Mission_Vision
Empowering clinicians.
Elevating care.
We benefit healthcare workers & healthcare facility owners by eliminating the countless inefficiencies of the existing healthcare staffing model. Healthcare facility owners get access to clinicians—often on short notice when they need them most—with transparent costs, while healthcare workers benefit by choosing their desired rate of compensation for their own time.
The Traveling Therapist offers all the benefits of an agency operating 24/7 with few of the overhead costs. We give healthcare facilities access to an ever-growing database of healthcare workers to help them care for their clients, and clinicians the opportunity to fill their empty schedules, work with new clinical populations, and grow their careers.
Our Mission
Eliminate the countless inefficiencies of the existing healthcare staffing model with an easy-to-use online platform accessible to clinicians and healthcare facility owners 24/7.
Our Vision
A world where better allocation of clinicians and healthcare staffing improves the lives of:
- Healthcare facility owners, by minimizing their administrative burden
- Clinicians and practitioners, by optimizing their time, energy, and effort
- Patients, who get better access to the quality care they deserve
Our Story & Passion to Improve the World
While working as students at a private outpatient healthcare facility, we saw countless instances of therapists calling in sick, having to cancel their day, and healthcare facilities seeking PTs, RMTs, etc. for short-term contracts, maternity leave coverage, or unexpected absences.
We know all too well the number of clinicians with gaps in their weekly schedule who would love the autonomy to decide when they work, where they work, and set their own rate of pay for the career they love.
We saw firsthand the administrative headache healthcare facilities face when attempting to find PT, RMT, or other coverage for shifts using job forums and traditional postings.
Heartbreakingly, we also saw patients who needed care and had to cancel their appointments because of these absences. Healthcare facilities are booked out for weeks while patients could really benefit from seeing a physiotherapist, PSW, or practitioner today.
Imagine a world where better allocation of clinicians and healthcare staffing improves upon all of these opportunities at once.
The Traveling Therapist set out to meet the needs of healthcare facilities and clinicians alike by creating an online healthcare staffing solution to fill schedule openings—all while providing more consistent patient care in the process. Our online platform facilitates matches between these jobs and clinicians quickly, freely, and efficiently.
Develop your career, fill short-term healthcare worker shortages, and become a Traveling Therapist!
Exclusive Partner Offer
Share your "hiring holes" and receive raffle tickets when you create an account.
The Impact of Healthcare Worker Vacancies
The OPA human health resources survey ran from May 30th to July 11th, 2022, with 171 respondents across 146 organizations. This survey demonstrates the critical need to examine supply and demand issues in physiotherapy health human resources, including how to overcome barriers to recruitment and retention to minimize vacancies.
Insights
Demographics
Most respondents worked in private practice (51%) and hospitals (30%), followed by home care (8%). There was minimal representation from primary healthcare facilities (4%) and long-term care or retirement homes.
Insights
Vacancies by Sector and Region
Through this survey, 255 physiotherapist vacancies and 47 physiotherapist assistant vacancies were reported. Most physiotherapist vacancies were in private practice (100) and the hospital sector (94) in acute care and rehabilitation centers, followed by home care (29).
When examining regions, most physiotherapist and assistant vacancies were reported in urban areas (such as Toronto central, central Champlain, and the southwest region).
It is important to note that these vacancies are a purely count-based analysis from survey participants, providing a direct snapshot of current staffing challenges.
Insights
Impact of Vacancies
Qualitative feedback highlighted key impacts that vacancies have had on daily practice and operations:
- Significant challenges meeting patient care demand due to human resource shortages
- Increased workload hours and heavy caseload burden placed on existing staff
- Elevated stress and burnout, contributing to increased sick leave and career departures
- Negative impacts on business growth, stability, and financial viability
- Pressure on employers to offer higher compensation to recruit and retain staff
To cope with staffing shortages, 61% of sites implemented waitlists for patients, and 55% increased the workload hours of existing staff.
Insights
Barriers to Recruitment
The most prominent factors contributing to recruitment challenges include:
- Compensation inequality across sectors, settings, or regions
- High competition between sectors and organizations regarding benefits and hours
- Overall low supply of physiotherapists and lack of applicants
- Strict qualification and experience requirements for specialized roles
- Lifestyle factors such as housing, cost of living, and spousal employment opportunities
Conclusion
Health human resource issues have a significant impact on patient care and system performance. We continue to utilize this data to support advocacy efforts and inform stakeholder conversations across Ontario.
OPA.on.ca, Autumn Issue 2022
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