How to get a telehealth job as a PT/OT/SLP/PTA/OTA/COTA

If you are looking for a remote job that you can do as physical, occupational, speech therapist - and yes I've even some assistant positions - then look no further than a job in telehealth! In this article we’ll highlight how to transition from a rehabilitation career into a stay at home position in telehealth.

What is a telehealth therapy position?

I know, this may be a silly question, but for completeness - this is a career route that is very similar to your therapy position.

Very similar to in person therapy, you’ll be performing evaluations and treatment sessions – but they’ll be virtual and you’ll have to get creative with how to treat and help your patients remotely. You may be billing insurance or cash, based on your patient's preference and insurance qualifications. 

Why do I personally like telehealth?

To be honest, I have a love hate relationship from the clinician side. I really love how convenient it is for my patients and for me, but it's frustrating when I get inappropriate consults or consults that I think are not fit for tele health. I think this is a very new platform and we are still perfecting its use in the therapy world.

From a job role perspective, I really love telehealth! You get to stay home, make similar salary, no extra education, no physical labor, and hopefully less headache as you don't have as much in person interaction. 

Top pros of working in telehealth:

• Telehealth roles are rewarding. You are helping people, just like you would in healthcare but now remotely.
• They are often fully remote
• You’ll need no extra certifications or education (many companies have their own training they provide too)
• You get paid similarly to your clinical salary
• Easy transition as much of your treatment sessions will be just like in the therapy session
• No physical labor involved
• These are also contract or part time so it's a great side hustle or adjunct to your current full time job

Top cons of working in telehealth

• It may be challenging to care for patients when you are limited to just remote care
• You’ll have to be very comfortable with technology and solving technology issues
• This may be more commonly a part time job or contracted role, but there may be full time transitions you can make
• You may only be able to improve a patient so much, and then have to refer them out
• You may still be limited by insurance 
• If you are an assistant - there are not very many roles YET, but I foresee this growing in the assistant career track so don't count yourself out! And I have seen assistant roles posted so it's not an impossible career track.

Average pay of telehealth clinicians:

The average pay of telehealth clinicians, according to Zip Recruiting,https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Teletherapy-Occupational-Therapy-Salary, could be $74,000.

As telehealth positions are relatively new, I think this salary could really vary but likely expect similar to a clinicians salary.

Who is a career in telehealth the best fit for?

I think this role is great for someone who really loves patient care and wants to continue patient care, but perhaps can’t lift any more or wants to be more at home.

This is also for someone who can be creative and is eager to learn new technology and skills.

I also think this is a great role for someone who wants more sales, technology, or leadership potential. As newer companies arise, they may want clinicians to do more unique roles and this can lead to exciting lateral career transitions or more upward mobility. 

Example day in the life of a telehealth therapist:

Usually your day is a fairly set 9-5 type of schedule and will be fairly similar to your therapy clinic days.

You’ll have a list of patients and perform initial and ongoing therapy evaluations to determine if they are appropriate for telehealth at home.

From this, you’ll then create your plan of care and perform treatments and monitor your patient’s performance.

You'll perform daily notes, billing, HEP programs, case planning, and talking to care providers regarding your patient's care. 

What are the requirements for a telehealth role:

• Currently it appears that there are mostly therapist roles for tele health, but this may change as rules and regulations change for tele health and I have actually seen some therapist assistant roles open too! 
• Usually prior remote or tele health experience is helpful but not required
• Usually a quite room and remote ability, such as computer are required

How to find these telehealth jobs:

• There are new tele health companies popping up all the time, but searching tele health plus professional title is usually the best way
• Some examples of tele health companies to directly search are Noom, Presence Learning, and Eluma
• I would also encourage you to set up auto alerts on LinkedIn and Indeed for these roles, and use several titles when setting alerts
• I would reach out directly to companies or to recruiters on LinkedIn as this can often get you to the front of the line

How to get a job as a tele health clinician as a physical/occupational/speech therapist or assistant?

Getting a telehealth job should be pretty easy as it's a really simple transition, and they are looking specifically for your degree

But common mistakes we've seen is not updating and tailoring your resume to a telehealth therapy position, not including a cover letter, not preparing for an interview, and not sending a thank you email shortly after. 

In addition, try to stand out by taking additional education with unlimited CEU programs, get experience working remotely as a telehealth contractor, and getting experience simply with remote work tools like Zoom or Microsoft teams so that you can say you are familiar with remote communication and care.

You can even read telehealth therapy research so show your dedication and interest in this position and providing the best care possible to patients.  

Best course to help you get a job in telehealth and other remote careers?

I've created a remote careers course, that has step by step video guides, resume template, cover letter template, interview questions and answers for virtual reality, telehealth, recruiting, sales, technology/marketing, and ergonomic careers all in one program. 

Learn more here: https://www.alternativehealthcarecareers.com/remote-jobs-course 

Summary:

I really hope this article has helped outline another amazing remote career that you as a physical, occupational, or speech therapist or assistant can do!

If you want a more in-depth guide into each of these career routes you can go to each of the respective blog posts here:

• How to get a utilization review/care coordinator job as a PT, OT, SLP, COTA/OTA, PTA: https://www.alternativehealthcarecareers.com/blog/how-to-become-a-utilization-reviewer-rehabiliation-professionals
• How to get a recruiting job as a PT, OT, SLP, COTA/OTA, PTA: https://www.alternativehealthcarecareers.com/blog/travel-therapy-recruiting
• How to get a sales job as a PT, OT, SLP, COTA/OTA, PTA : https://www.alternativehealthcarecareers.com/blog/medical-sales-job-guide 
• How to get a telehealth job as a PT, OT, SLP, COTA/OTA, PTA: https://www.alternativehealthcarecareers.com/blog/telehealth-job-guide 
• How to get a virtual reality job as a PT, OT, SLP, COTA/OTA, PTA: https://www.alternativehealthcarecareers.com/blog/job-in-virtual-reality 
• How to get a Technology (product, project manager, customer success, clinical trainer) job as a PT, OT, SLP, COTA/OTA, PTA :  https://www.alternativehealthcarecareers.com/blog/technology-job-guide 
• How to get an Assistive Technology job as a PT, OT, SLP, OTA/COTA, PTA: https://www.alternativehealthcarecareers.com/blog/assistive-technology-job-guide 
• How to get a health coaching job as a PT, OT, SLP, COTA/OTA, PTA: https://www.alternativehealthcarecareers.com/blog/health-coach-job-guide