Read all about the best U.S. States for occupational therapists Today is Friday the 13th, as good a time as any to plan your next career move. Fortunately, for occupational therapists, the career outlook couldn't look any better; that’s why recruiting experts have narrowed the infinite possibilities by focusing on the Top 13 best places to work in occupational therapy. If you’re looking to find top benefits that include free private housing in one of these great cities, today might be your lucky day! The Top 13 Places to Get Occupational Therapy Jobs in the USA The following details on top states for occupational therapists make for great selling points—states made the list for their abundance in OT jobs, amazing healthcare facilities and top pay! • California occupational therapy jobs couldn't be any more golden! Come leave your heart in San Francisco, or work in therapy jobs throughout exciting Southern Cal. • Colorado occupational therapy jobs are close to miles of white powder to ski on, or toast with hot chocolate from your ski chalet. There’s also great food and drink to be had in the mile high city of Denver! • Iowa occupational therapy jobs, is a foray into [+]

Raffle winner Melina with her new iPad2 The winner of American Traveler's iPad2 raffle at the California Physical Therapy Association Conference. Melina A. writes, "I was super excited to hear that I had won an iPad2 at the CPTA conference in Long Beach! American Traveler has been great in helping me learn more about traveling physical therapy jobs and the vast opportunities that await my future. I would like to thank them for their professionalism and for being there to answer all of my questions." To which we reply, "You're very welcome!" American Traveler's goal is to help advance physical therapy careers any way we can. Melina is a PT with three years' experience, who is looking to broaden her career horizons with a physical therapy travel job. Visit our featured travel therapy jobs listings anytime to browse our always-updated hot rehab therapy  jobs. [+]

California Physical Therapy Association Conference Report: The inside scoop on our iPad 2 raffle winner, the 'Barefoot Debate', Recent PT School Grads and the Tax Advantage Plan Located just 20 miles south of Los Angeles, nestled along one of the west coast’s most picturesque waterfronts, Long Beach is a pretty sweet place to catch up on the latest news in the physical therapy field. Conventions like the CPTA are a great resource for practitioners seeking to connect with other PT’s and learn more about the latest developments in the industry. And conferences are also a great opportunity to expand your employment horizons and think about a PT career in a new way. As part of American Traveler’s program to reach out to allied health professionals, Dennis Grandic, PT, Clinical Resource Manager and Account Manager for Allied Health -- and Kimberly Mayhue, Account Manager -- two of American Traveler’s key contacts for allied health job seekers -- attended the recent California Physical Therapy Association convention in Long Beach. The 2011 CPTA featured noteworthy physical therapy experts like John Meyer PT, DPT, OCS, FAFS and Irene Davis PT, PhD who, respectively, led classes in Intraarticular Hip Pathology and [+]

Meet Dennis, a native New Yorker, with a Master’s of Science in Physical Therapy and an MBA in Healthcare Administration. A native New Yorker, Dennis had a ten-year physical therapy career in Manhattan. Dennis shares his tips on why he choose to leave his permanent position and take a travel physical therapy job. Dennis shares, "After working ten years in physical therapy pediatric and cardiac rehab, the fast pace lifestyle of New York was exciting, but I was starting to wonder what else was out there. I was also finishing up with my business degree, and thinking about the next stage in my career. At that point I decided on a travel therapy job. My brother and his family live in South Florida, so taking a physical therapy job that put me close to family — while trying out a new clinical setting — sounded like a great fit." Like many travel jobs, Dennis' three-month assignment was extended to almost a year.  Many travel therapy jobs work out so well for the therapist and for the facility that everybody agrees to keep things going; some even become permanent. After ten years as a practicing [+]

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 [+]

Employers continue to leverage temporary staff to meet increased business demands. One of the nation’s largest online job boards announced last month that 29 percent of employers responding to a recent employment survey said they hired temporary workers in the first quarter of 2011. Twenty six percent planned to do so in the second quarter, according to a March 31, press release. Though the survey doesn’t specifically address healthcare staffing, survey results come from a broad spectrum of more than 2,800 hiring managers and 5,600 workers. "A good indication that travel nursing jobs and travel therapy jobs are picking up," said Mary Kay Hull, from American Traveler, a leading supplier of travel nurses and therapists to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient rehab, ambulatory surgery and home health providers. Trending was most positive for companies with 500 or more employees and least promising for companies with 50 employees or less. Hiring was hottest in the West and coolest in the South. Nurse job pay, as indicated by survey findings, is expected to change little in 2011. Fewer than half of employers planned to issue pay raises. Of those, only 15 percent anticipated increases beyond cost of living. "Here’s where travel nursing [+]