One of the biggest complaints I hear from facility staff, no matter where I go, or in what setting, is the politics. Healthcare facilities are full of gossip, power struggles, scheduling issues and other common workplace fodder. As a contract physical therapist, I'm there to do the job I went to school for so long to be allowed to do......Physical Therapy! I'm not a permanent fixture in the facility, therefore, I have no need to get involved in such nonproductive activities.
I was recently working in a rehab setting with lots of conflicting personalities, office politics, disgruntled employees, and strange patients. This being a temporary assignment, those things don't bother me, as I am only there TEMPORARILY! Things that could really bug you as a full time employee are not even minor irritations when you are a traveling therapist.
Happy Traveling!
-Ben
Hello everyone! I have been thinking more and more about why I choose contract work as a therapist for RepuStaff. I have trained, educated, re-trained, and re-educated on just about everything. Some of these include FIMS, MDS, PPS systems to electrical stimulation machines, ultra sound machines, diathermy, specialty w/c, and not to forget, paper and electronic documentation, plus so much more. To get the full scope, I would have to show you all of the in-services/training I have been through. With my flexible schedule, I have the availability for multiple CEU courses. Contract work has more “on the job” training then one would know what to do with……Bethany
Hello everyone! I have been super busy since my last blog posting I have also begun a new Occupational Therapy contract at a new hospital here in Indiana. This contract is amazing because I have worked there before and I love it there. The staff is wonderful! That is one thing I enjoy about contract work is networking and meeting other therapists with a variety of experience. I feel that I have the opportunity to learn a lot from them. I love the challenge with each new contract whether I have been there before or not. I am consistently promoting myself and looking for that next contract, which makes me a better therapist. I feel it is beneficial for RepuStaff when a company or therapist thinks of me if a need in the facility becomes available. Just another reason why I love contract work, it makes me a better therapist and I am consistently learning new things……Bethany
A recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, found that the number of PE-related injuries to elementary, middle, and high school students in the United States increased 150% between 1997 and 2007.
According to the study, published in the online issue of Pediatrics, the most common PE-related injuries were lower-extremity sprains and strains (23%), followed by upper extremity sprains and strains (14%) and fractures (14%). Middle school-aged children (11-14 years of age) accounted for the majority of PE-related injuries (52%). Elementary school-aged children (5-10 years of age) had almost double the odds of a head injury, compared with other injuries.
Nearly 70% of PE-related injuries occurred while children were participating in six activities (running, basketball, football, volleyball, soccer and gymnastics). Injuries were caused by contact with another person, playing surface, equipment, stationary structures, pulled muscles, overuse and activity-related illnesses such as heat stroke.
“The 150 percent increase in PE-related injuries presenting to emergency departments was consistent across gender and age groups. It is unlikely that this increase was attributable to an increase in PE participation,” explained study author Lara McKenzie, PhD, principal investigator at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and faculty member of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, in a statement. “Identifying patterns of PE-related injuries is the first step toward preventing them. Injury prevention education should be made a priority for all PE activities, especially for those activities with the highest injury rates.”
This is the first published study to examine PE-related injuries on a national level. Data for this study were collected from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), which is operated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The NEISS dataset provides information on consumer product-related and sports and recreation-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments across the country.
[Source: Nationwide Children’s Hospital]
This is a question I have pondered on more than one occasion during my career in the staffing industry. Obviously, the answer to this question is different depending upon the person you ask. Since I am currently working with Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists in Indiana, I must address the answers to this question from their perspective in this blog.
Everyone by now has felt the effects of the recession. I know I have! This seems to be affecting employees’ perception of job stability. When the economy is booming, it seems that therapists applying for contract positions want the ‘stability’ of an inflated paycheck. I think most of us have come to see that contract positions tend to pay higher rates than staff therapist positions. For many therapists, companies like RepuStaff even guarantee their pay every week! How’s that for stability?! Higher pay AND guaranteed money?? Sign me up! But in the current economic conditions, it seems the tides have changed. In my recruiting efforts, I have found that higher pay isn’t necessarily the most enticing aspect of employment to Allied Health Professionals. Physical and Occupational Therapists, at least the ones I have been speaking with, want to know that they have a place to go to work every day. The SAME place every day. Many are taking salary cuts to leave a contract position for a “permanent” position as a staff therapist. (Permanent is in quotations because there is no such thing as a “permanent job”!)
It is my job as a staffing industry professional to change the perception that Physical and Occupational Therapists have about “contract” therapist positions. It is time for a “Cultural Revolution”! As you may have already gathered from other posts to this blog, many Contract Therapists enjoy the best of both worlds, so to speak. They have job stability AND higher pay than staff therapists! They are “permanent” employees of their company, the “contract” company. They are deployed to different facilities within an agreed upon driving distance from their homes. The length of the deployment may vary; 13 weeks is the “norm”. They are assigned a “Staffing Consultant” at their company who is responsible for their schedule. It is that person’s only job and responsibility to make sure that the therapist is working their desired schedule. Think about it this way…..if the therapist is not working, how is the contract company making money??? Contract staffing companies are in the business of placing people into jobs, for what purpose??? TO MAKE MONEY! Isn’t that the reason anyone goes into business??? So it is easy to see that it is in the best interest of the contract company to keep its therapists working a desirable schedule. The more hours the therapist is deployed, the more revenue coming in for the company. It really is a win/win situation! The Allied Health professional gets a great job with a great company behind them and the company gets to make money to stay in business in order to find jobs for other therapists. Funny how that works!
So the next with you hear someone talking about the “instability” of their job, send them to this blog.
Thanks for reading!
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The article states "In its report titled "Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow," the President's Council of Economic Advisers says that health care "dominates" the list of industries that are projected to add the most jobs during 2008-2016. The increased demand in this area stems largely from an aging population that will require care at home, in nursing care facilities, and in inpatient and outpatient settings. Occupations that will "likely grow in importance" include PTs and physical therapist assistants. In addition, the expected expansion of health care coverage through reform measures could lead to increased demand for health care professionals."
This is definitely good news for physical therapists practicing in Indiana.
Hello everyone. My name is Bethany Brock and I am Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant --COTA. I have been with RepuStaff since 2007, right after I graduated from the University of Southern Indiana in December 2006. I want to share my experiences with you as a young, traveling COTA. I have to say that being a new graduate working in contract work is not for everyone. However, I love it. I have the chance to learn a lot each and every day. Even though I learn a lot, it is also hard at times. When you enter a new work setting you have to learn very fast, but I love challenging myself as a therapist. I am planning on explaining more in the future why I chose to work in a contract setting verses a permanent facility.
Will you be looking for a job when the economy finally breaks?
Some experts have the opinion that many of us will be flocking to new opportunities as the recession eases. Currently, employees here in Indiana are hunkering down, remaining thankful that they are still employed. I believe occupational and physical therapists are no exception. But are there still better opportunities to be had? Working in the Allied Health staffing business, I speak to employers and job seekers daily. For now, it seems that the waters are quiet. There aren’t as many physical or occupational therapists who are willing to consider contract work right now. That has to translate to more people remaining in their current jobs. Are all of these therapists happy in their current job? Are they being paid top dollar? Are they allowed a flexible schedule, one where they work only when they want to? I doubt it. These are all perks that contract therapy positions can provide. Most people think all of these things sound great. So why aren’t they biting? Fear. All of us fear the unknown, so when living in a down economy, why rock the boat? Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t, right? If more therapists would take the risk and stick their toes in the waters of contract therapy staffing now, I believe there would be many more happy physical therapists and occupational therapists out there, even in a recession! Who wouldn’t want to be paid top dollar? Have the flexibility to work only when you want? Have immediate access to benefits?
Where will you be when the economy finally breaks? Will you be in a job you love, or a job you would love to leave?
Greetings from Repustaff! It is Ben here to tell you more about life as a RepuStaff Physical Therapist. Many people comment on how hard it must be as a traveling physical therapist here in Indiana. I tell them what can be deemed a negative can actually be very positive. It all depends on your frame of reference. Yes, I have to deal with a new documentation system at almost every different place that I go. Of course, much of it is the same, but most time the format is a little different. This has actually given me such an advantage over the therapists who are full time at the various contracts where I work. I am not stuck in a single frame of reference, and easily adapt to the ever changing world of medical records. Nothing ever stays the same, change is omnipresent. My clients also love it when I am able to make suggestions on how to streamline or improve their paperwork based on my experience with alternative formats!!! Ya see, change isn’t so bad!!! Later,.....Ben
Greetings everyone out there in Rehab-Land! My name is Ben Hall, and I have worked for Repustaff since 2004. I will be blogging to y'all about life as a traveling Physical Therapist in Indiana. Many people ask me why I chose this type of career, and I hope to answer that and many other questions in the coming weeks and months. My first answer to this question is that working as a traveling physical therapist in Indiana for Repustaff is a tremendous learning experience! Throughout the year, I get to work with, and learn from, a multitude of therapists, clinicians, doctors, nurses, and support staff in all aspects of healthcare. In today's world of continual change, I think you must agree with me that versatility is a talent we must all cultivate. Later,..........Ben
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