) can lead to lower back, shoulder, knee and hip injuries. This is because one golf swing greatly multiplies the stress that the body weight places on the spine.

I credit my injury-free day to some good luck and also to my regular fitness routine, which incorporates total body conditioning. This is important in the sport of golf, which uses basically every major muscle group in the body, from quads, gluts and abs to delts, pecs, triceps and biceps. Physical therapists and travel pts can cite evidence of this in the types of specific injuries seen in golfers including: back pain, tennis or golfer’s elbow, shoulder pain, carpal tunnel syndrome (from repetitive use), tendinitis, knee pain, wrist impaction, tendon subluxation and hand and wrist fractures. Physical therapists, traveling physical therapists (especially ones on attractive assignments to golf resort areas), and others working in sports and fitness training, recommend a good solid regimen of stretching before play and a fitness regimen in between that includes core work, squats and push-ups. Happy golfing!

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 the population ages and requires more complex rehabilitation therapy, the services offered by long term care facilities are moving forward with the times. For example, the roles of physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and their travel therapy counterparts are expanding in nursing homes and other extended care facilities. Rehab therapists in these facilities no longer only care for the long term needs of permanent residents. Skilled nursing facilities also offer transitional therapies for residents that often reside there for thirty days or less. Many patients recovering from stroke, head trauma or other serious conditions are now recovering in long term care facilities. This creates another dimension of patient care for the physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists who work in these facilities.

Rehab therapists working in skilled nursing facilities are also seeing their job descriptions expand. In addition to putting their patients through the paces of conventional therapy programs, all areas of therapy are discovering positive therapeutic outcomes in many new areas of treatment. Some of these areas include alternative medicine (or what was once considered “alternative”) such as pilates, yoga, and tai chi (popular especially in the elderly population). Other treatment areas fall under the category of technology like Nintendo Wii, virtual reality that mimics a patient’s home and computer cognitive training programs.

In addition to adding value to the way they treat patients, therapists and their colleagues at these facilities are also taking advantage of advances in technology to make their own jobs more efficient. Electronic documentation, web based case management software and robotic machines that assist with patient transfers, ensuring the health and safety of staff, are also results of technological advancements. As the advancement of trends in long term care facilities mirrors the demand for new traveling therapists, the need for travel physical therapists, traveling occupational therapists and travel speech therapists is expected to continue rising.

* April 2009, McKnight’s Long Term Care News

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.