Ep. 122: SLP Travel Contracts and Benefits with Paige Harles
In this episode of SLP Full Disclosure, host Michelle interviews Paige Harles, a senior recruiter at AMN Healthcare, to discuss the unique opportunities available for traveling speech-language pathologists (SLPs). They cover key topics such as navigating travel contracts, understanding employee benefits, and utilizing resources like the Passport app. The conversation also addresses support for clinical fellows, licensing and credentialing, and clears up common misconceptions about working as a traveling SLP. Paige emphasizes the importance of transparency and communication throughout the recruitment process.
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Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to AMN and Recruitment Insights
01:45 Paige's Journey to Becoming a Recruiter
05:45 Connecting Candidates with Opportunities
09:46 Understanding AMN's Benefits and Resources
11:12 Benefits & Employment Type (W‑2 vs. 1099)
15:47 Navigating Licensing and Credentialing
20:14 Travel Stipends and Pay Structure
23:47 Support for Clinical Fellowship Year
27:49 Advice for SLPs Considering Contracts
Show Sponsors
We're proudly sponsored by AMN Healthcare, the leader in healthcare staffing and workforce solutions. Explore their services at AMN Healthcare, https://www.amnhealthcare.com/
Discover job opportunities and manage your assignments with ease using AMN Passport. Download the AMN Passport App today! https://www.amnpassport.com/
About Paige
As a Senior Recruiting Consultant at AMN Healthcare, Paige Harles brings approximately 4.5 years of experience to the organization. She began her tenure with the international nursing team before transitioning to the allied team about 3.5 years ago. Specializing in the recruitment of SLPs and CFs, she places professionals in school-based settings across the United States. Paige is also in the process of completing her M.A. in Organizational Leadership, while managing wedding planning and caring for her two rescue dogs.
About Michelle
Michelle Gage, MA CCC-SLP, embarked on her journey in speech-language pathology during her undergraduate studies at the University of Mississippi, where she also worked at North Mississippi Regional Center, gaining invaluable experience in various therapy approaches. Following her Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Central Florida, she has dedicated 25 years to empowering children and families in improving language skills and overall development. Currently residing in Mississippi, Michelle extends her expertise through telehealth services. Additionally, she proudly serves as the host of the SLP Full Disclosure podcast.
Outside of her professional commitments, Michelle is the proud mother of Mia, an accomplished middle school math teacher and all-around amazing human. In her leisure time, she indulges in her love for travel and cherishes moments spent with family and friends.
Transcript
[00:00] Michelle (Host): Introduction to AMN and Recruitment Insights
Hey y’all, it’s Michelle with *SLP Full Disclosure* and welcome to the podcast. Today we have a recruiter with us, Paige Harles. Paige, thank you so much for joining us today.
Paige: Of course, I’m happy to join.
Michelle: I’m so excited. I know we’ve had recruiters on the podcast before. My recruiter, Jill, was very kind—she’s the one that recommended me for the podcast. So I was like, then you have to be a guest! If you’re the one that got me in this position, then you’re going to have to join me. It was wonderful having her on, but we’re so excited to have you here. With Jill, we talked about a broad overview of how to get started with AMN and what that process looked like. But with Paige, we’re going to talk specifics—AMN benefits and what she does behind the scenes as a recruiter.
Paige and I met last year in Seattle, Washington at ASHA for the first time, and I was so excited to meet her. Let me just tell you—she’s amazing to watch as she talks to people who visit our booth. Her elevator pitch, everything. She’s enthusiastic, fun, and very knowledgeable. Paige, thank you so much for joining us today.
Paige: My gosh, thank you, Michelle. Keep buttering me up—I love it!
Michelle: Before we get started, I want to read a little about Paige. Paige is a senior recruiter with AMN with a focus on school staffing solutions. She’s been with AMN for almost four years and on the schools team for almost three. Her primary focus is to staff clinicians in school‑based settings to help serve students. She has two rescue pups, recently got engaged (back in December), and is in the midst of wedding planning. She partners with AMN’s allied training and marketing teams. She describes herself as very type A and typically staffs SLPs, CFs, and SLPAs due to similar personality types.
Paige: You nailed it!
Michelle: I’ve always said SLPs are a different breed—very type A, checking things off, writing things down. Thank you so much for joining us. Before we get started, tell us about yourself—how you became a recruiter with AMN and what you do in general.
[01:45] Paige: Journey to Becoming a Recruiter
I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in December 2019—right when the pandemic hit. My minor was in sales/marketing. I tried a B2B sales role and quickly realized selling actual items wasn’t for me. A friend who was a tech recruiter mentioned I’m personable and love helping people, so recruiting might be a better fit—still incentive‑based but people‑focused.
I started at AMN’s international division staffing international nurses—bringing them to the U.S. on green cards to work at hospitals across the country. My undergrad major was political science (lots of international relations), so it was a nice tie‑in. I loved the 7–3 schedule—I’m an early riser.
I wanted more advancement and I love AMN. We have an internal mentorship program (AMP). I registered as a mentee and got connected to my now‑manager as my mentor. She told me about the schools team; they were hiring. I made the jump almost three years ago and have been here ever since.
Michelle: That’s amazing. What’s your favorite thing about your job?
Paige: Connecting with people. I love chatting day‑to‑day, but it’s special when we can turn off the purely professional talk and build personal rapport—circling back about things like a clinician’s dog’s health. We work together for ~40 weeks at a time—connecting personally matters.
Michelle: You really do build friendships beyond work.
[05:45] Michelle: Connecting Candidates with Opportunities
As a recruiter your primary job is to connect candidates with school‑based jobs. Where do you start?
Paige: We have many avenues. I’m on our LinkedIn team (I message people there). We also use Reddit, our internal system for calls/texts/emails, and the many therapy Facebook groups for posting jobs and answering questions. Once I get a resume, I get the clinician “apped” into our system, build the file, start the job hunt, align locations, submit, interview, and—hopefully—get on assignment.
Michelle: Are you seeing more new grads/CFs or more seasoned SLPs making the transition?
Paige: I tend to work with younger millennials/Gen Z—folks interested in travel. Maybe it’s the personality fit.
Michelle: Biggest misconceptions?
Paige: Being in an unknown location away from family/friends. It can be scary, but there are great networking opportunities. For new grads, we have a new grad program—plus apps to help travelers connect and meet up. Recruiters will also connect travelers (I’ve done that with lasting friendships).
Michelle: Where do most people reach you?
Paige: Mainly LinkedIn—I have a large presence there. Also our internal pool of clinicians who’ve been in our system.
[09:46] Michelle: AMN Resources — Passport App
My favorite thing is the Passport app. I’ve used it for everything—recruiter messages, credentialing, job search (travel/local/teletherapy), housing reimbursement—desktop and mobile.
Paige: Passport’s a one‑stop shop for contracts—connect with recruiter/clinical manager, upload credentials, browse assignments, see recruiter recommendations, connect with travelers, clinician spotlights—everything.
Michelle: And you don’t have to already work for AMN to access Passport—common misconception.
[11:12] Michelle: Benefits & Employment Type (W‑2 vs. 1099)
Some think contract work must be 1099. AMN is *not* 1099.
Paige: Correct—we’re W‑2, not 1099. Some people prefer 1099, but W‑2 is a blessing for many—taxes are withheld; you still file but don’t have to set aside estimated taxes yourself.
For teletherapy, we pay one flat hourly rate covering both direct and indirect services—no split rates (so your paycheck is predictable). We offer travel, local, and teletherapy contracts—contracting five miles from home is possible (great for trying a district before going perm or rebooking for the school year).
Michelle: What about 401(k) and insurance?
Paige: Health/vision/dental nationwide (mostly Blue Cross Blue Shield; Kaiser in some areas; dental is Cigna; vision is VSP). We also offer HSAs; you can add dependents. Voluntary benefits include basic life, short‑term disability, FSA, critical illness, legal assistance, cancer coverage, etc.
We have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) via SupportLinc—up to eight sessions and broad support: counseling, research help (e.g., finding daycare), planning assistance—anything hindering your ability to work.
401(k): AMN matches 25% of the first 6% you contribute.
[15:47] Licensing & Credentialing
Michelle: Recruiters don’t handle *everything*—we have benefit specialists and credentialing specialists. Licensing questions are huge on the CF Facebook page. How does that handoff work?
Paige: I never truly “tap out”—I stay CC’d and keep a bird’s‑eye view to keep things on track (licensing has many curveballs). For every setting (school/medical), there’s a licensing specialist and a credentialing specialist assigned to the district/facility. When a traveler accepts, their tasks trigger on the licensing/credentialing side.
Before acceptance, we flag if the traveler isn’t licensed in the state so we can move quickly post‑acceptance. Recruiters can view expected licensing timeframes to set realistic start dates (e.g., a license may take up to 10 weeks). Some states are fast; others (like California) can take months.
[20:14] Travel Stipends & Pay Structure
Michelle: Can you cover stipends at a high level?
Paige: Travel pay packages split into: (1) taxable hourly rate (we keep this as low as possible), and (2) non‑taxed stipends (housing, meals/incidentals, and a cell‑phone stipend). We maximize the non‑taxed portion to increase your net take‑home. The exact stipend caps are determined by federal per‑diem rates for each ZIP code; we try to get as close to the maximum as legally allowed. That’s a big reason travel contracts are attractive—net pay can be significantly higher.
[21:23] Referral Program
Michelle: Let’s talk referrals—I just made my first!
Paige: Referrals range from $1,000–$2,000. For SLPs, school nurses, and school psychologists, it’s $2,000 per referral. The referred clinician must work 13 weeks; after that, you get paid. You can refer as many people as you like—some clinicians make a genuine second income from referrals. You don’t even have to be on an AMN assignment to refer (e.g., your daughter could refer her school’s SLP and receive the bonus).
[23:47] Support for Clinical Fellowship (CFY)
Paige: For CFY you need a supervisor. Our first preference is someone at the district (they know systems and processes). If that’s not possible, we look for an AMN SLP at the district to supervise (they’re credentialed with us and receive additional pay). If needed, we find a local in‑person supervisor you can meet a few times a month. One way or another, we’ll line up a supervisor.
Michelle: That’s a big concern we see—changing or finding supervisors during CFY—and it does happen.
[25:22] Continuing Education (CEUs)
Michelle: I just completed my CEUs for the cycle—such a great feeling. What does AMN offer?
Paige: Unlimited CEUs through MedBridge for SLPs/OTs/PTs while on assignment. Recruiters re‑enroll clinicians each quarter (since AMN pays for accounts, we verify they’re being used). I set Outlook reminders and ping my travelers: “Re‑enrollment time for CEUs—do you want in?” Most say yes!
Michelle: I use MedBridge a lot—easy to access and learn from anywhere.
[27:49] Advice for SLPs Considering Contracts
Paige: Two tips:
1) Be transparent. Your recruiter will be. Tell us if you’re interviewing elsewhere so we can advocate and push for offers appropriately.
2) Have a Plan B. Especially with travel contracts, things don’t always pan out exactly as hoped. Being flexible and having backups helps.
Michelle: I recently had to go to a Plan B for reasons outside anyone’s control. My recruiter (Jill) was amazing—supportive and communicative—and it all worked out.
Paige: Jill’s fantastic—I’m glad she’s yours!
[29:39] Closing
Michelle: If you have questions about anything we discussed, go to the Passport app or reach out to a recruiter—Paige, Jill, or any of the team can help. Paige, thanks again for joining—so informative and personable.
Thank you for tuning in to *SLP Full Disclosure*. Learn more on our website at amnhealthcare.com. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend and subscribe on your favorite platform. Find show updates and SLP opportunities on Instagram @AMNAllied. Special thanks to AMN Healthcare for making this show possible. See y’all next time.
