fusion travel occupational therapy

Helping therapists find adventure and freedom through travel jobs

Travel OT: The Ultimate Guide

Have you heard about travel occupational therapy (also called Travel OT or travel therapy )? 

Travel OT may sound too good to be true, but it’s not! Travel occupational therapists traverse the United States and work short-term contracts. Yes, you can get paid to travel the country and work. 

If you have an adventurous soul or want to get paid big bucks, travel OT may be for you!

What is Travel OT?

Travel OTs take short-term contracts across the United States, and U.S. territories, for work. Typically, contracts are 13 weeks in length. Travel OTs work in the same places that permanent OTs work, they just do it for less time and switch locations every few months. Popular settings for travel OTs to work include skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), home health agencies, and outpatient clinics. 

Can Occupational Therapy Assistants Travel?

Yes, occupational therapy assistants (COTAs) can absolutely take travel assignments. There are typically fewer jobs available for COTAs, but if you’re flexible with where you work and the setting you work in, there are jobs out there for you.

How do you become a travel occupational therapist?

You do not need any extra certifications or experience to become a travel OT. In fact, you can travel as a new grad OT. Any OT at any point in your career can take travel assignments. 

Here are a few simple steps you can take to become a travel physical therapist:

• Determine why you want to be a travel OT 
• Educate yourself on how to be a travel OT. You can start here with these free online resources or with the premium Guide to Travel Therapy course
• Connect with travel therapy recruiters to help you find jobs
• Search for travel OT jobs directly over travel therapy jobs marketplaces
• Make sure that you’re licensed in any state that you want to work in
• Onboard with a travel therapy staffing agency prior to submitting to jobs
• Submit to jobs that interest you
• Interview for assignments over the phone
• Accept a job offer 
• Credential and do all of the onboarding you need to work the job
• Move to your new location and start your travel OT job!

Where Do You Find Travel OT Jobs?

Travel occupational therapy jobs are plentiful and not hard to find. There are 2 main ways you can search for jobs:

• Connect with a recruiter and review your goals with that recruiter. Let the recruiter know where you want to work, which settings, what kind of money you are looking for, and when your start date is. The recruiter will then communicate with you about open jobs.
• Search for jobs on online platforms and connect with a recruiter based on who has a job. We have a travel therapy job marketplace on this website where you can search. There are many other sites that have job boards as well, such as Nomadicare, Vivian, and Fusion Marketplace.

What Sets Travel OT Companies Apart from Each Other?

There are hundreds of travel therapy companies out there that staff travel OTs. So what makes one company special compared to another? 

In my opinion, the most vital part of a travel OT company is the recruiter that you work with. The recruiter is your advocate, mentor, and agent to get you through the travel therapy journey. Finding a recruiter that you click with is a key part of the travel therapy process.

Next, it’s important that the company you’re working for has the jobs that you want and need. Most travel therapy jobs are MSP (managed service provider) jobs, meaning that most companies have access to the same jobs. However, certain companies will have exclusive contracts with facilities that others don’t have. So, sometimes you need to find a company that staffs in a region or specialty that you’re interested in. For example, AMN has a lot of school jobs. If you’re interested in a school contract, it would benefit you to review jobs with AMN.

Some common travel OT companies include:

• Aureus/Medical Solutions

Travel Occupational Therapy Salary

According to Vivian , in October 2023 the national average for a travel OT salary was $2,027/week. The max weekly pay rate in certain states was over $3,000 a week.

Getting paid as a travel OT is different than what you are used to as a permanent staff OT. When pay is discussed in travel OT, we generally talk about gross weekly pay and NOT hourly pay. Because your pay rate is a combination of an hourly pay rate, and non-taxed weekly stipends for housing, meals, and incidental expenses while you travel. 

Learn more about travel OT pay and understanding travel therapy pay here .

Are there travel jobs for Certified Hand Therapists?

To be brief, yes, there are jobs for certified hand therapists (CHTs). However, they are few and far between. If you specialize in hands and only want to take hand travel jobs, you will not be in luck. Travel jobs tend to be more generalized jobs, such as skilled nursing facilities and home health. Specialized clinics tend not to use travel OTs so much. Having your CHT, or any specialization, is great for your resume and a great way to set you apart from other travel candidates. However, you probably will not find many jobs where you can only work in your specialty. 

What are the pros of travel OT?

• Ability to earn more money while working less time
• Can take unlimited time off in between contracts
• Explore the United States while getting paid to work
• Expand your clinical skills by working in new locations with new patients and peers
• Increase your own personal independence and interpersonal skills 

What are some of the cons of being a travel OT?

• Uncertainty of work and having to constantly find new jobs
• Finding housing on assignments and avoiding internet scammers
• Not having paid time off or other benefits that a permanent job may afford you
• Being alone and away from family/friends
• Needing licensure in each state that you work in

Can I work as a travel OT in Hawaii?

Yes, you can! There are travel OT jobs on all of the major islands in Hawaii. Hospitals, schools, skilled-nursing facilities, home health agencies, and clinics in Hawaii all need occupational therapists and hire travelers to regularly fill their staffing needs. 

I’ve personally worked as a travel SLP on Oahu and Hawaii Island (The Big Island) and have worked with many incredible travel OTs at all of my jobs. My Hawaii jobs were 100% my favorite travel assignments ever. If you have any desire to go to Hawaii to work as a travel OT I HIGHLY recommend it. You can find more resources for Hawaii here: Hawaii Travel Nurse & Therapist Guide .

Conclusions

Travel OT is an incredible opportunity for many therapists. If you think travel occupational therapy could be for you, you’re in the right place. This website is dedicated to providing resources for traveling therapists to succeed on the road. I recommend starting here with these free resources and posts about travel therapy. For longer-form content, check out this YouTube channel . Finally, if you want a step-by-step course to take you through everything you need to know to be a traveling PT, join The Guide to Travel Therapy .

Related posts:

• Travel Therapy Recruiter: The Basics
• How to Find Travel Therapy Jobs
• Is Travel Physical Therapy Right For Me?
• Travel Physical Therapy (Travel PT): The Expert Guide

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

New Grad Medical Travel Guide | Fusion Medical Staffing

October 18, 2023

Megan Bebout

There’s a lot to know when it comes to new graduate medical travel. The transition from student life to learning the ropes of healthcare travel can be as overwhelming as it is exhilarating. That’s why we made this guide to help you get more familiar with the ins and outs of new grad medical travel.

How does med travel work?

Travel requirements for new medical graduates, new grad travel with fusion medical staffing, what to expect as a new traveling healthcare professional.

• ✨ BONUS ✨ Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

New Grad Medical Travel Guide 

There are many  perks to becoming a med traveler . Think high-paying travel nursing or allied health travel jobs, flexible work schedules, job security, and travel adventures across the country. Interested in expanding your healthcare career to include travel? Here’s how medical travel works.

Medical travel consists of healthcare professionals who travel the country to fill staffing shortages in hospitals, clinics, and other facilities. As a traveling healthcare professional, you’ll work with a medical staffing agency like Fusion Medical Staffing and  partner with a travel recruiter  to find the best travel jobs for you. Typically, each travel assignment will last for an average of 13 weeks, however, you may be able to  extend your contract  and stay for longer if you like where you are.

From travel nurses to allied health professionals, medical travel is a great opportunity for you to grow your healthcare career, as well as experience different U.S. destinations.

Now that you’ve graduated, you may be wondering how long you have to wait until you can embark on your medical travel journey. The answer will depend on your healthcare profession, like nursing, therapy, lab, et cetera.

For most therapy allied professionals, you can jump right into the travel life you’ve always wanted as soon as you have your degree in hand. What degree that is will also depend on your therapy career. While physical therapists (PTs) require a doctoral degree, occupational therapists (OTs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) need their master’s degrees. After graduation, PT grads and OT grads can start traveling professionally right away, but SLPs must complete a clinical fellowship year and get certified before traveling.

Related:   How Much Experience Do I Need To Apply for Allied Health Travel Jobs

Nurses, medical lab professionals, and radiology specialists all require at least one year of clinical experience within the last three years before you can add “Professional Medical Traveler” to your business cards. Additionally, no matter what your healthcare specialty is, you’ll have to get the proper certifications and licenses before you can start traveling professionally.

“You want to travel?” asked Fusion travel nurse Mistry. “Great! It’s a really cool way to learn and experience new things. After nursing school, the real learning comes in and you learn how to use those skills to be a nurse. Use that time to sharpen your skills. Travel nursing will still be there when you’re ready!”

Want to start your travel nursing or allied travel career but don't know what to expect? You’re entering a dynamic and rapidly evolving market as a travel nurse or allied health professional. While the demand for travel nurses and allied health professionals remains high, just note that healthcare travel rates have seen a downward shift compared to their peak during the coronavirus crisis.

During the pandemic, the urgent need for medical services resulted in skyrocketing compensation rates for travel nurses and allied health travelers. But as the situation stabilized and the healthcare system gradually returned to normalcy, pay packages have adjusted accordingly. The normalization of rates may seem like a bummer, but the healthcare travel industry continues to offer competitive pay rates for traveling healthcare professionals, especially when you compare it to permanent staff salaries.

You know how med travel works. ✔️ You know the travel requirements for new medical grads. ✔️ Now let’s talk about how you can get your travel career started with Fusion Medical Staffing.

Whether you’re wrapping up your medical degree, are hot and fresh from the educational oven, or have a few days left of your clinical fellowship, Fusion Medical Staffing is here to help you kick off your travel career on the right foot.

When you travel with Fusion Medical Staffing, you gain access to the industry experts on the student outreach team, including  travel therapy mentors  that will help you navigate your way through your first few travel assignments. Fusion Medical Staffing mentors are experienced physical therapy and occupational therapy travelers who are here to answer your questions, calm your nerves, offer advice, and help you perfect your interview skills, among other things.

“My mentor has helped me refine my interviewing skills so that I always have a full and clear picture of what to expect prior to accepting an assignment,” said Fusion Medical Staffing traveler Rachel. “My mentor is also invaluable in helping me navigate other dilemmas while on an assignment. If something didn’t seem quite right, I knew I could ask my mentor and she would guide me.”

Don’t worry if you’re not a therapy traveler — Fusion Medical Staffing has resources for all new medical graduates. As a Fusion Medical Staffing new graduate medical traveler, you’ll have a personal travel recruiter to rely on, as well as the whole clinical team  in your corner. These medical travel experts are like your very own cheerleading squad, inspiring and motivating you through the transition from student life to professional life and beyond.

Mentorship isn’t all Fusion Medical Staffing has to offer to new grads. Even better, Fusion Medical Staffing also provides certified educational unit reimbursement, as well as a new grad bonus of up to $5,000! And that’s not to mention the  general traveler benefits , like day one comprehensive health insurance, 401k investment, and access to the LifeWorks employee assistance program.

Get a strong start to your medical travel career and join forces with Fusion Medical Staffing. Have questions about Fusion Medical Staffing’s new grad travel program? Reach out to [email protected] for more information!

Frequently asked questions

Can new grads be travel nurses.

As a new nursing grad, you’ll need at least one year of clinical experience within the last three years before you can officially hit the road as a professional travel nurse. Travel nursing gives you the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a variety of settings, as well as the chance to explore different parts of the country while getting paid to do what you love.

Browse Fusion Medical Staffing travel nursing jobs  to get an idea of what to expect when your year of waiting is up!

How do I become a new grad travel mentor with Fusion Medical Staffing?

Want to become a therapy mentor for Fusion Medical Staffing? Email  [email protected]  to find out if you’re eligible!

All Fusion Medical Staffing therapy mentors are hand-picked by the student outreach team and each mentor must have extensive knowledge of travel, housing, and specific healthcare settings, as well as IRL hands-on experience. Once picked, mentors are matched with new graduates based on location, work history, setting experience, and availability.

When should I reach out about a new grad travel job with Fusion Medical Staffing?

It’s never too early to start planning your travel career, even if you’re still finishing your degree and medical training. When you feel the travel bug bite, connect with Fusion Medical Staffing via phone, email, or social media — it's up to you!

No matter what field you’re specialized in, life as a new medical graduate is an exciting time. Once you’ve mastered your degree, the next thing to do on your list is gain the necessary experience needed to be the best med traveler you can be. Then, contact your friends at Fusion Medical Staffing (that's us!) and get ready for your healthcare travel journey to begin.

money-saving-tips-for-travel-nurses-and-allied-health-professionals

Ways-to-maintain-work-life-balance-as-a-healthcare-traveler.

• Fusion Medical Staff
• Student Program
• Be the Change
• Online Timecards
• Skills Checklist
• Home Health
• Cardiopulmonary
• Long Term Care
• Healthcare Providers
• Request Staff
• Referral Bonus

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Get in touch.

18881 W Dodge Rd, Suite 300W Elkhorn, NE 68022

877-230-3885 402-925-4425 fax

Fusion Medical Staffing has earned the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval.

Update on the Current Change Healthcare Outage

Click here for Therapy Brands FAQs

See Why Fusion is the Leading Pediatric Rehab Therapy EMR

Trusted by 35k+ Pediatric Therapy Professionals and Growing

Streamline Your Clinic

Save time with Fusion’s fully-integrated and easy-to-use calendar. Automate appointment reminders, track patient documents, and more.

Save time and get paid faster with automated Billing. Our fast and accurate billing system saves you hassle. Manage all payers and process payments without leaving your EHR.

• Documentation

Reclaim your time. Spend less time on documentation and more time taking care of patients. Our smart, flexible content makes documentation fast and convenient.

Build the custom reports you need, designed for your specialty to make informed decisions and act more quickly with enhanced reporting. Make productivity easy.

Video Testimonials

Featured Content

How a Patient Portal Can Benefit Your Pediatric Therapy Practice

Here at Fusion, we recently added a robust Patient Portal feature to our clinic management software suite. It’s a powerful tool that can make a

6 EMR Billing Software Features That Pediatric Therapists Seriously Need

If you’re a pediatric therapist, you need an EMR billing software that is specifically designed to meet the unique challenges you face on a day-to-day

Documentation Tips to Improve Approval Rates for SLP Services

Would you like to write better patient reports that increase the odds your request for speech-language intervention services will be approved? More and more insurers

Free Resources

All of our digital guides, ebooks, and resources for OT, PT, & SLP practices in one place.

Soap Note Kit

Verification Questionnaire

Pediatric Therapy Resource Bundle

Modifier 59 checklist​

Trusted by 36,000+ rehab therapy professionals serving pediatrics and adults, partnered with, 1,000+ practices across the united states, what pt, ot and slp therapists are saying about fusion….

You’ve got enough on your plate already without having to handle the most grueling part of your revenue cycle. We can help with that.

Get a Free Demo!

See fusion in action..

Fusion Web Clinic 150 Executive Center Drive Suite 215 Greenville, SC 29615 [email protected] 864-735-8816

Privacy Questions

• Home Education Platform
• Assisted Billing
• Request a Demo
• Educator Program
• Occupational Therapy Software
• Physical Therapy Software
• Speech Therapy Software
• Pediatric Therapy Software
• How to Write OT Soap Notes
• Occupational Therapy Goal Writing
• National Backpack Awareness Day 2018
• Insurance Billing Course
• Point-of-Service Documentation
• Resource Library
• OT Soap Note Template
• Free Pediatric OT Resources
• Free Pediatric SLP Resources

Fusion Web Clinic 150 Executive Center Drive Suite 215 Greenville, SC 29615 [email protected] 877.418.7217

Compliance Questions

E-mail:  [email protected] Phone: (844) 383-8064 ex 15005

Turn Your Curiosity Into Discovery

• Games and Toys
• Performing Arts
• Visual Arts
• Earth Sciences