If somebody told me a year ago that I would be a school-based travel therapist working an amazing contract in Washington less than 2 months after graduating OT school, I would have told them that they were nuts. I heard that travel therapy wasn’t for new graduates, that school-based jobs were hard to find, that facilities only looked for travelers when they had difficulty maintaining their own employees, that you needed applicable fieldwork experiences to find jobs, and more. But, here I am.. and I can tell you that all of those things I heard are (mostly) false. Since starting my travel therapy journey I’ve had lots of friends reaching out to learn about travel therapy, so I figured I would put together a little outline that includes important information about being a traveling healthcare provider.
Step 1: Research
Before anything else, take some time to learn about travel therapy to determine if it’s right for you. I started researching travel therapy very casually my first year in OT school. I followed several Instagram and YouTube accounts to learn more about the lifestyle and logistics. A quick Google search leads you to several blogs. Here are some of my favorites:
- Travel Therapy Mentor: https://traveltherapymentor.com/ @traveltherapymentor on Instagram
- The traveling traveler: https://www.thetravelingtraveler.com/ @thetravelingtraveler_ on Instagram
- Ryan and Megan: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTqy6orAh0q4j6phRskBP0Q https://www.jointmovementdpts.com/ @ryanandmegan on Instagram
- Travel Physical, Occupational, & Speech Therapy Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TravelPhysicalOccupationalSpeechTherapy/
- Nomadicare: https://www.nomadicare.com/
Step 2: Contact a recruiter. Or two or three or four.
Once you’re pretty sure that travel therapy is right for you, and you’re getting close to job search time, reach out to some recruiters. The way I matched with the recruiter I ultimately took a job with was Nomadicare’s free recruiter match (https://www.nomadicare.com/match/)!
Some things you’ll want to be prepared with before reaching out:
- When you could reasonably start
- What setting(s) you’re interested in
- What pay you’re looking for (don’t sell yourself short!)
- What location you’re looking for, specific or general
- Your resume
Your recruiter should reach out to you if they have jobs for you to apply to! But don’t hesitate to search for jobs on your own as well. When you have your interview, make sure you’re asking questions such as:
- Average caseload
- Productivity expectations
- Mentorship opportunities (especially as a new graduate)
- Schedule, hours, overtime, etc.
- Why they are looking for a traveler
- And more!!
Step 3: Logistics
For me, the most difficult part of accepting my first travel assignment was logistics! Information on tax homes, stipends, contracts, and housing took a long time to wrap my head around!
Travel pay is way different than paychecks from permanent jobs. Generally, your paycheck can be broken up into 2 categories:
- taxable pay
- untaxed stipends (meals and incidental stipend and a housing stipend)
You’ll get all this money all together and do not have to spend all of it in the allocated category. The only hook is that the untaxed stipends require some planning to ensure you don’t get in trouble with the IRS. Most simply, you need to ensure that you maintain a “tax home” and duplicate your expenses (pay rent/mortgage at your “tax home” as well as your “temporary travel housing). I do this by paying rent for a room in Pennsylvania as well as paying rent for the apartment we are renting in Olympia. You also need to spend a certain amount of time per year in your “tax home”, the generally accepted time is 30 days per year. The blogs I’ve linked above have some great resources on this as well as https://traveltax.com/ .
Reading and making sense of my contract took some time. Not only did this include my pay rate and stipends but it also included information on hours and time off. As a traveler, you do not generally get vacation or sick time. If you know you are going to need time off, it’s best you have this written in your contract before you sign (for example, I had to ask off a week for my doctorate course labs in the spring- this is already approved and documented). It also has information on notice for contract cancellation, which is an unfortunate reality. Make sure you read and understand your contract! Ask questions and get changes made before you sign!
Travel contracts generally last 3 months but they aren’t often longer than 9 months. Apartment leases are generally for 1 year and, besides, who wants to move all their furniture every 3 months! Luckily, there’s a couple of options:
- Furnished Finder: This is what we used. People create listings for short term furnished rentals specifically for traveling nurses and therapists. These listings are for a single bedroom, an entire house, or anything in between! We were lucky enough to find a couple who were renting out their furnished basement apartment on Furnished Finder. This saves us some money, but also gives us privacy and space.
- AirBNB/VRBO: Sometimes messaging these property owners will get you a good deal on a short term lease. Since AirBNB fees are so high, your best bet is to get the property owner to lease you the space outside of the site.
- RV/Campers: Many traveling healthcare providers choose to travel in their RV or Camper. Sometimes finding a suitable campground can be tricky, but those who do travel this way love it!
- Extended Stay Hotels: This is also an option in most places. Some extended stay hotel chains even offer discounts to traveling healthcare providers!
- Staying with family or friends. If you can do this, just make sure you are duplicating expenses by paying them rent or ensuring you let your company know that you will want your stipends taxed!
As a healthcare provider, you’ll have a list of items for which you’ll either need to acquire or submit proof of. This includes
- Physical (within 12 months)
- Vaccinations (including COVID-19)
- CPR/First Aid/AED training (within 2 years)
- Licensure in the state you will be working (start working on this ASAP- some states, like Washington, are taking over a month right now)
- Drug screening
- Background checks
- And more!
Make sure you keep track of your expenses that are related to your contract. When you’re signing your contract, make sure you check/ask what you can submit for reimbursement! Some things you might want to ask about are:
- License
- Fingerprinting
- Transcript fees
- Background checks
- Transportation costs for interviews
- Transportation costs for relocation
- Continuing education
- CPR/First Aid/AED training
- Any special state certifications required
If you’re interested in travel therapy, my best advice is this: DO IT! If you find out it’s not for you then you can stop after your first contract, no biggie! More than likely though, you’ll love it. I am absolutely loving the facility where I work and I have already gotten to go on so many cool adventures- you can too!