Travel Therapy as a New Graduate

Who Takes New Graduates

Can a new graduate travel? Yes, and here is who takes you

Most agencies want years of experience before they will place you on a travel contract; new graduates on public forums say so in nearly those words. Gold Coast is one of the few agencies that places new graduates, and it partners with select facilities that accept physical therapist license applicants, so a new graduate can begin traveling before full licensure is complete. Every new graduate is matched with a mentor who specializes in the assigned clinical setting before day one.

Three things decide whether a facility will take a new graduate: the setting (skilled nursing takes more new graduates than any other setting, which is why this guide is built around it), the state (license timing and whether the facility accepts a license applicant), and whether the agency will prepare you or just place you. The second and third are what a recruiter should answer plainly on the first call.

The Basics

What Is Travel Physical Therapy in a Skilled Nursing Facility?

Travel physical therapy in a skilled nursing facility is a short-term contract, typically 13 weeks, where a licensed physical therapist provides rehabilitation services to residents recovering from acute events (stroke, joint replacement, hospitalization) or managing chronic conditions. The goal is to help residents regain function, prevent further decline, and either return home or transition to long-term care with the highest possible level of independence.

Skilled nursing facilities hire travel physical therapists to cover staffing gaps, maternity leaves, census growth, or permanent recruitment windows. Assignments are typically 40 hours per week with a caseload of 8 to 12 patients per day. Gold Coast places travel physical therapists in skilled nursing facilities across all 50 states, with free mentorship included in every assignment.

Why Start Here

Why Is Skilled Nursing the Best First Setting for New Grads?

Three reasons, and they compound.

• Volume of varied clinical cases. In a single day you may treat a patient three weeks post-hip fracture, another recovering from a stroke, a third managing Parkinson's disease, and a fourth with deconditioning from sepsis. That diversity accelerates clinical pattern recognition in a way no other setting matches in a new graduate's first year of practice.
• Predictable documentation systems. Most skilled nursing facilities run on one of four electronic medical records platforms. Once you learn one, the rest follow the same logic. New graduates often fear documentation more than clinical work, and skilled nursing is the fastest place to solve that fear, because the systems are consistent facility to facility.
• Mentorship fits naturally. Because skilled nursing populations are similar across facilities, a mentor who has worked in skilled nursing can walk you through productivity expectations, documentation time, difficult patient encounters, and interdisciplinary team dynamics, and have it actually apply to your specific assignment. This is why every Gold Coast skilled nursing traveler is paired with a setting-specific mentor before day one.

Outpatient may feel more comfortable to a new graduate who finished student rotations in orthopedics, but the case variety is narrower, productivity pressure is often higher, and the first year is harder to recover from clinically if the fit is wrong.

The First Two Weeks

What are the first two weeks like? What does this training entail?

Two different things get called "training," and a new graduate should separate them before signing. The first is what the agency does. The second is what the facility does. Only the first one is something Gold Coast controls, so here is exactly what it is.

Before day one, from Gold Coast: a call or video chat with your named mentor, a licensed physical therapist or occupational therapist who has worked skilled nursing, covering the facility's documentation system and electronic medical record, the productivity expectation at that facility, the patient populations you will see, and the clinical protocols that setting runs on. Through the contract, that same clinician stays available for a hard patient, a documentation question, or a career decision. Mentorship continues into every future contract.

On site, from the facility: orientation varies, and honesty about that is part of the job. Some skilled nursing facilities run a structured week with the director of rehabilitation; some hand you a caseload on day one. One new graduate wrote that a facility "did not provide any training to me- not even on the EMR so I could not do chart reviews," and that after that she was "scared to be deceived" by the next facility that called itself new-grad friendly. That is why Gold Coast's mentor and recruiter vet the placement before it is presented to you, and why the facility's answers to three questions go in writing before you accept: who is the onsite director of rehabilitation, how many permanent staff therapists are on the floor, and what the productivity expectation is. A facility with a stable interdisciplinary team, productivity at or below 90 percent, and a director who answers clinical questions is the one to take.

Week one is documentation and the electronic medical record. Week two is caseload. A mentor who has already walked you through both is the difference between a first contract that builds you and one you spend recovering from.

On Assignment

What Does a Typical Day Look Like?

A travel physical therapist in a skilled nursing facility typically arrives between 7:30 and 8:00 AM, reviews the day's schedule with the director of rehabilitation, and begins seeing patients by 8:30 AM. A full caseload is usually 8 to 12 patients per day, each seen for 45 to 60 minutes of treatment time.

Treatment sessions address gait training, balance, strength, functional mobility, and activities of daily living. Documentation happens between sessions and at the end of the day. Most facilities expect 85 to 90 percent productivity, which translates to roughly 6 to 7 billable hours on an 8-hour day.

Interdisciplinary team meetings happen once or twice per week. You will collaborate with occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, nursing, social work, and the director of nursing on discharge planning and resident goals. A good facility has a stable team that makes this integration easy, part of what a Gold Coast mentor helps you vet before you accept the assignment.

Clinical Range

What Clinical Skills Will You Build in Skilled Nursing?

New graduate travel physical therapists in skilled nursing settings build competency in areas that generalize to every future clinical environment:

• Fall risk assessment and prevention using standardized tools like the Berg Balance Scale, Tinetti, and Timed Up and Go
• Neurological rehabilitation for post-stroke, Parkinson's disease, and general deconditioning from hospitalization
• Orthopedic post-operative care for total hip, total knee, and shoulder replacement populations
• Cardiopulmonary management in medically complex and ventilator-dependent residents
• Cognitive and functional assessment including Section GG reporting for Medicare Part A compliance
• Caregiver training and discharge planning for home return and long-term care placement
• Interdisciplinary team communication with nursing, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and social work

These are the skills that travel well. A new graduate who spends 26 weeks across two skilled nursing assignments builds a clinical foundation that carries into home health, acute care, and outpatient, whatever setting comes next.

The Differentiator

How Does Gold Coast's Free Mentorship Support New Grads?

Every Gold Coast traveler is paired with a setting-specific mentor before the assignment begins. For skilled nursing placements, your mentor is a licensed physical therapist with direct skilled nursing experience, not a recruiter reading from a script.

Your mentor helps you:

• Walk through the facility's documentation system before day one
• Prepare for the productivity expectations at your specific facility
• Navigate specific patient populations (post-stroke, post-fracture, ventilator weaning)
• Handle clinical and administrative friction during the assignment
• Decide on your next contract with full, honest information

Mentorship is free for every traveler. There is no premium tier. There is no cap on how often you can reach out. This is the differentiator that separates Gold Coast from every other therapy staffing agency, and the reason most of our new graduates extend their contracts or sign on for a second assignment immediately. Meet our setting-specific mentors.

Timing

How early should I get in contact with a recruiter?

Reach out as soon as you know three dates: your graduation, your board exam, and the earliest start you want. Licensing is the long pole, not the job search. Each state has its own board and its own processing time, from a few weeks to several months, and a physical therapist license applicant placement depends on which facilities in which states accept one. The earlier a recruiter knows your target states, the earlier the licensing clock starts.

Here is what happens on Gold Coast's side once you apply: your application is reviewed within one business day, a dedicated recruiter talks through your discipline, preferred settings, and locations, and you are matched with a mentor in your setting before your first shift. A new graduate who applies with the three dates and two or three target states in hand gives that process what it needs to line up a start date rather than a conversation.

One more thing new graduates ask each other: whether to work with several recruiters. Several is normal in this market. What Gold Coast asks is that you tell each recruiter the same three dates and the same target states, so nobody is chasing a contract you cannot start.

Frequently Asked Questions

New Graduate Skilled Nursing Travel FAQ

What are the first 2 weeks like on a new-grad travel contract?
Before day one, your Gold Coast mentor walks you through the facility's documentation system, productivity expectation, and patient population on a call. On site, week one is documentation and the electronic medical record and week two is your full caseload. Facility orientation varies, so the director of rehabilitation, the number of permanent staff, and the productivity target go in writing before you accept.

Is there any kind of mentorship for new grads?
At Gold Coast, yes, and it is free with every placement. You are matched with a named, licensed clinician who has worked your setting, before day one and throughout the contract. The mentors are listed by name, credential, and setting on the mentors page.

How early should I get in contact with a recruiter?
As soon as you know your graduation date, your board exam date, and your target states. Licensing takes weeks to months by state and is the long pole; Gold Coast reviews every application within one business day and matches a mentor before your first shift.

Can a new graduate physical therapist really travel in skilled nursing?
Yes. Gold Coast is one of the few agencies that actively supports new graduate placements in skilled nursing, including Physical Therapist License Applicants at select partner facilities. Your mentor handles the preparation curve so you walk in ready.

What should I study before my first skilled nursing assignment?
Focus on three areas: Medicare Part A versus Part B documentation logic, balance and fall risk assessments (Berg, Tinetti, Timed Up and Go), and the functional outcome measures used in skilled nursing (Section GG, 6-minute walk test). Your Gold Coast mentor provides preparation materials before day one.

How do I pick a good first contract?
Look for facilities with a stable interdisciplinary team, productivity expectations at or below 90 percent, and an onsite director of rehabilitation who answers clinical questions. Your Gold Coast recruiter and mentor vet every placement before it is presented to you.

What happens if my first assignment does not go well?
Gold Coast stands behind every placement. If the facility misrepresents the role or you encounter a clinical safety concern, your mentor and recruiter work with you directly to resolve it. You are never stranded on assignment.

Do I have to move to travel?
Most travel contracts are outside your home market, but Gold Coast also places local travelers (within 50 miles of your home address) at above-market rates. Local contracts include the base pay premium but not the tax-free housing stipend.

Thinking about traveling as a new graduate? Book a free 30-minute call with a working therapist, or call (707) 908-9484.