6 Steps to Start Travel PT in 6 Months
When we first were contemplating making a monumental career move by plunging into the travel physical therapy world, we felt totally and utterly overwhelmed. As I am sure many of you pondering the same transition are.
So many moving pieces. So many options. So many potential screw ups. Even the excitement of so many potential adventures is flustering!
Don’t worry. It is not as challenging as it may seem.
Having blindly battled through our own trepidation and missteps we came out on the other side perfectly fine. Even better than fine actually. Super stoked for more and more Adventures!
When all of the craziness of transitioning your career into travel therapy boils down, 6 key steps remain. Following the 6 steps ANY therapist can make a smooth slide start travel PT, and all in 6 months or less!
*Stay tuned next week for the much abbreviated version – 3 steps to travel in 3 months… crunch time!
6 Steps to Start Travel PT in 6 Months
1. Find Recruiters
Time Line: 5-6 months out
Goal: 2-4 reliable recruiters to work with.
Working with the right recruiter is absolutely key to beginning your travel career. Nothing sets the tone for your new travel therapy lifestyle like your first contract. For Ellen and I, we had an amazing experience with a dynamic recruiter who was patient with us when she needed to be and encouraging/motivating when we doubted ourselves. She put our needs first and never pressured us into any contracts or jobs that we were uncomfortable with. In contrast, we have also worked with recruiters who were misleading and unreliable – we have never worked for their companies again.
Working with recruiters is so important we have written about it HERE, and HERE, and were even asked by WebPT to write about it HERE. And other blogs reflect the same frequency. This is an important step.
Finding a good recruiter all by its self is a challenging task. We have our Recommended Recruiters List that we pass on to our readers should they be interested. But in all honesty these are only a small handful of the quality recruiters that can be found throughout the industry. Try to work with a few recruiters from different agencies. It will widen your job possibilities and give you some leverage in negotiation.
2. Obtain Licenses
Time Line: 4-6 months out
Goal: 1-2 new state licenses
The reason finding a recruiter is #1 is that they have their fingers directly on the pulse of the industry. They can guide you to what states are “hot” for PT, OT, SLP travelers. Sure, you can go ahead and get that California license now. It seems most travelers end up there at some point in their careers due to the incredible market demand and high pay. However, there are many other states that might fit your needs and personality better, and your recruiter will be able to advise you to pursue that specific license.
This process can take a few months depending on how slow the state therapy board is at processing and approving applications. Begin this as soon as you can to ensure you’ll be licensed by your anticipated interview and/or start date.
3. Quit Current Job
Time Line: 1-3 months out
Goal: A graceful and professional exit
Now “quit” might be a bit too abrupt of a term, but at some point you need to inform your current employer that you will be departing. In my situation I was working for a small outpatient clinic in a rural Colorado town. I knew that finding a manual therapy trained clinician willing to move to that area might take a while. I was sensitive to that and made every attempt to give my employer ample notification. They knew more than a year in advance that I had been contemplating travel, for a brief time in my career at least, and I gave them official notification three months before our planned start date.
Be professional and do the right thing. Give your employer the professional courtesy of at least 30-60 days to allow for them to find your replacement. The permanent job market is quite different from the travel one. It is expensive and time consuming to find a new team member. Give 30 days at bare minimum, and 60 days is more ideal for most clinics to make a solid hire.
-New Grad PTs you get a pass for this one.
4. Narrow Locations
Time Line: 2-3 months out
Goal: 2-3 towns that you are super stoked to live in/near
Once you have your new license in hand, or hopefully in the works, you can begin to narrow down locations for your new and exciting career.
Ell and I go for the shot gun approach. We ask our recruiters to send us lists of ALL of the jobs in a specific state and a specific setting (ie. All home health jobs in Washington state). We then go on Google Maps and plug-n-chug each job location. Researching the area, housing, cool towns nearby, trails, dog parks, etc. This method has worked well for us, especially as a travel team. That way we can isolate two jobs in nearby towns that are within a reasonable commute to one another and possibly find housing in between.
Another approach is to have your recruiter peruse the jobs and select a few that they think will fit your desires best. Some travelers really like this. We have found that being outdoor lovers who often spend our free time exploring mountains or trails in tucked away areas of each state, it is best if we do the sorting. Plus, it is our experience that most recruiters are terrible at geography!
5. Submit for jobs/Interview
Time Line: 4-6 weeks out
Goal: Job Offer
Now that you have a couple of cool towns lined up it is time to have your recruiter submit your for the position. After your recruiter submits you for a job you will field an interview, likely by phone, within the next few days. From there the it is simple. Rock out the interview and wait to hear back from your recruiter that they have extended the position to you.
If you have not already, read these articles on improving your job potential and interview tips. Also, our e-Book goes over these in much greater detail, found HERE.
One word of caution: You cannot have two recruiters from different agencies submit your for the same job. You will automatically be eliminated from the job pool.
6. Negotiate Contract
Time Line: 4-6 weeks out
Goal: A job and pay rate that you are super excited about
Contract negotiation is something that takes time to be comfortable with. To be honest, I do the negotiating for our contracts as Ellen is not as comfortable with the awkwardness of the whole ordeal. It is always uncomfortable pushing for more money or specific days off, but you never get anything without trying for it first.
Our blanket advice for everyone is to negotiate for slightly higher than what is offered by your recruiter. There is nearly always some wiggle room for them to toss more in your direction. However, there is definitely a limit to this. You must keep in mind that any money your recruiter pays you must first come from the clinic you are about to go work for. Outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, and even some hospitals have tight reins on what they can offer for employees. So keep in mind that their limit might truly be their limit.
Negotiation happens to be one of the areas we are fairly well known for in the travel physical therapy community, so reading our posts on making more money (1, 2, and especially 3), or downloading the eBook will give you some great guidance going into your first few negotiations.
BAM! There you go. 6 steps in 6 months to start travel PT! You did it!
Travel physical therapy is one of the most exciting and rewarding lifestyles that a physical therapists can embrace – both for building clinical skills and for adventure. Sure, the initial leap may be daunting, but the ride is totally worth it in the end!
Enjoy!
Written by: Stephen Stockhausen
