3 Reasons You Should Consider Travel Therapy as a New Grad

Whether or not you should pursue travel therapy as a new grad physical therapist, occupational therapist, or speech-language pathologist can be a bit of a contentious topic.

The vast majority of professors and clinical instructors advise students against traveling as new grads, but thats mostly because its the safe suggestion to make to students as a whole. However, its not the right suggestion for everyone. Most of these clinicians have never actually traveled themselves and are making their judgment based on horror stories theyve heard about terrible travel therapy contracts. While there are certainly less than ideal travel therapy jobs out there, these are easily avoidable with proper research and planning. I started traveling as a recent graduate physical therapist eight years ago, and it was one of the best decisions Ive made as a therapist.

Here are three reasons why you should consider pursuing travel therapy as a new grad physical therapist, occupational therapist, or speech-language pathologist.

Becoming a More Well-Rounded Clinician

In my physical therapy school program, I had only three clinical internships. While this certainly gave me a good feel for the profession as a whole, it didnt allow me to try out all of the various clinical settings. It also didnt allow me to learn what to look foror what to avoidin facilities where I would be considering working long term. I thought I knew that I wanted to work as an outpatient physical therapist, but thats mostly because I had two of my three clinicals in outpatient, and it was, unsurprisingly, the setting where I was most comfortable.

In my first two years of traveling as a new physical therapist, I ended up working in nearly every setting. Through these experiences, I found that while I do enjoy outpatient physical therapy, there are other settings that I really like and could be a better fit for me long term. I also learned that all outpatient clinics arent created equally, and that some offer a much better clinical environment and work/life balance.

I also got the opportunity to work with and learn from dozens of different therapists over those first two years, which would have been impossible if Id taken a full-time permanent position right out of school. Learning from so many different clinicians taught me a lot about the profession and gave me valuable insight into the type of therapist I wanted to be and behaviors I wanted to avoid. Getting so much experience in different settings and learning from so many different therapists undoubtedly made me a much more well-rounded clinician.

Finding the Best Fitting Area to Live Long Term

New grad therapists are usually faced with three choices for where to work:

1. Take a job in the area around their grad school where theyve lived for the last few years.

2. Take a job back in their hometown.

3. Risk taking a permanent job in a brand new location they arent sure theyll actually like.

For me, the idea of committing to a permanent position in an area I was unfamiliar with or settling down where I went to school or back in my hometown were all unappealing. I wanted to venture out and explore other areas that I might like more, but I didnt want to be stuck there if it wasnt a good fit. Travel therapy was the perfect solution.

While traveling, Ive been able to try out different areas all over the country to get a feel for whether that area would be somewhere Id want to stay long term but without the commitment that comes with a permanent position.

What I found is that some places I thought Id love I ended up not liking once I was there, and some places where I was hesitant to go, I ended up loving. Its very difficult to get a feel for a location on a trip for a week or two, but after 13 weeks of working in an area, you get a very good idea of whether or not it would be somewhere that you could see yourself staying long term. Getting to try out a variety of locations around the country to determine where you want to settle down is an invaluable benefit that comes with being a recent graduate travel therapist.

Gaining Financial Flexibility

Over the past 20 years, tuition prices have skyrocketed for grad school programs while reimbursement rates for therapists have remained largely stagnant. This means that most new therapists are facing six figures of student loan debt, with most permanent positions paying the same as they did in prior decades. That is a recipe for discontent and the most often cited reason Ive heard from new grads over the years for being disillusioned by the prospects of the various therapy disciplines.

Travel therapy offers recent graduates the ability to take high-paying contracts and get ahead financially compared to their peers who are settling into permanent positions. In my first year traveling as a new grad, I earned double what many of my classmates did who settled down into full-time positions. This gave me much-needed financial flexibility. I was able to choose whether I wanted to pay down my student loans more quickly, save for a house, or make valuable investments early in my careeror a combination of all of these.

After mentoring thousands of new travel therapists over the years, the options that come along with earning a much higher income as a travel therapist is usually the advantage that they value most. It has certainly been life-changing for me over the past eight years.

Is Traveling as a New Grad Right for Everyone?

While these three points make a strong case for considering travel therapy as a new grad, it certainly isnt the right choice for everyone.

While the vast majority of recent graduate travelers Ive mentored over the years dont regret the decision, there are certainly some who arent well-suited to travel as new grads. The junior-professional therapist must be confident in their evaluation and treatment skills, a fast learner, and good communicator. Adapting to new clinics, locations, documentation systems, patients, and coworkers can be daunting for those who are not adequately prepared.

Its also vital to do your research on the travel therapy process before starting. Theres a lot to learn and understand to avoid pitfalls. Almost every travel horror story Ive heard over the years was due to lack of preparation and understanding, which could have been avoided with proper research.

While travel therapy as a new grad isnt for everyone, its certainly worth considering. Gaining financial flexibility and trying out different settings and locationsall while learning from dozens of different experienced clinicians all over the countryis incredibly valuable.