3 Things To Consider When Signing Your Next Contract
New to the world of travel therapy? Trying to figure out how to decide if a contract is right for you? Here are three things we like to consider when signing our next contract.
Setting
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Pay
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Location
Setting
Are you an outpatient or inpatient therapist?
Maybe you really dig that SNF life?
What about home health, or school settings?
While we have a lot of options as traveling healthcare employees, most of us have a preference. WE DO! While we are open to most settings, we trying to limit home health jobs and when possible, take inpatient jobs over skilled nursing facilities. Ultimately we have our favorites. Tyler enjoys outpatient and Kari pediatrics. There may be times where we forgo our favorite setting when weighing all options, and that is where PAY and LOCATION are taken into consideration.
Pay
When we began traveling, we were shocked at the pay difference between permanent employment and travel. Our first few contracts we tried negotiating, but it took time to understand when and how to negotiate. What we have learned is that pay can vary depending on the location, setting, and demand for therapists. Sometimes rural hospitals, in towns where no one seems to live, pay quite well, while larger facilities in metro areas may offer less due to more therapists pursuing those locations.
So how does pay fit into our consideration when signing a contract? We look at it this way. Is it the location I want to live in? How about my favorite setting? If the answer is yes to both, I’m less picky about the pay and more willing to accept less. On the other hand, if the job is in a state I haven’t considered, at a skilled nursing facility, with high productivity demands, I’ll be looking for increase pay to make the job worth while.
We have also met therapists who set a minimum take home pay, and regardless of the setting or location, refuse to take anything below that. Deciding if Pay is your priority is something to consider, especially when you may have loans and other bills to pay!
Location
We all have our favorite states we want to visit.
Maybe it’s Alaska?
Hawaii?
South Dakota in the winter?
Ok, maybe not that last one, but I don’t know what you’re into.
For us, I can tell you that our summer contract in Louisiana wasn’t even on our radar when the job was presented, but we wouldn’t change in for the world. Amazing experience. As for locations in general, this is our third and final consideration when deciding if a job is worth accepting. Just like Pay and Setting, it is important to know what your expectations are and make sure your recruiter knows what states you are interested in. Sometimes being flexible on location can help. The more picky you are about setting and pay, the more flexible you may need to be on location. This goes for each of the three considerations listed above.
Two Out Of Three Isn’t Bad
We travel as a pair, complicating our travel career just slightly because we have to get two jobs, in similar locations, with similar start and end dates. It has been fairly smooth so far, but we have had our tough moments. To make it easier, when deciding whether or not to accept a contract, we weigh all three considerations listed above and try to get two out of three.
Here are a few examples:
Louisiana contract:
Tyler’s job
Location: LA; good.
Setting: SNF; eh.
Pay: Fair
Kari’s Job
Location: LA; good.
Setting: Peds; good.
Pay: good
Caddo Lake East Texas, Canoe rental while on assignment in Louisiana
Maine Contract:
Tyler’s job
Location: Maine; great.
Setting: Inpatient; great.
Pay: Great
Kari’s Job
Location: Maine; great.
Setting: SNF; eh.
Pay: good
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Maine
In both contracts listed above we were satisfied with our decision to accept based on weighing location, setting, and pay. Pay can be highly subjective between different travelers, but we try to base it only on our needs. We always look at our pay breakdown, the cost of living/renting, and the activities we will be doing in that state. Our pay may be good/bad compared to someone else’s, but it works for us.
So how does this apply to you?
Based on our 7 contracts, we are confident that a good recruiter can meet two of the three considerations listed above. If you are consistently seeing job offers that meet only one of Setting, Pay, and Location and you’re having trouble finding an assignment for you, then you are either wayyy to picky…..OR, maybe you need a new recruiter.
Maybe this way of analyzing a contract isn’t for everyone, but it has really helped keep our assignments in perspective. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how lucky we are as travelers, getting to explore new places and having a good paying job. We try to keep in mind that assignments aren’t perfect, and this allows us to stay positive. Tough days at work come and go in every setting, every job, and whether your are a permanent employee or traveler. So give this a try next time you are weighing your options for an assignment and enjoy!
if you have any questions, reach out to us through the comments section below, or DM on instagram or facebook.
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As a traveling therapist, or any traveling healthcare worker, it’s important to find a job and pay that you want. There is no better way to ensure that you are able to find a good travel position than by using multiple recruiters. Most of you probably already know this, but here is our list of Pros and Cons, and why we think this is single handedly the best way to ensure you have more negotiate power and better access to jobs.