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

Unfortunately for the approximately two million Texas residents diagnosed with speech, language or hearing disorders, health insurance does not always cover the additional targeted speech therapy and speech language pathology services required. The Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA) is working to solve these gaps in coverage and provide therapy to those who need it. The TSHA is currently attempting to get several House and Senate bills passed that would cover speech and SLP treatment options for patients, families and therapists and provide screening for potential disorders in public schools.

The bills would also benefit speech therapists and speech language pathologists, protecting them from liability in treatment situations and assisting with education loan repayment. The combined effect of this legislation is destined to create treatment options for patients and speech therapist  job opportunities. This should also provide more speech therapist travel jobs and speech language pathologist travel jobs.

Texas has earned a positive reputation on the web as a popular travel nursing and travel rehabilitation therapy destination. Each region has a distinct personality, climate, array of leisure activities and work opportunities different than the other. To enjoy a coastal beach experience, talk to your travel recruiter about job opportunities on the Gulf coast in the Houston area. Artistic, free thinking travel therapists may want to look into available work in the Austin area. San Antonio combines the compelling history surrounding the Alamo with beautiful scenery along the famous river walk. Contact a travel therapy agency today to learn more about speech therapy and SLP jobs in Texas.

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

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

The demand for healthcare providers including speech-language pathologists is not confined to hospitals and clinical settings. SLPs and traveling speech therapists are also needed by elementary and secondary schools. Public school systems are no strangers to employee shortages with the less than abundant supply of teachers (and quality teachers at that) threatening the integrity of a solid education. Similar to teaching, an innate love of the job is a requirement to be a speech-language pathologist or traveling speech-language pathologist on assignment at a school. SLPs working in hospitals and other skilled nursing settings earn an average of $80,000 while those working in schools take in around $53,000.

For speech therapists who love working with children and understand the value of dramatically impacting a child’s future, a school assignment may be a perfect match of passion and paycheck. Speech language pathologists working in the school help children with a variety of communication impediments including stuttering and enunciating of certain sounds or words. They also help to diagnose as early as possible and treat students who experience learning disabilities, hearing loss and developmental disorders such as autism. The steadily rising reported incidences of autism are creating a significant need for speech language pathologists in schools across the country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a quickly increasing demand for SLPs in the schools to identify and diagnose speech and language disorders as early as possible in a child’s life, to improve their prognosis. If you are either a new or experienced speech language pathologist and are interested in helping children in a school setting, talk to your travel agency allied recruiter about possible assignments in one of the many schools across the country that need your services.

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

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.