Q: What are the pros and cons of travel therapy?
A: There are definitely pros and cons to every decision that you make in life. Career choices can impact your life for the good and bad.
It’s important to understand that everyone’s situation is different from one another. So, some pros I list will be someone else’s con. Ultimately, it is your decision to determine if travel healthcare is right for you!
We’ll start with the pros:
- You make more money. I have spoken to therapists transitioning to travel healthcare that have talked to me about their salary. I have discovered that a lot of travelers out there are making $200-$300 more per week over full-time employees. That’s nearly $1,200 more per month!
- You can see areas you never dreamed you could. The travel healthcare lifestyle can help you achieve your bucket list items. Yes, you could achieve the same by going on vacation. But, in what other career can you go on a working vacation for three months at a time? That gives you so much time to see sites and meet great people!
- You can experience different settings. There are some amazing facilities out there that are willing to train new therapists or to help transition therapists into a new setting. In travel healthcare, you don’t have to settle in one setting for your entire career. You can become more of a well-rounded therapist.
- You make a difference. Many patients risk not getting treated at some of the facilities across the country. Travel healthcare workers help them get the coverage they need when taking an assignment. At the end of the day, you can go home knowing you helped someone!
Now, the cons:
- Onsite mentors are not always available. If you really need an onsite mentor, travel healthcare may not be the best thing for you. A lot of facilities need someone to be up and running after a few days of orientation. Although, many facilities have other therapists there to help answer questions. One thing a few companies have done to help is create an external program that pairs you with a seasoned therapist to help with questions.
- Consistency of positions. Generally we can help you continuously find jobs one-after-another. However, if you are only looking in one city all of the time, the results won’t be so great. So, the best travelers who continuously work should be flexible!
- Loneliness. No matter how much you love to travel, there will be a moment where you miss home a lot. Consider this before going across the country. Perhaps try to stay within the same state or a neighboring state to start!
What is the biggest pro or con to you? Comment below!