Travel physical therapy is an exciting career path, but if you want to succeed as a traveler, you need to start preparing now. School isn’t just about passing exams—it’s about developing the clinical skills, adaptability, and confidence to walk into any clinic and deliver great patient care. If you’re serious about travel PT, here’s how to make the most of your education and set yourself up for a smooth transition.
Build Strong Clinical Skills Early
Your clinical rotations are one of the most important parts of PT school, and how you approach them will shape your future as a traveler. When choosing clinical sites, don’t just opt for what’s convenient—pick rotations that challenge you and align with your long-term goals. If you want to be a strong travel PT, your top priorities should be:
- Finding a great clinical instructor (CI) – The best CIs won’t just tell you “good job” all the time. You want someone who pushes you, asks you tough questions, and forces you to think critically. You should think about them as being your drill sergeant rather than your friend (that can come after).
- Always asking “why” – Whether you’re performing a slump test or deciding on an intervention, go beyond the textbook definition. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing this? What am I actually testing?” If you can explain it in five different ways to five different classmates, you’ll be able to explain it to a patient.
- Diversifying your experience – The more settings you expose yourself to, the stronger your application will be. While outpatient, acute care, home health, and SNF contracts are common, there are opportunities in more niche settings too. One of my classmates only does pelvic health and has found travel contracts in places like Nashville and even Alaska.
Master Documentation & Efficiency
As a traveler, you’ll be jumping into new clinics with different EMR systems and workflows. The faster you can adapt, the smoother your transitions will be. While in school, focus on:
- Understanding documentation systems – Each setting has its own EMR, and being comfortable with multiple systems will save you stress on your first assignment.
- Becoming efficient – Learn to write concise, effective notes. Your goal is to spend more time with patients and less time staring at a computer screen. This helps so you’re not drowning in your notes on weekday nights and you can spend your evenings exploring your area!
- Asking for feedback – If your CI is constantly correcting your notes, take it as an opportunity to refine your documentation skills.
- Learn smart phrases – I spend the first week or two of a new contract setting up my smart phrases. I recommend keeping a document where you have all your smart phrases across different settings. I use a chrome add-on called Web Text Expander that is completely free to use and has unlimited phrase storage (as of March 2025).
Protect Your License & Your Future
As a traveler, you may be placed in less-than-ideal situations—high patient volumes, unclear supervision, or ethical gray areas. These can be avoided with the right recruiter and interview questions, but regardless it’s crucial to know your rights and how to protect your license.
- Know your scope of practice – Pay attention in these classes, they’re extremely important and help to protect your license. Your professors will know what the common mistakes are that new grads make, be sure to take note of them. That way if you’re ever unsure about something that comes up on an assignment you can refer to your notes.
- Understand productivity expectations – Some clinics push productivity standards that may not be reasonable or even legal. Ask questions in your courses and learn how to advocate for yourself and your patients.
Prioritize Learning Over Just Getting Through School
Yes, passing your classes is important, but don’t just aim to get by—use this time to refine your skills and figure out what kind of PT you want to be.
- Strengthen your anatomy and clinical reasoning – The more you understand movement and function, the better you’ll be at treating patients in any setting. Pay attention in your biomechanics classes, especially to the gait cycle. You’ll see total joint replacements in just about every setting, learn to identify deficits in gait and how to treat them accordingly.
- Find your niche – You don’t have to commit to one specialty, but knowing what interests you will help guide your career.
- Work with diverse mentors – Travel PT exposes you to clinicians from all over, including those trained in other countries. Every mentor you learn from brings a unique perspective.
Final Advice: Choose Your Clinical Rotations Wisely
Your clinic coordinator might try to place you somewhere “close to home,” but that shouldn’t be your main factor when picking rotations. Instead:
- Choose high-quality clinical sites – Even if they’re further away, the right rotation will be worth the drive.
- Communicate with your CI early – Talk to your clinical instructor early—As you approach your final clinicals, let your CI know you’re preparing for travel PT. Focus on becoming independent and confident in both documentation and treatment. True confidence isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about recognizing when you don’t. If you’re unsure about something, write it down, look it up later, and apply what you’ve learned. Even experienced clinicians get stumped by patient questions—it’s normal. What matters is being honest and taking the initiative to find the answers. Your first moments of independence might feel overwhelming, but diving in is often the best way to learn.
- Seek variety – If you’re not set on a setting, try different ones. I personally took a SNF, acute care, and two outpatient clinics. That gave me the flexibility to start in any of those settings as a new grad.
The Bottom Line
School is tough for a reason—it’s designed to prepare you to be the best clinician possible. If you take your education seriously, travel PT will be an incredible way to build your skills, gain confidence, and grow into the PT you want to become. Stay focused, challenge yourself, and get ready for an exciting career ahead!
Click here to read our advice for New Graduates (you’ll be there in no time)
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