User:OnwardOGH/sandbox

Because of the rising need for qualified physical therapists, many healthcare and physical therapy facilities have opted to hire travel occupational therapists. These PTs agree to work temporary assignments, often out of state, to fill an existing staffing void. A typical assignment runs between 8 and 26 weeks, with work weeks consisting of 36-40 hours.

Travel physical therapists typically enjoy much higher wages: $113,500/year for travelers, versus $70,700/year for their permanent-position counterparts. Travel therapists working with agencies will also enjoy benefits such as free housing, health/medical insurance, travel reimbursement, loyalty bonuses, and a 401k plan.

While a common choice, working with an agency is not a requirement; they may also choose to work as an IC (Independent Contractor). In this scenario, the traveling physical therapist retains the fees and profit that the agency would have earned, but they also take on the tasks of managing their own housing arrangements, benefits, taxes, and so on. An IC may also have their pay come in a less consistent fashion -- the delay in pay from their hiring facility can be as much as 45 days.

Travel Physical therapists most commonly enter the specialty at the age of 21-30(43%), or over the age of 50 (22%). Location (49%) and salary (28%) are cited as the biggest draws for travel physical therapists when selecting a position.