Getting the Most from Your Rehab Travel Career

Part 2: How to Select a Rehab Therapy Staffing Firm

If you have taken advantage of Part 1of this series of articles, you've completed a thorough self-assessment, defined your goals, set some time frames, and feel great about exactly what you want from your career. Congratulations on taking that important step. You now have a sense of clarity that will make the road ahead a bit more enjoyable and productive.

Now it's time to find the small group of firms that can be your guide in achieving your dreams. In Part II, we give you the tools to make great choices, along with advice for making the most of your recruiter relationship.

As traveling and local contract rehabilitation therapists, you will not only work in various locations, but you will undoubtedly work with numerous staffing firms throughout your career. It is rare that any single firm will have everything you're looking for at every moment. Therefore, it is critical to identify what is most important to you when working with recruiters and their companies, and to make deliberate choices that are best for you.

It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are. ~ Roy Disney

We've taken our many years of experience working with rehab therapists like you, and have organized it into several categories of information we believe will help you in making the best choices.

What to Look For

Plenty of Jobs

Recruiters You 'Click' With

This is where your recruiter comes in. A great recruiter can make a good assignment great, and can even help turn a boring one into something much more enjoyable for you. Great recruiters will learn about your goals, motivations, preferences and decision-making style. Ideally, your recruiter will be able to anticipate which jobs you'll be interested in before they even talk with you about them. A great recruiter will know about market conditions, hot markets, and compensation and won't hesitate to share this information.

It's also important that you enjoy your recruiter. If you don't, work with someone else, even if it's another recruiter in the same company. This person is your lifeline; you need to enjoy talking with them.

Responsive & Friendly Staff

It’s also important that you’re working with a friendly staff. Call into the main number and ask for credentialing or housing. How friendly is the receptionist, benefits coordinator, or payroll department? If their employees are happy, you’ll likely be treated very well.

Perks

Paid time off (PTO) programs Student loan reimbursement Sign-on bonuses Cell phone reimbursements Premium housing packages

Tax-free advantage programs Licensure assistance Direct deposit Company paid insurance 401k with match

Every company has a different offering, and it can be difficult to make an apples to apples comparison, but decide what’s most important to you, and find a company that offers these extras.

A Support System

In many cases you can get this information by talking with other travel or local contract therapists who have experience with the firm. However, if that type of inside information isn’t available, you’ll need to be armed with the right questions that will help you make the right assessment before moving forward.

What to Watch Out For

Above all, seek out honest, ethical companies that value you as a professional and that uphold contractual agreements.

MDI Medical has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of ApprovalTM. Certification recognizes MDI Medical's dedication to providing rehab therapists that are qualified to provide safe, high-quality care to patients.