Advice to a novice (or experienced) travel therapist hoping to be successful

When Ellen and I bailed out of our first permanent jobs as physical therapists we had no idea where it would take us.  We left behind friends, steady jobs, and even one clinic ownership offer.  Fortunately we landed in some unbelievable locations and have had experiences that we never dreamed of, but we have definitely had to learn some lessons the hard way along the journey.  Only recently have we begun to feel like we have this “travel PT” thing figured out.  Here is some of the advice we give out to novice travel therapists to help them avoid some of the bumps along the way.  These are also things we still tell ourselves.

Here they are:

• Do good work

When it comes down to it you are responsible for the patient sitting in front of you.  Whether you are in a buzzing metropolis or podunk country town, the person in front of you is searching for help.  They are there because they are hurting or unsafe or weak.  They are seeking for someone to focus only on them and to help them in this moment.  Travelers too easily get caught up in the chatter about the “travel lifestyle” and forget the entire reason why we have these amazing jobs in the first place.  Everywhere we go, we are first there to help people.  Adventures come second.

• It is never as hard, or as easy, as it may seem.

As asinine as this aphorism may initially present it has rung true in countless circumstances in our lives.  Daunting documentation systems that groan and grind along on the not-so-high-speed internet inevitably have their redeeming qualities, just as the skippy cloud based app that text predicts is going to be riddled with its own bugs and glitches.  Managing licenses is intimidating at first glance, but once you get in the groove of things it is actually quite simple.  Flawlessly, at every new job we take, what we initially think is going to be the pits turns out to be a non issue, and our energy will need to be channeled into some completely unanticipated part of the assignment.

This has also become a mantra of sorts for us as we tackle our outdoor adventures.  Whether it is hiking to 14,000ft in the Sierras or running 35mi in the dessert of Arizona, having the foresight to acknowledge that there will be unexpected challenges along the way prepares us in a sense. And on top of that, knowing that there will be portions of the event that will be less painful, less frustrating, only bolsters our efforts further.

• Goals, goals, goals

Always know what your goal is for each assignment.  It will help you enjoy each assignment far more.  Are you chasing a certain bill rate?  Desperate for some Southern California surf?  Need a few months of family time?  All of these are valid needs and if you can place them as your goal, your guiding purpose of a specific assignment, every job will turn out to be a success.  For us we had a goal of living in Alaska for at least 6 months.  So we took the first jobs we could find, made far less than we could have, but in keeping focused on our most important goal the experience turned out to be one of the best adventures of our lives and even extended our contracts out to a full year.

• Recruiters are just doing their job

Yes, your recruiter seems like a great guy or girl… I’m sure they are.  But they are still paid to do a job.  And guess what?  That job is to get you to take an assignment with their company.  Not for you to get rich, not for you to work in a clinic that allows you to grow your specific skill set.  They simply are paid to land your butt in a clinic that they contract with.  At the end of the day it is business.  If it works out, great!  If not, there are tons of other recruiters out there.

We love our recruiter that we have worked with for the last few years.  However, for this past contract his company simply could not place us where we needed to be at this time for our families needs, so we are working with another agency…for now.  Again, it isn’t personal.  It was a business decision. (This is why we always recommend using multiple recruiters)

• Do not read too much advice on being a travel therapist (even from us)

“Traveler, there is no path, the path must be forged as you walk.” – Antonio Machado

One last thing. You can always email us (as many of you have taken it upon yourself to do). We’ve been there. We are still there in many ways. Always happy to help.

By Stephen Stockhausen