You might have heard the term “travel therapist” or “traveling healthcare” or “travel therapy” and wonder what it all means. So let’s talk about what is travel therapy. And, how does it allow you to be paid to travel around the US?
Did you know that as therapist in America you can be paid to travel across the country working temporary jobs that last around 13 weeks each? YUP. In this post, I’m going to teach you how to work in travel therapy.
I worked travel therapy jobs across the country, from New England to California to Hawaii, for over 15 years. I was always surprised by one of the biggest questions I get as a traveling SLP. And that’s, “Julia, how do I know if I would enjoy working in the travel therapy industry?” If this is something you’re currently nodding your head to, thinking the same thing, then read this post next! It’ll help you determine whether or not you’d be perfect to work in travel therapy.
And in the meantime, we’re going to talk more about how to work in the travel therapy industry in America.
How to Work in the Travel Therapy Industry in The United States
Travelers in healthcare have been vital to our healthcare marketplace in America for years. The need for people to travel in the healthcare industry is cyclical and varies geographically and by occupation. Travel therapists are usually needed in understaffed settings and require highly-trained professionals while they restaff or make permanent hires.
It’s typical for a travel job to last for 13 weeks and these jobs usually come with a stipend for short-term housing during that time.
Read more about “What is Travel Therapy”
- How to Become a Travel Therapist
- The Ultimate Travel Therapy Guide to SLPs
- The Ultimate Travel Therapy Guide for PTs
- The Ultimate Travel Therapy Guide for OTs
- Connect with an AMN Recruiter
- Understanding Travel Therapy Pay Rate
- How to Find Short-Term Housing for 13-Week Assignments
- How To Find Health Insurance as a Travel Therapist
- Ultimate Packing List Download.
How Do You Find a Travel Therapy Job?
The most common way to find work as a traveling healthcare professional is through an agency. These agencies are the first to know when a hospital or care center has a need, and they’ll pull from their pool of professionals to fill the spot.
Travel therapy companies include:
- AMN Healthcare
- CoreMedical Group
- Aya Healthcare
- Aureus Healthcare
- Pioneer Healthcare
- CompHealth
- CrossCountry Travcorps
- Fusion MedStaff
While there are plenty of recruiting agencies to choose from, they’re not all created equal. They offer different benefits and serve different parts of the country. Some will also be geared toward a specific industry such as traveling nurses or travel therapists.
If you don’t want to sort through all of those agencies to find a recruiter, I have a recommendation for you. My favorite recruiter, Kalie, is working with new travelers. You can connect with here below.
How to Get Your License for Different States
Did you know that once you graduate as a nurse or therapist, your license doesn’t automatically allow you to work in any state? You’re going to have to apply for a license to work in most states, and while the process is usually pretty straightforward, some states are harder than others to obtain.
For example, if you want to get your therapist license in Hawaii, you’ll visit the speech-language pathology board website for the state of Hawaii, and so forth for every state, you plan to apply or work in. Like I said, each state has slightly different requirements, so make sure to check their official website!
I recommend only getting the license for the state that you’re looking for a job in. Because these licenses aren’t free and you’re going to have to renew many of them if you want to keep them.
Licensing requirements for each state usually involve:
- An application (paper or online)
- Paying the application fee
- A background check
- References and verification from other states where you’re licensed
- Verification of your passing scores for your original national exam
- Verification from your school where you earned your professional degree
- Fingerprinting, and/or a jurisprudence exam (which is a test on the laws for practicing in that state).
Will Your Recruiting Company Help with Licensing?
I get asked by a lot of travelers if their recruiting company will help them get licensed in a new state, or if they pay for them to get the license, in order to get the job they’re recruiting you for… The answer is sometimes…
Recruiting companies can and sometimes will help you with the process, but usually, you are going to have to do most of the work upfront. Then you can get reimbursed for fees later.
In some cases, usually, if you’re already a current traveler with a company, they can help you with the process by taking care of some of the initial steps and fees upfront. But normally this isn’t the case unless you already work with them. So plan on needing to do this step first.
In my opinion, the biggest headache when it comes to working as a traveling speech-language pathologist is getting licensed in various states. I found that AMN Healthcare offered wonderful assistance to me when applying for new state licenses. I highly recommend working with Kalie and her team at AMN.
Additional Resources to Work in Travel Therapy
I hope this post has given you some insight into what it’s like to work in traveling healthcare in America, but my advice and support don’t end here. I’ve worked as a traveling SLP for over 15 years now and I have learned a lot over the years about health insurance, housing, packing and so much more.
Really it’s very exciting as a physiotherapist I want to be a travel therapist atleast once in my lifetime.
Hey! I just stumbled into your website. I’ve heard if traveling nurses and physical therapist but not therapist.
I am very interested in traveling as an addiction therapist. Do you know any placement companies?
No, I don’t. I’m a speech therapist and specialize in speech, physical, and occupational therapy placements.