Legislation Aims to Help Physical Therapists Pay Back High Cost of Education Loans In June almost 1,000 physical therapists met on Capitol Hill to lobby in favor of legislation that advances the profession. They were lobbying in support of the  Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act of 2011, which would make physical therapists eligible for repayment of their student loans under the National Health Service Corps (NHSC)  Loan Repayment Program. The bill forgives up to $30,000 in student loans per year, for a maximum of 2 years, in exchange for service in a disadvantaged area. The Loan Repayment Act provides incentive for physical therapists to practice in certain rural and urban communities, chiefly by easing the educational debts of physical therapists. The hope is that some of these therapists may continue to practice in these locations, once their NHSC service is complete. How to Speak Out You can track the status of this bill here. If you would like to weigh in on this legislation (H.R. 1426/S. 975), you can email your Congressional representatives directly or through the APTA’s Legislative Action Center . Travel Therapy Jobs - Managing Educational Expenses Some physical therapy grads have looked [+]

Earn $1,000 Referral Bonus and Up to $3,000 Completion Bonus for Travel Nurse Jobs and Travel Therapy Jobs Travel nurses and travel therapists have the best of both worlds; a great career that allows them to help others while earning top pay and a chance to travel and work at different locations throughout the United States. As a travel nurse or travel therapist, you get a lot of perks and benefits with each assignment, such as free private furnished housing, tax advantage plan, matched 401 (k) plan, free group health, dental and life insurance, and bonuses! Now, in addition to the regular referral bonus American Traveler offers our nurses and therapists, we are also offering a limited time referral bonus of $1,000. We are looking for: RNs in the following specialties: OR, L&D, PICU or NICU Allied: Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists

In addition to the $1,000 referral bonus, we are also offering a completion bonus of up to $3000.00 on these specialties. Must start by Sept 30, 2011 to qualify for bonus. For more referral bonus and completion bonus details, call us at 800-884-8788 and ask for your consultant. Don't wait any longer, send your [+]

With 2011 in full swing, healthcare professionals and recent hires across the board are enjoying the fruits of the previous year’s trend toward job growth, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting a December increase of approximately 35,700 jobs within the healthcare sector—that’s a lot of allied health and nursing jobs! The majority of these recently staffed healthcare jobs are in the ambulatory care setting, with rosy labor statistics forecasted for therapy jobs through the year 2016! Fourth Quarter Gains in the Healthcare Sector “Zero in� on Best Regions for Nursing Jobs Job growth statistics for November of 2010 also cited big numbers for nursing jobs in hospitals and in ambulatory care; in fact, Bureau of Labor Stats for healthcare professionals at large, show that their employment figures remained high throughout the entire fall season of 2010. The HWS Labor Market Pulse Index (LMPI) has determined where job demand is highest for healthcare workers. It includes Florida nursing jobs, near the Tampa Bay area, and Arizona nursing jobs near Phoenix, both regions ranked very high in the 4th quarter for job gains. Online Job Postings for Nursing and Therapy Jobs Are a Huge [+]

Answering calls for faster, more convenient service in an outpatient setting, hospital systems, big and small, are branching out into the outpatient surgery business. Margins on outpatient surgeries are superior to inpatient counterparts – sometimes by as much as 20 percent, which could lead to a spike in travel nurse jobs in hospital-based surgery centers in select markets. Growing from about 240 outpatient surgery centers in 1983 to about 5,000 today, the Wall Street Journal reports that 65 percent of all surgeries in the U.S. don’t require an overnight hospital stay, compared to 16 percent in 1980. Minimally invasive techniques, improvements in anesthesia, smaller incisions and less blood loss have all enabled outpatient surgery to gain a stronghold at U.S. hospitals. In addition, financial incentives for hospitals to shift to less complex surgeries amid rising health care costs and changes in Medicare and insurance reimbursements has encouraged the development of both freestanding outpatient surgery centers, as well as hospital-based surgery centers in all 50 states. Opportunities for operating room techs, med/surg nurses, ER nurses and advanced nurse practitioners are expected to be abundant in coming years, as in addition to medically needed surgeries, the popularity of [+]

“Smart Moves for Families� This year’s physical therapy month is dedicated to helping families fight obesity through physical activity. For the entire month of October, physical therapists around the country are encouraged to initiate dialogue with parents and families over the role physical activity and healthy choices play in circumventing the consequences of obesity. “Children and adults who participate in sustained daily physical activity and follow a balanced diet enjoy improved cardiovascular fitness, greater bone mass and strength, and are better able to manage their weight ― all of which help prevent the onset of obesity and type 2 diabetes,� said sports certified physical therapist Teresa Schuemann, PT, SCS with the APTA. Schuemann and her colleagues at the American Physical Therapy Association are suggesting to physical therapists that they emphasize to parents the importance of being positive role models for health in the family, making it easier for children to adopt healthy lifestyles.  Physical activity must be made a priority, she said, as a means of preventing the loss of physical function and independence as children mature. Click here for Physical Therapy Jobs working with children, adults and the elderly. Once rare in American children, Type 2 diabetes accounts for eight to 45 percent of [+]

In the late 80’s, a TV commercial starring the elderly woman who cried, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up! generated wide-spread awareness that senior citizens are prone to nasty spills. We were relieved it was just an actress and that the pendant she wore, “Lifecall�, dispatched 911. Unfortunately, in real life, falls among the elderly are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries. It is estimated that 30% of people over age 65 will fall each year. New studies show that high blood pressure—a condition more likely to appear in older people—can alter the flow of blood in the brain and lead to falls. Fortunately, physical therapy is foremost among prescribed methods of treatment and rehabilitation for seniors. Because the elderly represent some of the most vulnerable patients, many of them receive help when physical therapists call on them at home in home health nursing jobs. Ironically, “home sweet home� can be a dangerous place for the elderly, as over half the falls treated in ERs report they occurred inside the victim’s house. Physical therapists can decrease these grim numbers by counseling their patients, and helping them fall-proof their homes. Here, we offer room-by-room tips on fall-proofing. In order to [+]

Physical therapists probably already realize they've chosen a health-care profession that happens to be highly in demand. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment for PTs is "expected to grow by 30 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations." With that in mind, the folks at AfterCollege.com have put together a list of the Top 25 Metro Areas for Physical Therapists.  It contains great info about each area, from employment rates to expected salaries to average rents. Though the article is aimed at new grads trying to identify where to go for their first job, it’s highly useful for everyone looking for the best physical therapy jobs! These 25 metro areas are some of the most desirable locales in the country. And, guess what: American Traveler has PT jobs ready and waiting in several of these markets!  Check them out on our physical therapy jobs page; or, better yet, subscribe to our  Physical Therapist Jobs RSS feed and be updated regularly on all the hottest new therapist job offerings. Here are some destinations for physical therapists to consider: The great state of Texas Dallas/Fort Worth (No. 1 on the list): Typical salary for physical therapy jobs [+]