Top 6 Cons of Travel Therapy
Just like everything, there’s the good and then the less than ideal. Travel therapy isn’t always what we see on social media and that’s okay. But it’s best to fully understand the “less than ideal” so you have a realistic view when starting out as a traveler.
1. Constant Change
Travelers take 3-6 month assignments, which means you'll be on the move. Uprooting every 3-6 months and resettling can be a steady source of change. You'll be finding a new place to live, meeting new coworkers, learning a new EMR, learning a different workflow, maybe learning a new therapeutic setting, making new acquaintances, and settling into a new routine (where to shop, buy gas, bank, etc.). Just to name a few! Not many people enjoy this much change. The first 2-4 weeks of a travel assignment are usually the hardest, but if you're prepared, you'll have the mindset and confidence to push through it. So our number one piece of advice is to give yourself a 2-4 week grace period at a new assignment. Changes require time to acclimate. First-time travelers should plan for 4 weeks. If you've completed several assignments already, 2 weeks is usually enough. Add 1 additional week if you have to learn a new therapy setting, are a new grad, or have a shorter than 1 week onboarding/orientation. These are simply framework rules. Each situation is different and may require more or less of a grace period.
2. Undesirable Clinics
On rare occasions, you'll end up at a bad facility/clinic/hospital. Terrible facilities exist whether we like it or not. Plus, if you change therapy clinics every 3-6 months, you increase your odds of landing at a substandard facility. If you're in an unpleasant circumstance or something seems "not normal" or unethical, call your travel recruiter. Good recruiters will support and defend you if a facility doesn't provide the resources you need to practice ethically as a therapist. Good and trustworthy recruiters are necessary for this reason. Another alternative is to give 14-30 days notice (depending on your contract) to stop the contract early. Unethical behavior by the clinic will cancel your contract and allow you to leave. Again, ask your recruiter how to manage the bad circumstance. During this moment, they should be your support. In all our years of travel, we've never had to leave a job early owing to "poor facilities." That being said, it’s good to be aware of this rare con. Asking specific questions at the interview with the institution/clinic/hospital before signing a contract has helped us avoid being assigned to an unsuitable facility. We won't take an assignment if a clinic raises red flags in this interview. Be sure to watch our video here on the 10 Must Ask Interview Questions.
3. Canceled Assignments
As discussed earlier, as a traveler you can put in a 14-30 day notice to end an assignment early, depending on your contract, however the facility can give you the exact numbered day notice. Again, rare, but be prepared. During our years of traveling, we’ve only had one assignment end a month early because the rural mountain hospital finally hired a physical therapist after a 2-year search. The funny part was that it only ended Megan’s contract and so I (Ryan) had to work an extra month while Megan enjoyed the beauty of the mountain valley town we were living in. Needless to say, she didn’t mind the time off!
4. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) / Leaving Family & Friends Back Home
This is probably Megan and I’s biggest con of travel therapy. We hate that we can’t bring our family and friends along with us as we travel and at first it was very hard to miss events back home like birthdays and routine “get togethers”. Over the years, we’ve learned to set time aside to come back for major holidays or events that we value even if it might not be the most financially savvy situation. One of our favorite ways to combat the downside of missing family and friends is we’ve invited them out for adventures near our assignment locations like Thanksgiving at the Grand Canyon, multi-day camping trip at Glacier National park, and enjoying wine country in Washington. It’s best when you can take a con and spin it into an opportunity for lifelong memories with your family and friends.
5. Finding Housing
Finding temporary housing several times a year can be stressful and unpleasant. Accommodation alternatives are countless and largely depend on your preferences (rent a room in a house, a complete apartment, several rooms, etc.) and how much money you have available for housing. When accepting a travel assignment in or near a big city, it can be difficult to locate reasonably priced housing, whereas rural areas will have more affordable options, albeit fewer of them. In order to escape some of the drawbacks of housing, Megan and I initially made the decision to live full-time in our RV. However, the "RV Life" has its own difficulties, which we discuss here: TRAVEL THERAPY in an RV: Should You Do It? | Travel PT Couple Share About Full Time RV Living
6. Licensing & Paperwork
To practice therapy when you travel to another state, you need a professional license from that state. State-by-state variations in the licensing procedures mean that processing times might range from two weeks to more than three months. The best person to offer you an estimate of how long it might take a state to process your paperwork is your travel recruiter, especially if they recently helped another traveler obtain a license in that state. In addition to the various timelines, the actual paperwork accumulation can be quite laborious and requires the following: a state license application (plus a fee), a background check, fingerprinting, references, state license verification from every previous state you've held a license with, verification of your scores from the national therapy exam, professional degree verification from your school, and a jurisprudence exam over state laws relevant to your line of work. Some jurisprudence tests necessitate taking them in person at designated testing centers. Because every state is unique, be sure to carefully investigate the state's website. The compact license for each profession has also changed the game, but not all states have joined in and each compact licensure is currently in a different stage of adoption.
If you missed our Travel Therapy Benefits article, read it here for the Top 10 Pros!
Which Pros & Cons of travel therapy do you think about most frequently? Let us know below! 👇
- Written by Dr. Ryan J. O’Rear, PT, DPT
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