Back Traveling

Just starting out as a traveler? Traveling questions or experiences to share? Here's the place.
Mel2Travel
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:51 pm

Back Traveling

Unread post by Mel2Travel » Wed Aug 19, 2015 11:00 pm

First off... I'm glad I have found this website. This will be very helpful since I just got back to being a traveling PT.

Ok. So, I was a traveler from 2007 to 2012. I settled in Texas, did home health for a little over a year and out-patient for a year. Just past 6 months ago, I decided to go back to traveling again... I missed the thrill of going to a place where it's totally new to me.

What puzzles me is this... at my last assignment in 2012, I was getting $1900/week (after tax). So, when I started to scout for travel companies, the first recruiter offered me $1400/week. I asked why, since I have more than 10 years of experience and 5 years of that is traveling experience. She told me that I have not been working in a SNF for 2 years (since this assignment is a SNF). So I politely said no and that I am still looking around. Several companies after, their offer are pretty much the same. My old company offered me $1600+/week but no 401K counterpart. My present assignment is just a little more than what most offered but not the same as how much I was getting in 2012.

So my question is... Did the market and salary changed for traveling PTs? Because when I did home health about 2 years ago, a friend of mine told me that per visit rate now for contract (evaluating) PT has changed compared to 5 years ago. I am wondering if the story is the same for PT traveler or maybe I just need to work on my bargaining skill. :D

Nevertheless, I am excited that I'm traveling again.

Hobohealth
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Posts: 141
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 2:32 pm
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Re: Back Traveling

Unread post by Hobohealth » Sat Aug 22, 2015 9:12 am

Awesome! Welcome back to the fold!

If anything, you left during a low point for traveling PT pay. In the last 2 years, the market has really improved. I think $1900/wk is a really good paying assignment. There are atypical assignments or specific regions that will pay more, but that's pretty darn good.

$1400 though, is a joke. Ditch 'em, look elsewhere.

I think for a traveler with some good experience that the $1600 - $1800 range is about where we should exist for your typical assignment at a decent facility in a decent locale, maybe a bit more for the right assignment in the right location. You'll find lower offers in more desirable places like Hawaii, but I would be hard pressed to accept anything anywhere less than $1500. ...and more money in some really undesirable locations.

REMEMBER! Recruiters are paid commission. They don't make anything if they don't get us the jobs. We should all be negotiating harder to take a bigger piece of the pie. It is in the recruiters' best interest to keep us happy and keep us employed, so we hold all the bargaining chips. I do hear stories of hard-ball negotiation that has yielded some pretty impressive compensation packages - I just think most of us therapists are not that great at negotiating....

James

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