Tag: occupational therapy

Our 5 Most Popular Therapy Articles of 2019

As 2019 winds down, we’re taking a look back at our most popular articles for PTs, OTs, and SLPs in 2019. Read them here.

As 2019 winds down, we thought it would be a good time to take a look back at our most popular articles from the year. Given they all had plenty of views, there’s a chance you’ve seen some of these before. However, take a look at the list below for our top five most popular therapy blogs, in case you missed some of these great reads the first time around.

1. How to Rehab Your Therapy Résumé


Whether or not you are actively searching for a new therapy job, keeping your résumé current is always smart. Here are some tips to get yours in top shape.
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2. PT, OT, and SLP Salaries in Every State


Using the latest data available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we dug up the average salaries for PTs, OTs, and SLPs across the United States.
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3. 5 Reasons to Give Travel Positions a Try


For those with a sense of adventure, travel positions need no other selling point. If you don’t have a natural love of travel, though, here are five other reasons to consider travel assignments.
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4. Your Therapy Practice’s Online Reputation Matters


Is your practice a 5-star facility according to Google, Yelp, Facebook, and so on? If not, here are some ways to help improve your online reputation.
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5. Transitioning into a Career as a Traveling Therapist


Traveling therapy roles are abundant, and they can do wonders for therapists who may be feeling as if they have stagnated in their current role or setting.
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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Holiday Injuries You’ll Likely See in Therapy Practice

It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but the holiday season comes with plenty of hazards, many of which will require therapy to recover from.

It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but the holiday season comes with plenty of hazards, many of which will require emergency treatment, and oftentimes therapy, as well. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission about 18,100 people were treated in emergency rooms due to holiday decorating-related injuries in 2017, and in 2018, there were approximately 166,200 toy-related ER-treated injuries. When you look at those numbers alone, it becomes pretty safe to assume your therapy practice will be bustling over the next few weeks. Here are the most common injuries you will likely see.

Slips

With winter weather comes ice, and the injuries that come with slipping on it. From broken ankles to muscle strains, it is very likely you’ll see patients who have taken a dive on a patch of ice.

Falls

Whether it is off a ladder while trying to hang decorations or at holiday party after drinking a little bit too much, falls are another big holiday hazard that’ll bring patients your way.

Cuts and Burns

There is no shortage of ways to hurt oneself in the kitchen, whether it’s while slicing a holiday ham or grabbing a too-hot tray of cookies barehanded, and if you work in hand therapy, these folks are likely headed your way.

Back Strains

From carting around heavy luggage on holiday travels, to failing to abide by “team lift” recommendations on that brand new TV, back injuries will be abundant this holiday season.

Sports Injuries

Whether it’s sledding, skiing, or just tossing the football around in the yard with the kids, there is high potential for injuries, including fractures, sprains, and strains.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Things to Put On Your Wish List as a PT, OT, or SLP

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa—no matter what you will be celebrating this holiday season, here is a list of awesome items to add to your holiday wish list as a PT, OT, or SLP.

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa—no matter what you will be celebrating this holiday season, here is a list of awesome items to add to your holiday wish list as a PT, OT, or SLP. From fun to functional, and at just about every price point, there is something for everyone.

This Funny (and Probably Accurate) T-Shirt, $16.99+

Fun Novelty Bone Pens, $11.99

This Sweet “Just Speechie” Shirt, $14.99

Drinkware to Bookend Your Hardest Days, $29.95

A Colorful (and Educational) Muscle Diagram, $14.69+

A Super Fancy Coffee/Tea Maker, $158.99

This Hand Stamped Heart Necklace, $10.00+

A Simple Art Print That Says It All, $5.00

This Handy Phone Sanitizer, $79.95

This Pretty PT or OT Pendant That Doubles As a Ring Holder, $42.00+

This Beautiful Sound Wave Watercolor Print, $21.75+

An Engraved OT Ornament, $10.99+

A Sassy (but True) SLP Sipper, $21.99

A Fun, Floral PT Print, $12.16

This Pep-Talking Mug, $16.99

These Adorable OT Badge Reels, $5.00

This Beautiful Journal to Keep Track of Your PT Journey, $6.99

A Boozy Therapeutic Activity CPT Code Glass, $7.00+

A Very Cool Vocal Cord Art Print, $21.75+

This Pretty and Powerful Shirt, $18.99+

A Charming OT Necklace, $26.34

Please note: HealthJobsNationwide.com receives no compensation for recommending these items and makes no warranties regarding their safety. Items listed above should be evaluated individually for potential risks and hazards.

This Year, Therapy Professionals Are Thankful For…

We asked and you answered: what has your career in therapy made you most thankful for? Here are ten of our favorite responses.

We asked and you answered: what has your career in therapy made you most thankful for? We received a lot of great responses, and we picked our top ten favorite answers to feature this week. Here they are.

My job isn’t always sunshine and roses, but seeing the look on a patient’s face when they do something they thought they couldn’t, that makes it all worth it. I’m grateful I get to be a part of that. —Regina T.

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Honestly, I’m just grateful that I get to help people. There isn’t enough of that in this world, I think. —Charlie R.

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I am thankful for every patient success I have been a part of, big and small. Knowing I can make a real difference for people is very rewarding. —Kelli W.

* * *

Helping others is what drew me to this career, so I’ll always be thankful I get to do that every single day. —Maryanne G.

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Working in therapy isn’t always easy. I’m in debt. I’m tired more than I’m not. Not every patient gets a win. It’s hard. I’m grateful for my family, friends, and coworkers who support me through it more than they’ll ever know. —Christina J.

* * *

I’ve seen a lot of suffering, a lot of pain in this job. To know I’ve helped people recover from that is truly satisfying. I’m very thankful and very blessed to be a PT. —Elizabeth T.

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I work with some truly exceptional people. I’m grateful for my team, the bonds we’ve formed, and the lives we’ve been able to touch along the way. —Jessica D.

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I get to hang out with some pretty awesome kids AND help change their lives. I love my job and I’m thankful for it. —Sarah R.

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My hardworking “work family” is the best and I’m really thankful for them. —Frank B.

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This past week I had a patient tell me that they didn’t think they’d ever get to live without pain and thanked me for “saving [their] life.” I don’t know what’s more rewarding than that. I’m so thankful for our profession and the people we are lucky enough to serve. —David K.

* * *

No matter what you are thankful for this year, we are thankful for you and all you do. Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Is Telehealth Therapy the Way of the Future?

As our society continues to move in a more “on demand” direction, will therapy professionals follow suit through telehealth therapy? Maybe so.

As our society continues to move in a more “on demand” direction and technologies allow just about everything we, as a population, could possibly need at our fingertips, will therapy professionals and practices follow suit? Possibly so, given the amount of continued chatter around the concept of telehealth or virtual therapy over the years.

Telehealth therapy has a lot of obvious merits, including:

  • It has huge potential to expand access to care in geographically remote and underserved areas, of which there are many for PTs, OTs, and SLPs alike. This can be particularly helpful in pediatrics, where schools can set up technology for remote therapy for multiple children in one central location, opening access to pediatric patients that might not be able to get the help they need otherwise.
  • Virtual therapy can also work in conjunction with in-office therapy as an efficient way to perform post-discharge checkups, intake of subjective history, quick screens, post-surgical monitoring, management of chronic illnesses, consultations with other practitioners, such as yoga instructors or pelvic floor specialists, and just about every part of therapy that isn’t manual.
  • Telehealth also puts a strong emphasis on education and pain science for patients, their families, and their caregivers to help them understand their diagnoses and steps they will need to take to improve function. This can be especially helpful for home health patients, such as those who are aging in place, mental health patients, and outpatient neuro patients.
  • For therapists, themselves, the benefits are vast. Telehealth affords therapy professionals a flexibility that is not possible with clinical practice. It also isn’t nearly as physically taxing on therapy professionals as traditional clinical therapy practice can be.

Telehealth, despite its many merits, and like anything else, also has drawbacks. At the moment, it is only possible for therapists to practice virtually in the states they are licensed. Also, patient acquisition has proven to be tough for some. Atop that, Medicare does not currently reimburse for use of remote physical, occupational, or speech therapy, though Medicaid does, at least in some states, and third-party payers all come with their own rules for telehealth reimbursement. Though, as telehealth continues to catch on and healthcare, as a whole, moves toward models that involve more immediate, remote care options, those hurdles to successful telehealth practice may be removed.

What are your thoughts on telehealth therapy?

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Tell CMS What You Think of an 8% Cut for Therapy Reimbursements

Under the 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule, therapy could see an 8% cut in Medicare reimbursements. Here’s what to do about it.

Under the 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule, therapy services could see an 8% cut in reimbursements. The cuts would be a direct result of an effort obtain budget neutrality, which would be impacted by the rule’s proposed increases to Evaluation and Management payments in 2021, as an increase in one code set throws off the balance for all others, and, thus, cuts would need to be made.

Because therapy professionals typically do not or cannot bill for Evaluation and Management services, the profession, as a whole, could certainly be negatively affected by the change and the 8% decrease in reimbursements, if the rule passes.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is accepting comments on the proposed rule through September 27, 2019. To make your concerns heard, we encourage you to contact CMS directly by submitting a form here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

States with the Most Therapy Jobs

California appears to be the state with the highest demand across all therapy professions. What other states are seeing strong demand for PTs, OTs, and SLPs?

California appears to be the state with the highest demand across all therapy professions, having the most openings in Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech-Language Pathology. What other states are seeing strong demand for therapists? We analyzed data on our site and came up with the three states with the most available openings for PTs, OTs, and SLPs right now, as well as a selection of noteworthy openings for each position type.

Physical Therapy

1. California

Number of PT Jobs Available in California: 879

Average Annual PT Salary in California: $97,610

Noteworthy Openings in California:

Click Here to Search PT Jobs in California

2. Virginia

Number of PT Jobs Available in Virginia: 222

Average Annual PT Salary in Virginia: $90,960

Noteworthy Openings in Virginia:

Click Here to Search PT Jobs in Virginia

3. New York

Number of PT Jobs Available in New York: 200

Average Annual PT Salary in New York: $85,100

Noteworthy Openings in New York:

Click Here to Search PT Jobs in New York

Occupational Therapy

1. California

Number of OT Jobs Available in California: 326

Average Annual OT Salary in California: $97,260

Noteworthy Openings in California:

Click Here to Search OT Jobs in California

2. Texas

Number of OT Jobs Available in Texas: 208

Average Annual OT Salary in Texas: $87,780

Noteworthy Openings in Texas:

Click Here to Search OT Jobs in Texas

3. Illinois

Number of OT Jobs Available in Illinois: 116

Average Annual OT Salary in Illinois: $84,820

Noteworthy Openings in Illinois:

Click Here to Search OT Jobs in Illinois

Speech-Language Pathology

1. California

Number of SLP Jobs Available in California: 497

Average Annual SLP Salary in California: $92,750

Noteworthy Openings in California:

Click Here to Search SLP Jobs in California

2. Texas

Number of SLP Jobs Available in Texas: 241

Average Annual SLP Salary in Texas: $71,940

Noteworthy Openings in Texas:

Click Here to Search SLP Jobs in Texas

3. Florida

Number of SLP Jobs Available in Florida: 176

Average Annual SLP Salary in Florida: $76,820

Noteworthy Openings in Florida:

Click Here to Search SLP Jobs in Florida

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

5 Reasons to Give Travel Positions a Try

For those with a sense of adventure, travel positions need no other selling point. If you don’t have a natural love of travel, though, here are five other reasons to consider travel assignments.

Not a lot of careers come with the ability to travel the country and get paid for it, but there are quite a few in the healthcare arena that do. Physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, therapy professionals, and more are afforded the unique opportunity to accept contract positions, often also referred to as locum tenens, at hospitals and clinics all over the United States, from sea to shining sea. For those with a sense of adventure or a love of travel, this needs no other selling point. However, here are five scenarios in which you may want to give travel assignments a try, if you need more convincing.

If You’re Relatively New

Travel positions provide a good opportunity to figure out what you want to specialize in, in which setting, or even what area of the country you want to live in. Since travel positions are predominantly contracts that are two or more months long, you’ll have plenty of time to see what you like, or don’t like, before fully committing to a permanent position somewhere and setting down roots.

If You’re Feeling Burnt Out

A change of scenery can do wonders for the seasoned clinician who is struggling with the all too common pains of burnout. Working with different populations of patients, or even different coworkers, in different places can help to alleviate the feeling of stagnation. Travel positions typically also afford more work-life balance and less intensive schedules, which allows you to focus more on the things that truly matter in your life—not just documentation.

If You Want More Money

Locums positions typically offer higher salaries than permanent positions, sometimes as much as 30-50 percent more. If you are trying to pay off a student loan, or just want to tuck some money away for a rainy day, signing on for a few travel positions is likely to get you out of the red.

If You Want a Trial Run

Travel positions allow you to try out a wide range of settings and patient populations, often with the option to take on a permanent role within the practice you are filling in at. If you are thinking of pivoting in your career, this is a good way to “try before you buy,” so to speak, that will allow you to make an informed decision about where you want to settle in for the long-term.

If You Want to Make a Difference

Locums positions are often available in remote and underserved areas, allowing you to significantly impact the lives of people who need your skills the most. From the most secluded towns in Alaska to small town America, you’ll be able to provide quality care for those who would not otherwise have adequate access to care.

Ready to give it a shot? We have over 40,000 travel positions available on our site right now, if you want to take a look.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

A Back-to-School Self Care Guide for School-Based Therapists

Back-to-school season is upon us, and school-based therapists are likely beginning to feel excited or overwhelmed. Here’s how to stay centered.

The aisles of just about every retail store imaginable are filling with notebooks and backpacks, because it’s that time again—back-to-school season is upon us.

With some school districts starting as soon as early August, school-based therapists are likely beginning to feel excited or overwhelmed, or some form of both. Here are some tips to make sure you stay centered, while the 2019-2020 school year kicks into high gear.

Schedule Buffers into Your Day

A lot of being a school-based therapist revolves around structure and scheduling, but if you schedule things back-to-back-to-back, you’re bound to run yourself into the ground, and things will rarely go exactly as planned, anyhow. A session may run over time, or you may find yourself trapped in a conversation with a parent or coworker for far longer than you meant to. Leave yourself time to breathe—or to run to the bathroom—between sessions, and you’ll be much better off.

Check in with Yourself

At the end of your day, check in with yourself in the form of some cognitive behavioral therapy, such as journaling. Research has shown that focusing on positive aspects of your day, and writing them down, can be greatly beneficial. Try making a list of three to five positive things that happened during your day, or that you and/or your students accomplished, before going to bed at night.

Unplug after Hours

It’s easy to get invested in your work. After all, you didn’t get into therapy because you don’t care. However, in caring for yourself, too, you need to leave work at work. Establish and maintain boundaries to keep yourself from burning out. Do not bring your work home—instead, fill your off hours with healthy hobbies or activities, such as gardening, cooking, or yoga, or even just treat yourself to a nice, long bath every now and then.

Remember, caring for yourself enables you to better care for others, so as the school year picks up speed and you find yourself busier and busier, step back, breathe, and get some rest. Everything is going to be okay.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The States with the Most Healthcare Job Openings

Some states prove to be a safer bet in terms of finding a job in healthcare, due to the sheer number available. Here are the states with the most right now.

Healthcare job growth has been strong in 2019, as expected—the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics has long projected the healthcare sector to see some of the fastest and most consistent growth through 2022. So, where are the jobs? Here are the five states with the most healthcare jobs available right now.

  1. California
    Jobs Available: 8,541
    Top Positions: Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists, Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Speech Language Pathologists
  2. Texas
    Jobs Available: 4,702
    Top Positions: Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physicians, Speech Language Pathologists
  3. New York
    Jobs Available: 2,647
    Top Positions: Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Physicians, Physical Therapists, Physician Assistants
  4. Illinois
    Jobs Available: 2,210
    Top Positions: Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Nurse Practitioners, Speech Language Pathologists
  5. Virginia
    Jobs Available: 2,125
    Top Positions: Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Physicians, Occupational Therapists

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.