What is a traveling PT anyway?

As many of you know, I am a traveling physical therapist. The question that some of you may have though is "What exactly is a traveling physical therapist?" I thought I would take the time today to explain what a traveling PT is and how I decided to become one. While I was still in school, I did internships/clinicals at a variety of settings. Occasionally, I would see either traveling PTs or OTs (occupational therapists), and I started my inquiry to how the process worked. On my final internship, there was an OT traveler and I was able to ask her many questions about her company and how it worked. I also spoke with several other people and traveling companies, and came to the conclusion that it would be in my best interest to work for a year at one place, then decide about traveling. So, I worked at Cape Fear Valley Health System to get my feet wet in the world of real PT (because trust me, there is a difference between being a student and a real PT, accountable for your own decisions and not having a clinical instructor to run everything by). I still knew that I wanted to be a traveler, so I began looking into the system. There are multiple companies who actually contract out traveling PTs (and other health professionals such as nurses, respiratory therapists, radiology technicians, etc), so I made a list and started the calls. What I found out is that most of the companies are pretty much the same, with slight variances between them. The difference between them is who your recruiter is, and how hard they are willing to work to make your desires come to light. After much debate, I decided to work with Platinum Select Staffing. I chose them primarily because I knew the OT at my internship who had used them for years and she was very pleased with her choice.

Now, getting to how the actual process works. I have my recruiter, August, and although he and I have never met in person, we have spoken on the phone multiple times. The entire process begins by me calling my recruiter and telling him where I want to go (for example: St. Thomas, Chicago, Charlotte, etc.) and he does the footwork into finding me a job and sending the options so that I can make my choice. Platinum Select also helps me with getting my PT license for the state that I'm going to and help me find short-term, furnished housing. Also, Platinum Select offers a benefit package, including health insurance and a 401K program. I hope that this helps in learning a little information about traveling and how my job works!