As a travel therapist, you will have to get licensed in every state where you work. For those of us who bounce around to potentially several states a year, that can be a lot of licenses! For this reason, obtaining appropriate licenses as a travel therapist can be quite daunting and overwhelming at times. Furthermore, if you travel for a while, you’ll have to give special attention to managing licenses as well.
Just like with any job as a therapist, you will not be allowed to practice without an active license. This means that for every state you are currently working in you MUST have your license up to date. Additionally, if you have other licenses in other states that you plan to return to, you must keep these licenses active as well. So, let’s dive into everything it takes to managing licenses in each state as a travel therapist!
UNDERSTANDING THE LICENSING PROCESS
If you’re unfamiliar with how initial licensing occurs, please reference THE PT COMPACT- HOW TO GET LICENSED IN UNDER 10 MINUTES. This post covers the difference between getting licensed via examination versus endorsement. This post also mainly covers the PT Compact and how licensing under the compact works.
Now that we’re up to date on how to obtain an initial license in a state, let’s talk about managing licenses in each of those states.
A LICENSE IS EXPIRING… NOW WHAT??
So, let’s lay out a scenario to give a real-life example of how this process works. Let’s say I obtained my initial license via examination in Missouri. After passing the NPTE, filling out the initial license, and paying all necessary fees, I was granted a Missouri PT license. WOOHOO!
Every state has its own rules on when their licenses expire. For Missouri, their PT licenses expire on even years on the last day of the month that the licensee was born. That’s on January 31st for me. For most states, their licenses expire every 2 years. However, each state will have its own rules on exactly which day the license expires. This info can be found in the rules, regulations, and laws of each state.
So, January 31st, 2024 rolls around, what options do I have for what I could do with my Missouri license? I could renew my license, let it expire, or in some states, you can make it “inactive.”
OPTION 1: RENEW YOUR LICENSE
For initial licensing, you must fill out an entire application. This typically includes several forms about your personal demographics, school and work history, jurisprudence exams, and paying the appropriate fees. Every state is different with the cost of these fees, which range from <$100-$500+. The cost of these licenses will be directly mentioned on each state license application. Additional costs may also include forwarding your NPTE scores to each state board, verifying other state licenses, notary services, and sending transcripts from your school to the state board. As you can see, this can be a lot to handle and, not to mention, costly. Luckily, as a traveler, most travel companies will reimburse you for initial licensing fees or renewal fees.
As for renewing a license after the 2-year active period, there is much less to do than the initial license described above. For most states, it’s just a matter of sending in your payment to cover the renewal fees. Again, the cost of renewal varies from state to state. This cost may be the same as the original license fee or may be slightly less. But, as long as you make the payment before your license expires then renewing is as simple as paying renewal fees! And unlike initial licensing, there is no delay in this license getting processed. Whenever they receive your payment, you’re license is renewed for the next 2-year licensing period. BOOYAH! However, you also must remember to keep up with all necessary continuing education units required for each state. More on this later.
OPTION 2: LET THE LICENSE EXPIRE
If you accidentally let a license expire, meaning you did not make attempts to pay the renewal fee before the expiration date, then that license will no longer be valid. If payment for renewal is not received before the expiration date then you will not be legally allowed to practice in that state.
As a traveler, sometimes you’re going to a state to work for 3-6 months and then you leave. There have been multiple occasions where I’ve gotten a license in a state and I have no intentions of returning to that state for work again. It is in these circumstances that one may purposely let a license expire. In those cases, if you were to let the license expire, you would have to go through the entire initial licensing process to re-obtain a license in that state. Thus, I always recommend that if you have ANY intentions to return to a state that you’re already licensed, then you might as well just renew it versus letting it expire to save you the time and energy later.
OPTION 3: MAKE YOUR LICENSE “INACTIVE” (WHEN AVAILABLE)
There are a select few states where there is an option to put your license in an “inactive” status. In these cases, these states will not require the typical renewal fee each renewal period like an active license. And unlike a license that you let expire, upon activating your license again, there are fewer hoops to jump through. This may mean no jurisprudence exam is required and no full application paperwork process.
Instead, an inactive license could just be reactivated with the normal renewal fee, and boom you’re back into active status. Not many states offer this option. Thus, if there is a state that you may plan to return to in several years but don’t want to pay the renewal fees, it would be beneficial to see if that state offers an “inactive” license status.
WHAT ABOUT COMPACT PRIVILEGES?
Each compact privilege is valid as long as your home state license is active. For me, my home state license is in Missouri. I currently have compact privileges in North Dakota, Colorado, Georgia, Texas, and Washington. As stated before, I have to renew my Missouri license every 2 years at the end of January. Thus when I renew my Missouri license, I will also have to renew each compact privilege that I still need. The process to do this is just as simple as obtaining the initial compact privilege. Go onto the PT Compact website and purchase the compact privilege that you need. Each renewed compact privilege is valid as long as your home state license is active. For those that are not renewed or re-purchased, those are now expired and no longer valid.
CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS
Another consideration for managing licenses as a traveler is continuing education units (CEUs). You’ll find that most states require up to 30 hours of CEUs per renewal period. Most states have renewal periods every 2 years, as previously stated. Some states will require CEUs in different categories or delivery methods. This means some states require a certain amount of CEUs in person vs online courses vs other methods (CI, journal club, publishing papers, etc). This is up to you to read through each state’s rules and regulations to determine what they require.
I’ve found that most states are pretty similar. However, some require up to half of your CEUs to be at a live in-person course. I have typically taken one in-person course, like Rocktape or Dry Needling, per renewal period. Each of which satisfies a large majority of the 30 hr requirements. **FYI- With each in-person course, you must verify that this course qualifies for CEUs for each state you need. You can do this by asking the course instructor or reaching out to the appropriate person in the state board.
As for the rest of the CEUs, I usually complete online Medbridge courses. Medbridge is an incredible place to get some relevant up-to-date, evidenced-based CEUs. They have courses in a variety of categories and topics covering multiple settings in the therapy fields (ortho, acute, etc.).
I also love MedBridge for their HEP platform, which has great descriptions and pictures of a large variety of exercises that you can print or send (email or text) to patients, and quickly integrate descriptions into your documentation. So, if you’re looking for a great CEU and HEP resource, you can use my link here to save $150 on your initial annual Medbridge subscription fee!
CEU AUDITS
Be sure to keep track of your total CEUs and keep the certificates of completion saved. Each state has the right to audit you and check to see if you completed the required CEUs. Thus, if you do not have the proof of completion your license may be suspended until proof of completion is submitted.
KEEP IT ORGANIZED
If this all sounds like a lot to keep organized, IT IS!! Thus, I highly recommend keeping an ongoing document or spreadsheet with all the necessary info. Be sure to list each current and past license, renewal/expiration dates, and required CEUs, with a running tab of CEUs completed/needed. The more you travel and the more often you move, the crazier this list will get. So, start it early and don’t let it get out of hand!
FINAL THOUGHTS ON MANAGING LICENSES
Managing all the licenses that compile as you travel can be a daunting task. But if you keep things organized from the beginning, it can be easy. Just keep tabs on all upcoming expiration dates and decide whether you will need that state license in the future again or not. If not, let it expire and move on. If yes, pay the renewal fee and ensure that you’ve completed the necessary CEU requirements in case you get audited. Keep it simple and keep it organized! You’ve got this!
If you have any further questions or insights for managing licenses as a travel therapist, please comment below, contact me through my website, or direct message me via Instagram.