More Mid-Career Physical Therapists Choosing Travel Therapy Jobs

Traveling physical therapy jobs have seen consistent growth over the past few years, and in that time the reasons that PT's are choosing travel therapy have grown more diverse as well.  Career consultants at American Traveler Allied have seen an increase in the number of  mid-career professionals seeking to broaden their experience in a variety of clinical settings.

“Whereas at one time many therapists used to sign up for short-term travel therapy jobs because they wanted to visit family, friends or just see the country – which is still the case, more now are looking at physical therapist travel in terms of professional development,” said Beth Beam, Regional Manager of Business Development  for American Traveler Allied.

With U.S. News reporting the highest paid therapy jobs in Texas and California - and with Florida, Arizona, New York and New Jersey close behind, said Beam, the time is right for practitioners to get experience working with diverse patient populations as healthcare reform enters into law. The recently enacted Affordable Care Act includes numerous provisions explicitly intended to reduce health disparities based on ethnicity and race.

In addition to having the increasingly-important doctoral degree in Physical Therapy, physical therapists are expected to possess cross-cultural communication skills. Beam notes, "Higher salaries will go to top educated therapists and those who can communicate effectively with all types of patients. Practitioners raised and educated in the U.S. now need to think in terms of treating naturalized citizens from India, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America as part of their duty as a practicing therapist."

More insight into the recent growth in physical therapy travel jobs »