What to Expect on Your First Travel Therapy Contract

Your first contract experience depends heavily on which agency you choose. As a new grad, prioritize these factors in order:

1. Pay transparency. Your agency should clearly break down every component of your pay package — taxable hourly rate, housing stipend, M&IE stipend, travel reimbursement, and any deductions. If they can't explain where your money is going, walk away. The same job through different agencies can pay differently.

2. A recruiter who understands therapy. Good recruiters for new grads are ones who have clinical backgrounds themselves — ideally therapists who've traveled. They understand productivity expectations, documentation pressure, and what "new-grad-friendly" actually means at a facility level. Agencies owned by therapists tend to have this advantage built in.

3. Honest guidance over sales pressure. A good recruiter will tell you when a facility isn't right for a new grad. A bad one will push you into any open position to fill their quota. Smaller, therapist-owned agencies tend to have fewer positions but place you more carefully.

Everything is new — the EMR system, the building layout, the team, the patients. This is normal and expected.

Tips: Ask where supplies are on day one. Learn the EMR before you need it for real documentation. Introduce yourself to the rehab team, nursing staff, and the director. Ask about productivity expectations explicitly — don't assume.

Your recruiter should check in during week one. If they don't, call them. A responsive recruiter during your first week is a green flag for the rest of the contract.

Documentation speed improves. You know where things are. Patient rapport is building. The learning curve is steep but you're climbing it.

Common week 2-4 struggles: Feeling slower than permanent staff (normal — they've been there months or years). Documentation taking longer than expected. Uncertainty about facility-specific protocols. Missing your support system back home.

This is when you should start looking at your student loan repayment strategy and directing that first travel paycheck toward your goals.

You're competent, efficient, and comfortable. This is where travel therapy starts to feel great — clinical confidence is building and you're enjoying the experience.

Start thinking ahead: Do you want to extend? Start talking to your recruiter about next steps around week 8. If you're moving on, begin the search for your second assignment 3-4 weeks before your current one ends.

If extending, negotiate your rate — don't just accept the same package. The facility wants you to stay (saves them onboarding costs), so you have leverage.

If moving to a new assignment, your next contract should already be lined up. Start the housing search for your new location. Wrap up loose ends with patients and documentation. Say your goodbyes.

One of the biggest decisions for your first contract is insurance. Here's what experienced travelers will tell you: getting your own Marketplace plan is usually the smarter move for new grads.

Why? Agency insurance plans vary wildly. Some have 30-90 day waiting periods — on a 13-week contract, you could be uninsured for nearly half your assignment. Agency plans also lock you into that agency — if you want to switch for better pay, you lose your coverage.

With a Marketplace plan: your W-2 income as a travel therapist is lower (because stipends aren't reported), so you may qualify for premium subsidies that make Marketplace plans very affordable. Coverage is continuous between contracts — no gaps ever. And you're free to switch agencies based purely on who pays more.

If you're under 26, staying on a parent's plan is the easiest option of all.

Short-term health plans can bridge a gap between other coverage and are independent from your agency. But under the federal rules that took effect in 2024, a new short-term plan lasts no more than 3 months, and no more than 4 months in total with renewals (Federal Register), so one cannot be your primary coverage for long. See our full insurance guide for details.