Traveling Physical Therapy

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lovePT

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Hi Everyone

I'm 2nd year PT student and have few questions about traveling PT.

1. What is/was your experience about traveling? What do you like or dislike about it?

2. Regarding health insurance, when you are between assignments, do you still have the health insurance through your company or does it stop?

3. Do you recommend new grad doing traveling PT in the first year?

4. what company do you recommend to sign with?

Thank you

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Hi Everyone

I'm 2nd year PT student and have few questions about traveling PT.

1. What is/was your experience about traveling? What do you like or dislike about it?

Traveling PT is a good option for those people who don't have a family, would like to earn more money, and aren't sure exactly on practice area they prefer or haven't found a company they're sold on for the long haul. Likes: more money, limited commitment, more exposure/experience. Dislikes: travel company's are all the same and only want you to sign on the dotted line, many travel oportunities are bad situations so you have to be careful where you agree to go.

2. Regarding health insurance, when you are between assignments, do you still have the health insurance through your company or does it stop?

Often times the travel company will keep you insured as long as you're working with them on subsequent assignment, probably 2wks + between contracts.

3. Do you recommend new grad doing traveling PT in the first year?

I did it. It's a nice way to explore different areas of PT and the country

4. what company do you recommend to sign with?

It really doesn't matter. Use your best judgement.

Thank you
Also,

Do NOT put your resume on common websites (unless you want 10 phone calls for the next month +). Understand your options in outpatient ortho will be limited. Primary needs are in SNF/hospital. Be open minded and sort of accept what you're offered to a point because if you hold out for what you really want, it won't work out.
 
I'm interested in travel-PT as well. However, none of my mentors recommended doing it until after I had at least a year of experience under my belt. One of them stated that he was thrown into some really busy, hectic, under developed sites and that can be very overwhelming to a new grad.
 
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Hi Everyone

I'm 2nd year PT student and have few questions about traveling PT.

1. What is/was your experience about traveling? What do you like or dislike about it?

2. Regarding health insurance, when you are between assignments, do you still have the health insurance through your company or does it stop?

3. Do you recommend new grad doing traveling PT in the first year?

4. what company do you recommend to sign with?

Thank you

LovePT,


I am a new graduate May 2012 and began traveling right out of the gait (graduated on the 18th, started my job the 21st). Honestly, I absolutely love the job. My favorite part about being a traveling PT is meeting all the new people, seeing vastly different parts of the country, the challenge, and learning from your new coworkers. The parts that I guess you could list as "dislike" would be that you have to be on your game when you show up for the first week or two. Travelers are hired because there is a definite shortage of therapists...so you need to hit the ground running. Making a great first impression is essential to starting everything off on a good foot. Because of that, it can be a challenge sometimes, but really it is exactly like showing up for a clinical.

Any reputable travel company should provide insurance, but it often doesn't start until mid way through the first month traveling with them. It will normally carry over for 2 week after one assignment before the benefit is dropped. If you start another assignment within those 2 weeks then insurance continues and there is no lapse of coverage. I have heard of some travelers getting their own health insurance and making sure that the travel company give you reimbursement for it (equal to what they would be paying) that way you don't go without. This is useful if you plan on switching between several travel companies or if you take more than 2 weeks between assignments.

New graduate travelers are, in my opinion, the best type of traveler. We have limited ties, have just finished multiple rotations so we are used to picking up new documentation formats quickly, and we are more flexible then a PT that has worked in one setting for a long time. With that said though, a good new graduate traveler must be confident, competent, personable, and flexible. If you have those characteristics then you can definitely do the job! Just remember, you are only competent when you graduate...becoming an expert simply takes time and experience. Let your company and the client (hospital or clinic) know that and you will do just fine!

Traveling companies are extremely abundant and because of that the review for them are difficult to find sometimes. What I did when starting was I had a multipart interview process that I made the travel companies complete for me! (I interviewed them, not the other way around!). Through this I widdled down to 3 companies and ultimately went with Aureus Medical. I will definitely be working with them for a long time to come. They have been outstanding with keeping in touch, checking in on how things are going, getting my back if a situation arises. Plus their pay, reimbursement, housing, and other benefits are the best overall package that I have seen. And they operate over all 50 states...definitely aiming for Hawaii later!

There is sooooo much to know about being a traveler and the in and outs of the whole thing. I opened a website www.ThePTtraveler.com to give people like you a uncensored look at what it is like to be a traveling physical therapist, as well as a new graduate PT! Definitely check it out as I have tons of information on there and will answer any question honestly in my Q and A section!

www.ThePTtraveler.com
Facebook: The PT Traveler
Twitter: The_PT_Traveler

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qko3JrmhIj0[/YOUTUBE]

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think!
 
Nick, thank you for your post. I haven't had a chance to look at the YouTube video yet, but will do so when I have more free time (several exams this coming week!).

I have been researching travel companies for some time. From what I have seen so far, Aureus seems to have mixed ratings: some PTs/RNs love it, others hate it. Below is an excerpt of a post from a PT on another forum. Did you come across the same items in your contract with Aureus? Thanks for any insight.

==========================================
..I'm a PT who was offered a 13 week assignment through Aureus Medical (...). .I declined it partly due to strange things in the contract like "Reduced Hours Fee," early termination penalties, and questions about my medical history...
.

.Can the experienced travelers please tell me. . . are these things typical? (...).. .Here are the details:.

.1)" Reduced Hours Fee": This basically means that if you miss 8 hours of work (due to being sick, having a family emergency, or any other reason) you not only miss getting paid for that 1 day, but you also have to pay them a penalty for $16.75/hr x 8 hours = $134. So if your taxed wages are $25/hr, then you miss out on 1.67 days of pay for being sick 1.0 days..

.2) Early Termination Penalties: They don't call it this but they also have clauses in the contract that say if your assignment ends early and this causes them to occur extra fees on the rental car, the therapist has to pay these..

.3) Medical History..: Before you accept the job in their online format, you have to disclose if you have ever had any workers comp injuries and if you have ever had any work restrictions due to health reasons. If you say yes to any of this, they want a detailed explanation ..(probably so they can retract the job offer, I assumed)..
============================================
 
LovePT,

Traveling companies are extremely abundant and because of that the review for them are difficult to find sometimes. What I did when starting was I had a multipart interview process that I made the travel companies complete for me! (I interviewed them, not the other way around!). Through this I widdled down to 3 companies and ultimately went with Aureus Medical. I will definitely be working with them for a long time to come. They have been outstanding with keeping in touch, checking in on how things are going, getting my back if a situation arises. Plus their pay, reimbursement, housing, and other benefits are the best overall package that I have seen. And they operate over all 50 states...definitely aiming for Hawaii later!

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think!

I won't ask specifically about pay, but if you have friends that went there with you can you give a range that you have heard about? Going online there are only bad reviews for everyone (meaning the companies)
I will ask though, about reimbursement, housing, and other benefits. What specifically do you like best? I realize this thread is kind of old so maybe you have some new insights 3 years later. What's their housing like? reimbursement for groceries/"living expenses"?

Thanks!
 
I won't ask specifically about pay, but if you have friends that went there with you can you give a range that you have heard about? Going online there are only bad reviews for everyone (meaning the companies)
I will ask though, about reimbursement, housing, and other benefits. What specifically do you like best? I realize this thread is kind of old so maybe you have some new insights 3 years later. What's their housing like? reimbursement for groceries/"living expenses"?

Thanks!

That user hasn't been on these forums since 2012.
 
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