Will you succeed as a therapist providing in-home healthcare?
Providing in-home healthcare as a speech therapist, occupational therapist, or physical therapist is an exciting challenge many therapists do not get the opportunity to tackle. At FeldCare Connects, we connect therapists working as independent contractors with referrals from home health agencies, providing the opportunity for therapists to think outside the box and work in a new setting.
While working with homebound patients is a fascinating task, providing this service also presents potential difficulties. The setting is different, as are the number of immediate tools and supports you can utilize. Additionally, those who succeed as 1099 contractors providing ST, OT, or PT must have skills and characteristics not always found in those working as in-clinic employees.
Five characteristics of successful home health therapists
Are you planning to work as an independent contractor who provides in-home therapy? FeldCare Connects helps you find therapy referrals in your area looking for speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. However, before you sign up for our system and get connected, you will want to make sure you can embody these five characteristics:
1. Is entrepreneurial
Most therapists are not trained in entrepreneurship or business management. However, working as an independent contractor is inherently entrepreneurial. If you have always wanted to start your own business or enjoy having a side income, working as an independent contractor in an in-home therapy setting may be right for you.
2. Must be able to work independently
No rotation or setting will fully prepare a therapist to provide in-home healthcare as an independent contractor. In this setting, you have no coworkers. Instead, you treat the patient on a one-on-one basis. You are in charge of your own timekeeping, patient notes, equipment, and more.
The FeldCare team is happy to provide support to independent therapists, but we do not offer training or a traditional clinical experience. If that sounds exciting and interesting to you, you will likely succeed as an in-home healthcare provider.
3. Provides their own accountability
When you work as an independent contractor, you are accountable to yourself. There is no hourly wage or insurance benefits. If you do the work on the timeline you have laid out, then you are compensated for that work. However, if you fail to do the work or do not show up for appointments, you will not be compensated. There is no “phoning it in” with independent work.
4. Can think outside of the box
In-home therapy is exciting because it allows therapists to work in the patient’s natural environment. If you have only worked in a clinic, using the patient’s natural environment in your therapy may be new to you – but it can also be an exciting and fun way to produce excellent results.
For example, in a clinic, you would never know that your 6 ft patient is challenged by a kitchen counter designed for a shorter person. But when you provide home health services, the height of the counters can play a part in your occupational therapy or physical therapy care plan.
If you have spent your occupational therapy or physical therapy career hoping to use more out-of-the-box methods and aids, in-home therapy may be an excellent fit for you.
5. Embraces change
Finally, a therapist working independently as a contractor must be able to embrace change. The FeldCare Connects system will connect you with home health agencies with various needs. You can define both what you are qualified to do and what you want to do in your therapy career.
Most in-home therapists are looking for something new. That may be a new healthcare setting, the ability to define their workloads, or the freedom to use out-of-the-box methods. Whatever you are looking for, the ability to embrace change will serve you well when working independently as an SLP, OT, or PT.
Do you believe you would succeed as an independent contractor? Get in touch with FeldCare Connects today to find patients near you who could benefit from your expertise.
Reach out to FeldCare Connects to kickstart your journey in home health now! Either call us at (818) 926-9057, or go to feldcareconnects.com/clinicians
