I told my small-town, Missouri family that I was packing my things and moving to the other side of the country to be a traveling physical therapist. Their response? WHY? Why would anyone leave a stable job?

by Dylan Callier, DPT of New Medical Nomads


 I told my small-town, Missouri family that I was packing my things and moving
 to the other side of the country to be a traveling physical
 therapist.&nbsp;Their response? WHY? Why would anyone leave a stable job? Why
 would I leave the comfort of home, where all my family and friends are? Only
 to move to an area of the country that I had never been to and did not know
 anyone?&nbsp;


Here are my four reasons:&nbsp;

<h2>1. Freedom of Location&nbsp;</h2>


 My sister recently took a week off from work to drive to the Dakota&#39;s with
 her husband. It was a fantastic trip! She returned with beautiful pictures and
 she was SO happy. But she had to work a WHOLE year for it.&nbsp;



 On the other hand, I packed up my things and moved to &#39;The Desert&#39; of
 California. Along the way I skied for the first time in Utah, explored
 magnificent Zion State National Park, and stayed the night in Las Vegas.
 During&nbsp;my travel PT contract, I went on weekly hikes and trips to Los
 Angeles.



 My weekends are spent doing the trips and activities that my sister and others
 in my town must wait an entire year to be able to do.&nbsp;



 It is hard to think of another career path that would allow an adventure like
 this. And harder yet to find a career that allows you take several weeks off
 between assignments so you can adventure in a new area!&nbsp;



 Healthcare Traveler Pro Tip: Find a company that has contracts in the areas
 and states you most want to see!


<h2>2. Increased Pay&nbsp;</h2>


 As a healthcare traveler, you are paid to relocate and save the day. In nine
 out of ten circumstances, you will be paid higher rates than a permanent
 salaried employee to work in a position that is unable to meet the needs of
 their patients.&nbsp;



 On top of that, the majority of your income will be at a reduced tax
 rate.&nbsp;I recently had a couple on The New Medical Nomads Podcast that paid
 off $70,000 of student debt in 10 months.



 Here&#39;s the episode so you can see for yourself:&nbsp;<a
 href="https://youtu.be/MFc_toXqAkE"
 target="_blank"
 >https://youtu.be/MFc_toXqAkE</a
 >


<h2>3. Professional and Personal Growth</h2>


 You will come into contact with multiple different ways to perform techniques
 and provide patient communication.&nbsp;You will also notice the difference
 between regions in entry-level education, patient populations, and medical
 insurances.&nbsp;



 There is a STEEP learning curve and you will become a better clinician for it
 ten-fold!



 During a typical year of traveling you will have four &nbsp;&quot;salary&quot;
 negotiations and multiple interviews to develop the skills that they don&#39;t
 teach you in school. In addition, there is immeasurable personal growth...
 nothing says &quot;comfortable with myself&quot; like going on a solo
 dinner/movie date.&nbsp;



 The first two weeks of a contract are slow. You don&#39;t know anyone, so you
 are forced to do activities on your own. You will be better for this alone
 time because you will become 100% comfortable spending time with by
 yourself.&nbsp;



 Healthcare Traveler Pro Tip: Find out what exclusive contracts a recruitment
 agency has to offer in order to find the settings that you want to grow in!


<h2>4. Nationwide Friendships&nbsp;</h2>


 Events like these are great to meet others doing what you love and dream of --
 seeing the world and gaining experiences. Making strong bonds with co-workers
 that tell you to come back whenever! Making friends that you see every week
 that then travel to visit you at your next assignment location.&nbsp;



 The relationships and the memories that come with traveling as a PT are unique
 and special. You will remember these feelings and these faces for a
 lifetime.&nbsp;


<h2>About Dylan:&nbsp;</h2>


 Dr. Dylan Callier is a traveling physical therapist and founder of New Medical
 Nomads aimed at educating travelers and bringing transparency to the
 field.&nbsp;



 He also hosts the New Medical Nomads Podcast where he documents his journey
 and interviews other experts within the healthcare traveling field.&nbsp;



 Find the Podcast episodes here:
 <a href="http://www.newmedicalnomads.com/p/podcast" target="_blank"
 >www.newmedicalnomads.com/p/podcast</a
 >&nbsp;



 And contact Dylan at: 
 <a href="mailto:dylan.callier.travelpt@gmail.com" target="_blank"
 >dylan.callier.travelpt@gmail.com</a
 >

The Four Reasons You Should be a Healthcare Traveler