Posted By Allied Travel Careers on Jul 16, 2009 | 1 comment

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

Occupational therapists promote health and teach people how to stay well and injury-free during their daily lives, from home to work and even during favorite leisure activities. They have the power to bring their patients back into present time, become mindful of their physical movements and use awareness as a tool to prevent injury. Similar to other rehabilitation therapy professions like physical therapy and speech language pathology, occupational therapists turn over a great deal of power to their patients. Under the tutelage of their expert guidance, troubleshooting and coaxing, occupational therapists and traveling occupational therapy professionals traveling the country, make sure that their clients are in the best possible position to live their best possible lives without getting hurt in the process.

At one point in the history of this and other rehab therapy professions, therapists were focused mostly on clients with disabilities and maintaining function in the elderly. Now, occupational therapy jobs, travel therapy jobs, and traveling occupational therapy jobs require therapists to work with children. Obesity in children is leading to conditions such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and asthma, as the children’s bodies attempt to manage the excess weight.  Occupational therapists play an important role in keeping these young bodies moving and teaching them to live with the daily adjustments needed to accommodate for these conditions.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists occupational therapy as a profession expected to grow rapidly, with the number of working therapists to advance by 23% between 2006 and 2016. Occupational therapists (veterans and new grads alike) with an urge to see America may find a  traveling occupational therapy job to be the perfect escape, especially during the summertime when most destinations seem more vacation than work.

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.