Reader Questions About Travel PT:

Round 1

So recently I received a list of questions from a reader who is interested in travel PT.  This is by no means the first reader to send us a list of fantastic questions. So in honor of YOU our amazing readers, this is the first edition of Reader Questions About Travel PT: Round 1

This particular reader has yet to travel, but is planning to do so within the year.  He is married to a non-medical professional who has the opportunity to (fairly) easily find employment in new cities every few months.  He is highly skilled and qualified, and has been practicing for many years.  And he also will travel with his dog.

His questions are by no means uncommon. Here are those questions, along with my answers:

1. How does licensing work in different states?    

There is quite a bit to unpack here, so here is the quick and dirty:

Depending on which state you are initially licensed in there is a possibility that you could qualify for the PT Compact License.  That info is found here.  

Most likely you do not live in one of these states.  What we do and recommend to others is to pick 1-3 states that you foresee yourself going to in the near future, and obtaining a “license by endorsement”.  Each state is different in its requirements.  Some have jurisprudence exams that are open book, some require going to a testing center (CA and AZ).  Some states are faster moving than others as well.  Anything from 6 weeks to 6 months is possible (1-2 months seems most common in PT).  

We use the FSBPT site aPTitude to track CEUs for different states and it works shockingly well.  They even coordinate with some states so you do not have to send in all of your silly certificates.  They will do it all for you.  

2. How far ahead can we plan contracts?  My wife would need to plan ahead for her work.

Most of the time you can plan ahead around 2 months.  Honestly, you are going to have to build a pretty strong relationship with your recruiter to have a run out longer than 2 months.  Most jobs pop up and fill within 4 weeks.  We have had jobs set up 2 months in advance, but we also have a good relationship with our recruiters and only set these types of contracts up with companies we had worked for in the past.  Because they knew us, they were willing to wait for us to come out.  

3. How much of an issue will it be to find places to stay that will allow our 60 pound dog?

Our 2 dogs are 60 lbs as well! Finding housing is a bit more of a hassle but it really is not bad.  Some states consider anything over 40 lbs “large,”  but thus far we have landed some really awesome spots and they were not terribly expensive. We prefer using Craigslist for finding our own housing, but other options are spelled out in our free E-book here.  

4. Is there a radius we need to stay outside of our permanent resident to receive the housing stipend?

OK, this is a HUGE misconception in the industry.  There is no such thing as a set radius away from your tax home that you have to live in order to get the stipend.  The #1 KEY is that you live so far away that you have “duplicate expenses.”  Meaning, it is not a commutabel distance.  

One example shared at TravCon was of a PT living 30 mi. from his old residence and collecting the tax free stipend.  He was audited due to the close proximity.  However, he was living in NYC and to commute the 30 mi. was 3 HOURS each way!  He won the case. 

Be sure you keep a paper trail of paying rent or a mortgage back home, and then pay for your housing while out on the road.  Do those things and you should be OK.  You also could just call the folks at traveltax.com and they will help you out.  They are a great resource. 

5. What are the medical insurance costs like, and how are the benefits, and do they cover preexisting? (My wife has a medical condition and her meds are not cheap)

So each recruiting agency has a different health insurance policy.  The recruiters I hooked you up with all have good insurance plans.  We have been on them, had a baby on COBRA (which is the same as being on one of these plans but paying the full premium ourselves), and now are all still on one family plan through our recruiting agency.  We have even switched back and forth since the birth of our little one.  For the most part, the good companies will have some affordable options that should cover all of your bases. 

Also, many agencies have 401K plans you can participate in with varying levels of employer match programs.  There are even agencies that will send you to an all inclusive resort if you take a certain number of contracts with them.

Comparing the benefits to perm jobs, I’d say it is about even.  My 401K options are more limited as a traveler (of course we also have separate IRAs that we personally manage), but health care seems to be better (we worked perm jobs for small private practice clinics with crappy health benies).

6. What happens if I am ill during a contract?

Good question.  So if you are sick and call off of work you will not get paid…Bummer huh?   Many times, setting dependent, you can pick up shifts on the weekends to make up.  For example: Ellen and I are working this coming Sunday because we are flying out of town at the end of the week and would miss work Friday.  That way we get our 5 days worked (5 per diems) and any hours in between.

Some agencies offer PTO or sick time, but Id be careful with signing a contract with either.  Often times that money is coming from somewhere, and most often it is out of your pocket.  If you don’t use it you might lose it…just be careful.

Another thing to think about is that if you have a 40 hour guarantee and the clinic is low census, sending you home early, you will still get paid.  And for the full day.

7. Is there one of the preferred recruiters you sent me that you would recommend the most?

Honestly I use 3 because they all have different aspects of their personalities that work well with different travelers.  We have written about using multiple recruiters and why (also HERE) and HIGHLY recommend you picking at least 2 to work with. 

 

Hope you all were able to find one or two questions in there that pertain to you and your situation.  Please, feel free to shoot us a message through this site or simply email us at: OurPTAdventures@gmail.com

Hope to hear from you soon!

 

Written by: Stephen Stockhausen PT, DPT, OCS