Are you an allied health professional interested in traveling? If so, you may be wondering how licensing and credentialing works. Whether you’re a therapist or tech, social worker or SLP, here’s what you need to know about getting licensed for allied health travel jobs.
> Seeking new career horizons? Search all of our open allied travel jobs here
Getting Started with Allied Health Travel Jobs
Allied clinicians, you're in demand! All across the country, hospitals, clinics, and many other facilities are hiring professionals like you to fill important roles. And if you’re open to traveling, those employers are usually willing to pay top dollar.
Travel jobs are usually temporary positions that generally last 13 weeks. The idea is to help employers fill unexpected gaps in their care teams, meet a surge in patients, or hire professionals who aren’t available in their location.
Besides the chance to help employers and patients who truly need it, traveling offers many other benefits to allied clinicians, including the flexibility to work where and when you want and the chance to earn a higher wage, or extra income if you’re traveling as a second job — for instance, in a different city.
> Get paid to travel! Read about the benefits of allied travel jobs
Getting Licensed and Credentialed for Allied Health Travel Jobs: What You Need to Know
So, if you want to travel, how can you get the ball rolling? Where do you start when it comes to getting licensed and qualified for an allied travel job?
That depends on your exact job, discipline, and the location where you want to work. The basics are the same as for any allied job — you’ll need to get licensed or certified, plus a few additional qualifications. So, if you’re already working an allied job, you already have most of what you need to travel.
Most of these vary by job, state, and even by the facility where you’ll work, but there are four basics you should have in place before traveling:
#1: License and/or Certification
First, you'll need to have a license or certification in the state where the travel job is located. And that usually means earning an Associate, Bachelor or Master’s degree, and then passing a certification exam.
- You must be licensed to work as a PT, PTA, OT, OTA, or SLP in all 50 states. Respiratory therapists must be licensed in every state except Alaska, and also be credentialed as either a certified respiratory therapist (CRT) or registered respiratory therapist (RRT).
- For technologists and technicians, the requirements depend on what state you'll be working in. For example, some states require lab and surgical techs to be licensed as well as certified. Some states also require CSTs to get certified by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA).
#2: Additional Clinical Certifications
Most jobs in any field require basic clinical certifications like Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). You can boost your career prospects, and your chances of getting hired, by getting both, plus some extra certifications related to your field.
For example, physical therapists can get certified in 10 specialty areas, including cardiovascular/pulmonary, clinical electrophysiology, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, orthopaedics, pediatrics, sports, women's Health, and wound management.
As another example, high-paying RT jobs on the HealthTrust jobsite sometimes require not just BLS and ACLS but also National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), and other certifications.
#3: Experience
To land an allied health travel job, you’ll usually need at least one year of experience, and sometimes two or more. Some jobs are specific about where this experience should be, such as in a hospital. For competitive jobs, the more experience you have, the better.
#4: Other Requirements
You should expect a full background check before to land an allied health travel job. You may also have to show health records on your vaccination status, which usually includes Hepatitis B, MMR, and TDAP/TD. You might also have to take a general fitness and/or competency test and pass a drug screen.
Allied Health Licensing Compacts
Will your current allied health license work for your travel job? That depends on if you're traveling to a different state. If you’re licensed in Wisconsin but want to work in Florida, for instance, you’ll usually have to get a new license.
This may be the most important part of getting an allied health travel job, but it’s also the easiest to handle. When you find an allied travel job with a company like HealthTrust, for instance, your recruiter will handle the process on your behalf.
Depending on where you live, and where you’re working, you might also be able to get a compact license. This will let you work in more than one state with just one license. If you're already licensed in a state that's a member of the compact, you usually just have to pay a fee to get the multi-state license.
Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact)
The PT compact includes Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington State, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Get more details at the PT Compact website.
Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact (OT Compact)
The OT Compact currently includes Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Michigan and Pennsylvania may be in the process of joining.
Get all the details on the OT Compact here.
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC)
The ASLP-IC currently includes Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Read more about the ASLP-IC here.
Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT)
The Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) covers almost every state, with only a few that haven't joined yet. You can get all the details here.
Social Work Licensure Compact
The Social Work Licensure Compact isn't yet active, but will be soon. The first states to join will likely include Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia. You can learn more or get updates here.
Get the Licensing Help You Need with HealthTrust
From physical and occupational therapists to RRTs, CRTs, SLPs, techs, and whatever your allied discipline may be, healthcare employers need you. If you have questions about how to get licensed for a travel job, you can trust the recruiters at HealthTrust to help you through the process.
Ready to get started? Apply for a travel job on the HealthTrust jobsite to get the ball rolling today.
