With physical therapy projected to grow 15% over the next decade according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for travel physical therapists is higher than ever. Nomad helps you explore these opportunities, empowering you to earn higher pay, explore new cities, and create meaningful impact on patient lives.

What is a travel physical therapist?

Travel physical therapists (PTs) are healthcare professionals who help patients recover from injury and illness through movement, pain management, and hands-on care. They typically take on 13-week assignments, bringing their essential skills to facilities facing staffing shortages. Ultimately, their goal is to restore function, reduce pain, prevent injury, and promote mobility at every stage of a patient's journey.

According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), physical therapists can work in a wide range of settings such as:

• Hospitals (ranging from critical care to med-surg)
• Outpatient clinics
• Home health and nursing homes
• Schools and workplaces
• Sports and fitness facilities

Like their permanent counterparts, travel PTs work across a wide variety of environments. In these settings, they treat a diverse patient population, from neonatal to geriatric, managing everything from acute post-op orthopedic care to at-home illness recovery. You can see a complete list of conditions treated by travel PTs here.

To ensure you are fully prepared to hit the ground running, Nomad typically requires travel PTs to have at least 24 months of experience in their chosen clinical specialty prior to booking an assignment.

Steps to become a travel physical therapist

The road to becoming a travel physical therapist involves obtaining an advanced degree, passing a national exam, and mastering the logistics of traveling healthcare. Read a detailed overview of the steps below.

1. Earn an undergraduate degree

The first step in becoming a travel physical therapist is to obtain an undergraduate degree. The qualifying degree to be a physical therapist is a doctorate, so you’ll most likely need a bachelor's degree with completed prerequisites to apply. 

According to the APTA, some programs have specific pathways that allow early admission to a doctorate program through the successful completion of set preprofessional courses; even fewer programs may allow direct acceptance from high school pending the completion of specific undergraduate courses.

2. Obtain a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree

Once you earn an undergraduate degree, apply for and get accepted into a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program from a Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)-approved program. Most DPT programs take three years of full-time study to complete.

3. Pass the national exam and obtain your primary license

Once you earn your DPT degree, pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) and comply with your home state's licensing board requirements. Once these two steps are complete, you’ll be fully licensed to practice as a physical therapist!

4. Leverage the PT Licensure Compact

For a travel PT, getting licensed in multiple states is crucial. The PT Licensure Compact is an agreement between participating states that drastically simplifies this process. Instead of applying for a full, individual license in every single state you want to work in, the Compact allows eligible PTs to legally practice in other participating states using a "Compact Privilege." This saves travelers significant time and money.

5. Gain clinical experience

In order to qualify for most travel PT jobs, you’ll typically need at least 24 months of clinical experience in your chosen specialty. Travel facilities expect you to hit the ground running with minimal orientation, which is usually just a few days to learn their specific charting system and facility layout.

Can a new graduate be a travel physical therapist? While it is technically possible and some agencies do place new graduates, it is highly recommended to gain a year or two of permanent staff experience first. Building your foundational clinical skills in a stable environment will make stepping into the fast-paced travel world much safer and less stressful.

6. Consider obtaining a board certification

While certifications aren’t required to become a traveler, they can increase your expertise, solidify your skills, and make you a much more attractive candidate to future employers and facilities. After gaining clinical experience, travel physical therapists can demonstrate their competency by obtaining board certification. The American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties currently offers board certification in 10 specialty areas:

• Cardiovascular and Pulmonary
• Clinical Electrophysiology
• Geriatric
• Neurology
• Oncology
• Orthopaedics
• Pediatrics
• Sports
• Women's Health
• Wound Management

7. Choose a travel platform and build your profile

Once you have the required clinical experience (and any desired certifications), you’re ready to start searching for assignments! Creating a profile with a digital platform like Nomad Health allows you to seamlessly browse travel physical therapy jobs, view transparent pay rates, and apply to facilities across the country all in one place.

8. Complete credentialing and onboarding

Before you can step foot in a facility for your first assignment, you must complete the credentialing process. You will work with a credentialing team to gather all necessary travel documents. This typically includes:

• Active BLS/CPR certifications
• Up-to-date immunizations and TB tests
• Respiratory fit tests
• A recent physical exam
• Background checks and drug screens

Travel physical therapist salary

At Nomad, travel physical therapists earn an average total compensation of $2,140 per week, including stipends. This is significantly higher than the $1,644 weekly average for traditional staff PTs reported by Indeed.

Your earning potential at a glance:

• Average Weekly Pay: $2,140
• Hourly Rate Range: $54 to $88*

Choosing high-paying locations, building your clinical experience, and working in in-demand specialties can boost your overall compensation.

*Based on the average compensation data of travel physical therapists with Nomad as of September 2, 2023.

Types of travel physical therapists

Travel physical therapists take on the exact same vital roles and responsibilities as traditional staff PTs, just with the added flexibility of temporary assignments. Whether you are a generalist or highly specialized, Nomad offers opportunities across 15 distinct clinical categories:

• Cardiovascular
• Clinical Electrophysiology
• General
• Geriatrics
• Home Health
• Lymphedema
• Neurology
• Oncology
• Orthopedics
• Other
• Pediatrics
• Pulmonary
• Sports
• Women's Health
• Wound Management

Travel physical therapist job responsibilities

According to the BLS, the general responsibilities of a physical therapist include, but are not limited to:

• Reviewing patients’ medical history and referrals or notes from doctors, surgeons, or other healthcare workers
• Diagnosing patients’ functions and movements by observing them stand or walk and by listening to their concerns
• Developing individualized plans of care for patients, outlining the patient's goals and the expected outcomes of the plans
• Using exercises, stretching maneuvers, hands-on therapy, and equipment to ease patients’ pain, help them increase their mobility, prevent further pain or injury, and facilitate health and wellness
• Evaluating and recording a patient’s progress, modifying the plan of care, and trying new treatments as needed
• Educating patients and their families about what to expect from the recovery process and how to cope with challenges throughout the process
• Overseeing the work of physical therapist assistants and aides
• Consulting with physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other specialists

Beyond these standard clinical duties, travel PTs take on a few unique responsibilities. Because laws vary by location, you must understand the specific physical therapy practice act, and how it impacts your scope of practice, for every state in which you take an assignment. Additionally, facilities expect travel PTs to hit the ground running, adapting quickly to new environments, charting systems, and workflows.

Skills to have as a travel physical therapist

Succeeding as a travel physical therapist requires a blend of hard and soft skills honed through extensive education, continuing coursework, and hands-on clinical experience.

Hard skills

Core clinical competencies include:

• Deep knowledge of anatomy and physiology
• Understanding pharmacology and pathophysiology
• Manual therapy techniques
• Exercise therapy techniques
• Knowing rehabilitation principles and practices
• Keen assessment skills
• Ability to implement different teaching techniques

Depending on your clinical focus, additional hard skills are often required. For example, ICU travel PTs must know how to safely manage critical medical devices and quickly identify when medically unstable patients are decompensating during interventions.

Soft skills

Because travel PTs constantly navigate new facilities and patient populations, essential soft skills include:

• Cultural sensitivity and awareness
• Time management
• Interpersonal skills
• Flexibility
• Adaptability
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking
• Physical dexterity and stamina

Pros and cons of being a travel physical therapist

While traveling as a physical therapist offers many benefits, it's important to consider the whole picture, especially if you are a first-time traveler. Here is a quick breakdown of the benefits and potential challenges:

Pros

Some of the pros of traveling as a physical therapist include the potential to increase pay, explore new locations, experience new facilities and healthcare systems, and be exposed to new patient populations and clinical situations.

Cons

Some of the cons of traveling as a physical therapist include having to relocate often, having less time to acclimate to new work environments, incurring extra expenses related to traveling, obtaining new licenses, and at times, dealing with loneliness.