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. That needs to be communicated to them early on. I learned best in school when I was thrown into the fire (with a safety line). Your clinical instructor should stress you out! They should make you want to be learning more. It’s a tough conversation to have but ASK THEM TO PUSH YOU. They should be more like a drill sergeant than a friend if you want to feel confident walking into the travel realm. Be a curious student. Float around to other clinicians, ask to shadow surgeries, ask the other staff why they’re doing what they want. For some clinicals are a break from studying–which is fair but be intentional every day. You have to develop the framework of becoming a great clinician early if you want to be a good travel PT. Great clinicians are evidence based, always learning, and aiming for the best outcome for their patients. There’s nothing more satisfying at contracts than receiving praise from managers because you’re a strong clinician and a traveler.
- 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 three different ways to three different classmates, you’ll understand it. This was the emphasis of our PT program. Memorization ≠ Understanding. I won’t dive into a tangent here, but ask yourself why you’re learning something and the answer should rarely be to just pass the test.
- 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. Everyone has their different interests and energy levels. I’ve found more extroverted people thrive in outpatient while more introverted people do better in inpatient settings or one-on-one outpatient clinics. There’s little time to recharge in outpatient, and those with a strong social battery do best in high-volume settings. The market has been extremely good for setting-opportunity. One of my former classmates does pelvic health and she has found travel contracts in desirable places like Nashville.
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. Before contracts with new EMRs, I’ll try to find training videos online or directly on the EMR’s website. An hour or two of a training video will save you tons of time down the road.
- 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. As a student you will need to write A LOT. Your CI should help you trim this down. Focus on what is important. Repetitive tasks/phrases can be integrated into a smartphrase template.
- Asking for feedback – If your CI is constantly correcting your notes, take it as an opportunity to refine your documentation skills. Don’t just fix it, ask them WHY or write it down and look it up when you get home.
- 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 free to use.
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 sometimes be avoided by vetting the contract, 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 the common mistakes of new grads; 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 or check your state laws.
- 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, why they’re happening 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. Get involved in special interest groups or go to State/national meetings or conferences to learn more about all the different niches of PT.
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)
