Your Responsibilities (and Rights) as a Traveler – Kristin B., Physical Therapist

As a travel therapist, it is important to know what your responsibilities are. They are greater for a travel therapist than for a permanent therapist because of the constant change that travelers experience. Often, when you’re moving from facility to facility and state to state it is difficult to know what is expected of you. Though each facility will have their own workflow and ways of doing things, there are a few universalities.

1. You are responsible to know and follow the rules. As a therapist, it is up to you to know the federal and state laws and regulations that apply to you. Each state has their own practice act and state board that governs all therapists. It is your responsibility to be aware of these and follow them. You are also responsible to follow thepolicies and procedures at each facility.
2. You are responsible to keep your license current. This usually requires a fee to be paid and information to be updated with the state. In some states this may also include completion of continuing education requirements.
3.  You are esponsible to create the plan of care for each patient and ensure that he plan is followed. This is especially important if you evaluate patients that are primarily going to be treated by an assistant. It is your responsibility to actively monitor the patient’s case and ensure that the assistant is following your plan of care.
4. You are responsible to report any occurrence to the appropriate authorities. If you are a witness to any type of fall or accident you are responsible to fill out any incident reports that the facility uses, but you are also required to immediately report it to your recruiter. You are also responsible to report any suspected abuse per facility policy and state law.

These are just some examples of areas in which travelers have to be particularly mindful of their responsibilities. Fortunately, we have great resources at Jackson Therapy Partners who will assist with keeping your license up to date and answering questions regarding state and federal law. You can also find information about each state’s requirements on government websites. It is important to remember that as a traveler you have greater responsibility to ensure that you are doing the right things to protect yourself and your patients.