Official Therapist Blog

Author Therapy Career Blogger | 09.15.2010 | Category Career Tips, How To's, How to Tips, Physical Therapist Education, Physical Therapist Jobs, Therapy Jobs, Top Rehab Careers, Travel Therapist, Travel physical therapy jobs, physical therapist licensing, physical therapy, rehabilitation therapy

How to get your therapist career on the fast track to success

Congratulations on completing a masters or doctorate degree in physical therapy! Now it’s time to land the perfect physical therapy job. New graduates include students with a Bachelor of Science and Masters degree, who spent part of a two-year program doing fieldwork in a clinical setting, and the Physical Therapy Doctorates—a more comprehensive three-year program that fulfills the highest standards in a clinical internship.

How far can you go as a Physical Therapist?

Those holding a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree (DPT) from an accredited have hit the ground running. DPTs can expect to land a physical therapy job right away—even with limited experience. The rehab facility that hires a DPT will ask experienced physical therapists on staff to mentor the new recruit. These rehab facilities are likely to offer recent graduates a travel physical therapy job.

Masters level gradates can also expect a lucrative future; they are qualified to take the National Physical Therapy Exam and obtain licensure to practice in any state. Just as it is for DPTs, many healthcare employers see both permanent and travel physical therapist applicants as ideal candidates to train and provide unlimited continuing education credits (CEUs).

What makes a newly graduated physical therapist hirable?

Healthcare employers are looking for specific traits in the physical therapists they interview; the ideal candidate should be able to exhibit the skills he or she has learned during working internships or prior job experience, even if it was as an unpaid position. This much should be clear at the interview for a physical therapy job:

Ability to multi-task
High energy level
Affinity for fast learning
Ability to work independently
Exudes self-confidence
Possesses excellent communication skills
Eager to heal patients
Professional and career focused

New graduates grow their skills and expertise in physical therapy jobs, learning how to perfect and expedite their careers with clinical resources and topics that include articles like the Top 40 tips prepared for recent physical therapist graduates looking to get ahead. Physical Therapists are also encouraged to check out social media sites, like Facebook for the full scoop on job opportunities, cutting edge trends in physical therapy, and more.

How to find an ideal permanent or travel physical therapy job

Permanent physical therapy jobs offer bright futures, as there are always healthcare employers willing to train and work through learning curves. Permanent therapy jobs at Travel Force feature the opportunity to work in select specialties nationwide, with assistance from our experts that let you work in a desired location.

Life as a traveling physical therapist means you’re constantly changing things up, working in as many as four different medical facilities a year. Keeping things fast paced and new is a smart way to operate in the early stages of your physical therapy career.

When you work with Travel Force, your resume is padded with the most recognizable and well-received rehabilitation hospitals in America, where you enjoy benefits that include:

Physical Therapy Travel Career Benefits

Top pay rates and benefits, including Free Group Health, Dental and Life Insurance
Free Deluxe Private Housing Accommodations
Tax advantage plan - Travel Force’s tax advantage plan allows you to take home increased pay. Therapists who qualify for the plan may increase their take home pay and benefits by as much as 15%. Meals and incidentals offered.
Referral Bonuses - Earn even more when you refer a friend or colleague to Travel Force Staffing
401(k) Retirement plan
Travel Reimbursement plan
Professional Liability Insurance and Worker’s Compensation Insurance
Licensure Reimbursement
Free CE Online Courses

Why new grads need an expert staffing partner

Successful job searches begin with a Joint Commission Certified agency, like Travel Force Staffing, offering immediate access to physical therapy career resources. In order to practice physical therapy in the state of your choice, you’ll need to apply for licensure within that state. Travel Force helps experienced graduates by explaining what state physical therapy boards expect when it comes to licensure and certifications.

Travel Force Staffing offers:

Travel and permanent physical therapy jobs that meet your objectives
A variety of medical settings, including large outpatient centers
The ability to set your own pace.
Exposure to other physical therapists who welcome recent graduates
Top compensation and earnings for new and experienced physical therapists

Apply with Travel Force Staffing today and start your physical therapy job search immediately. We have physical therapist jobs ready to fill now! Call us now at 800-617-0608 or Apply Online Now.

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Speech Language Pathologists are Hearing a lot about Noise - Induced Hearing Loss in Teens

Author Therapy Career Blogger | 09.08.2010 | Category Allied Healthcare, Career Tips, How to Tips, Speech Language Pathologist, Therapist Jobs, Therapy Jobs, rehabilitation therapy

Get hearing loss prevention tips (for every age!) here

Speech language pathologists know that the slightest degree of hearing loss can affect language development and learning; of course, these therapists would rather see lower statistics on this, than a packed waiting room at the Rehabilitation Hospital where hearing problems—usually in one ear and growing steadily worse—are the health issue du jour among teenaged patients.

For those in Speech Language Pathologist Jobs, a recent study conducted by the American Medical Association is grabbing notice. The study compared national surveys from the early 90s up to the mid 2000s and showed one in five teens, age 12 to 19, have some degree of hearing loss.

Hearing Loss Cause

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss is largely to blame, with the ipod and MP3s—hot commodities among young consumers—cited as a contributing factor. Speech language pathologists believe it is not uncommon for teens to underestimate how much noise they are exposed to, dismissing their music as anything but (noise).

The study’s research, due to appear in the Journal of The American Medical Association is discussed in a recently publicized article at the American-Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), an excellent resource for conscientious speech language pathologists.

Their concern makes perfect sense. Because this problem affects the community at a family level, it’s worth providing hearing loss prevention tips to the general public, as well as practitioners of speech language pathology. In the past, in honor of May, Better Speech and Hearing Month, we’ve provided information that helps the individual determine if he’s suffering from hearing loss; this post hopes to nip it in the bud.

Travel Force uses its blog and other resources to help speech language pathologists stay one step ahead of current trends in the healthcare marketplace—our quick links to Speech Therapy Associations in every state, is worth your bookmark. We strongly suggest you sign up to receive regular updates from the speech therapy association in your state of employ. ASHA is likewise committed to providing refreshers, like this one, on safe noise levels for the general public.

Hearing loss prevention tips

A good rule of thumb is to keep any source of noise no higher than 85 decibels (dB), and be advised that portable music players can produce sound far above that level, capable of ranges from 60 to 120 decibels. The result of turning the volume of an ipod approximately one-quarter of the way up is about 85dB—a noise level that doesn’t lead to hearing loss, provided listeners limit their time using this and similar devices. Even at full volume, listeners using digital music players can safely enjoy one or two songs at a time.

The following are time frames spent at certain noise levels and what they are equivalent to:

12 hrs @ 85dB - (equivalent to motor boat)
8 hrs @ 90dB - (equivalent to lawnmower)
4 hrs @ 95dB - (equivalent to motorcycle)
2 hrs @ 100dB - (equivalent to snowmobile)
1 hr @ 105 dB - (equivalent to chain saw)
30 min @ 110 dB - (equivalent to rock concert, arcade)
15 min @ 115 dB - (equivalent to movie theater, health clubs)

Speech language pathologists know how important it is to make a lasting impression on the general public, by reminding them that no age group is immune to Noise-Induced Hearing Loss; it affects some 30 million people, the majority of whom damage their hearing while at work.

Already, 10 million Americans have permanently damaged their hearing. Before it’s 10 million and one, pass on hearing loss prevention tips that impact speech language pathology jobs; apply online or call 800-617-0608 today. You could make a difference worth shouting about… just keep your enthusiasm at the right decibel!

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California Law blocks DPT at four state schools

Author Healthcare Jobs Blogger | 09.02.2010 | Category Allied Healthcare, Career Tips, Physical Therapist Education, Physical Therapist Jobs, physical therapist licensing, physical therapy

Buzz in the PT blogosphere points to the popularity and acceptance of the physical therapy doctorate or DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) professional degree. The American Physical Therapy Association is pushing to make the DPT the entry-level credential for physical therapy jobs by year 2020 and hundreds of PT schools across America have implemented DPT programs.

In fact, 98 percent of the nation’s physical therapy programs offer Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees, Dr. Sheryl Low, associate professor and department chair of physical therapy at CSUN (California State University Northbridge) told California’s Daily Sundial.*

Professor Low teaches Physical Therapy at one of the last four colleges in the Continental U.S. that has yet to transition from the Master’s in Physical Therapy to the DPT. All four operate under the California State University System.

Why can’t CSU get Physical Therapy Doctorate accreditation?

California’s “Master Plan” for higher education has prevented CSU schools from making the transition to the DPT, which lawmakers say will force Physical Therapy students out of state to obtain their degree.

Under the Master Plan, CSU schools are prohibited in awarding doctorates of any type, as state law confines doctoral graduates to the University of California post-secondary educational system- schools granted doctoral exclusivity by the state’s Donahoe Higher Education Act.

Lawmakers are also concerned that without expanding DPT offerings in the state, demand for physical therapy doctorates may outstrip supply; causing Californians to import DPT graduates from other states to perform critical physical therapy jobs.

DPT reform has passed in the California State Assembly and is headed to the State Senate for consideration

No date has been set for a vote in the Senate. But Assembly Bill 2382 aimed at reforming DPT restrictions has recently passed in the State Assembly 75 to 1, a victory for CSU educators and physical therapy students.

Assemblyman, Bob Blumenfield, said legislation needs to be passed by 2013 in order for CSU campuses to continue taking DPT admissions for the academic year 2013-2014.*