Working on the Road - Travel Therapy

A common question I’m asked is how I make money while on the road. We’re always packing up and heading to a new location around the country so I decided to write a little bit about how it all goes down. If you’re a therapist (like me!) or nurse this post may be helpful if you’re thinking of taking the travel plunge, especially in an RV. Or if you’re curious about what I do then hopefully it will be informative!

 

So we’ll start with my job title which is a Speech-Language Pathologist (aka speech therapist). What does that mean? What do I actually do? The best way to sum it all up is I work to prevent, assess, diagnose and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication and swallowing disorders. I can work with children or adults, but I prefer adults which is where most of my experience comes from. I can work in home health, hospitals, outpatient clinics, inpatient rehab centers and nursing homes. I prefer working in nursing homes or with home health, again due to my experience and comfort level. I decided to start working as a traveling speech therapist after I was laid off from my full time position in Pittsburgh. All of my assignments have been in nursing homes and the facilities that usually want a travel therapist either have staffing issues because they are in an extremely rural area, need coverage for maternity or medical leave, or need someone to fill in until a new staff member comes on board. 

 

Now that you know a little more about what a speech therapist does we can talk about these travel assignments I do! When I first decided to do travel therapy I quickly realized there are SO MANY travel companies out there. It’s really hard to know which one to pick so I just googled ‘travel therapy companies’ and started making phone calls. I spoke with recruiters who I either got a great vibe from or I didn’t. The ones I did I saved their information and ended up with 2 recruiters from different companies that I was willing to work with. I learned quickly that it's very common among therapists and nurses to have multiple recruiters because some companies have access to jobs or locations that another may not. While I have worked with both of my companies and had great experiences, I definitely have a preference which is my go-to now. 

 

One of the perks of travel therapy/nursing is you’re not tied down to a job for very long. Even though my recruiter finds me assignments, I’m not bound to work for them all year, only for the duration of that assignment (usually 13 weeks or a school year if you work in a school). When the assignment is over I can either work somewhere else, take a break (for however long I want or can afford), work with another company or never do travel therapy again! 

 

So how do I land these assignments? When I’m ready to work again (i.e. need money!) I let my recruiter know and we typically discuss a specific state I’d like to work in and what setting. Pro tip: It can be really difficult to pinpoint an exact city you want to work in. I’ve heard it’s a little easier for nurses, but for therapists requesting a specific state is about all you can really do and just hope there is something available in a location you like. For this most recent assignment I actually requested New Mexico or Florida as they are both states I hold a professional license in. I was actually told about this current position in Oregon because the new license turnaround would be quick and it was an area my recruiter knew we would love. So my recruiter lets me know of any available jobs looking for a speech therapist in those states and I let him know if I want to be submitted for it or not. If i say yes, he submits my resume and then I wait. Sometimes I hear back very quickly, sometimes a couple weeks later and sometimes not at all. Sometimes the position is filled and my recruiter lets me know it closed and they’re no longer taking applications. Then other times I get a text saying the client wants a phone interview within an hour!

 

 

The phone interviews are usually scheduled and but they can also end up calling at the most random times (like when I’m standing in line ordering dinner from Subway!). The phone interviews are pretty brief, about 10-15 minutes, and you get a feel for the facility, staffing, uniforms, caseload, duration of the assignment, hours and anything else you can think to ask. Usually after the interview I have a good idea of how it went and within 24 hours my recruiter will know if the facility wants to put in an offer to hire me or not. Once they put in an offer we may negotiate a contract and I either accept or decline. If I accept the ball starts rolling…and FAST!

 

For this assignment in Pendleton, Oregon we had just 2 weeks from the time I accepted to my start date. Not much time when you have to get across the country! So first thing that happened was I signed a contract for the 8 weeks the company needed me and also had to work on the tedious task of applying for a Speech-Language Pathology license in the state of Oregon. I also had to do some online company trainings that were required before my start date. 

 

After I handle all things work related, I help Brad with making plans and taking care of what we need to get across the country safely. 

 

First, our vehicles have to be working and in good condition, both the truck and the r-pod. The truck usually goes into the shop for a tune-up and thankfully we do that because twice (this time included) we had a big issue that would have caused major problems while towing across the country. If anything needs fixed in the r-pod (we’ve luckily only ever had to get the air conditioner fixed) we handle that too.

 

 

Second, all things dogs. We learned really fast how important it is to always have updated paperwork and records on our pups. Some RV parks ask for vaccination records and some don’t. We never know who will ask so it’s better to just be prepared. We have been to quite a few vets and used day kennels in almost 10 states so we keep a very organized filing system with all of their records and vaccinations. Each state may have their own requirements for vaccines too (like the flu shot) so we try to get everything we can for all of our dogs. Jason was all updated so before we left this time only River had to finish her vaccines. We also make sure we’re stocked up on food because we don’t like to run around looking for our brand of dog food while trying to travel. 

 

 

Next on the list is mail. We pay for a mail forwarding service in Texas that is great for RVers! It’s a year long membership and we have a specific address and mailbox down there. When we are on the road we forward all of our mail from Pittsburgh to Texas, then the mail service scans it, lets us know by email that we have mail and we can read it from our phones. They hold onto it until we request a shipment of mail and will send a box with all of our stuff  including anything we ordered online or packages! Usually this step requires a few phone calls to make to ensure everything is set up properly (and we’ve definitely made mistakes!). Honestly, we don’t get a ton of mail anymore. All of our bills are automatically debited or managed online which makes everything much easier, but still an important part of our To Do list.

 

Fourth, we have to find a place to live! This can be one of the most stressful parts of the process. We require a full hookup (meaning at our campsite we have water, electric, and are able to dump waste/sink and shower water into a sewage system). We also need a place that's dog friendly. Definitely not required, but helpful, is having laundry facilities within the park - anything else is just a bonus! Usually we start with a google search of places in the area we’re headed to and then make phone calls searching for an affordable monthly rate that meets our basic needs, has availability and is a reasonable distance from work. We really lucked out with the place we are in now in Oregon because usually the town has a huge event in September that sells out all of their RV park spaces, but due to the pandemic had to cancel the event and we found a place only 8 minutes from where I work.

 

Packing is next and pretty much the easiest part of the whole process! We got rid of 80% of our belongings over a year ago so when it’s time to pack we don’t have much. Usually we’re just doing laundry and putting things in their place.

 

In between all of those things I’m usually in close contact with my recruiter updating anything they may need on a daily basis like signing paperwork specific to a job location, possibly shopping to get clothes for whatever uniform they want me to wear, completing online trainings and doing drug tests or getting shots they require.

 

And finally, depending on where we are (this time it was Pittsburgh) we try our best to visit with friends and family before we leave. This is always a challenge to coordinate schedules with everything going on, but we do our best! We never see everyone we want to, but we really try!

 

If you follow our journey on Instagram you may already know that this particular assignment was cut short. It’s part of the lifestyle and with any assignment they can put in my cancellation notice at any time. When that happens the scramble starts all over if I’d like to keep working. My recruiter rocked at finding a replacement extremely quickly and 5 days after my last day in Oregon I’ll be starting a new 12 week assignment in Northern California! And the list of things to do to get ready to leave begins again...

 

After we check off that list it’s time to hit the road! Honestly, we’re really starting to get the hang of everything and are developing a good routine to be as efficient as possible. Working on the road and changing jobs often can be really stressful, but we always say it’s worth it. If we didn’t do this we wouldn’t experience all the beautiful places we’ve already encountered - and for that reason we hope to keep this going for as long as we can!

 

 

 

“The hardest thing about the road not taken is that you never know where it might have led.” - Lisa Wingate