Jessica M., COTA — Travel Therapy Mentor

About Jessica

Jessica is honest about why she joined the mentor program: "I had the worst time finding anyone to talk to who understood the COTA market specifically. Everyone talked about OT travel, which is great — but my situation as a COTA is different. The pay structure is different. The supervision requirements are different. The number of agencies that actually know our market is smaller. I wanted to be the resource I couldn't find."

Two years into travel, Jessica has done three SNF contracts and one behavioral health contract — an unusual specialty for a traveling COTA, and one she's proud of having navigated successfully. She came to travel after three years in a staff SNF position in Atlanta and made the leap during a period when her facility was understaffed and asking COTAs to carry caseloads that felt unsustainable without adequate support.

How Jessica Mentors

Jessica focuses specifically on the COTA experience. She's not trying to be everything to everyone — she's most useful for:

• COTAs who aren't sure whether the travel market is actually worth it for them (spoiler: it can be)
• COTAs navigating the supervision reality at different facility types
• Travelers wondering about OT/COTA team placements and whether agencies can coordinate them
• Anyone curious about non-traditional settings like behavioral health for a COTA traveler

What She Knows About Supervision Requirements

Supervision of COTAs by OTRs in travel settings is a real operational challenge that doesn't get talked about enough. Requirements vary by state, facility type, and payer mix. Some facilities have strong OTR coverage and COTAs function with significant autonomy; others are chronically short-staffed in ways that create documentation and compliance headaches. "Ask about this before you take any contract," Jessica says. "Your recruiter should be able to tell you what the supervision structure looks like. If they can't, that's information too."

The Behavioral Health Side

Jessica's behavioral health contract was genuinely unusual for a COTA traveler — most agencies weren't even aware this was an option when she was looking. She found it through persistence and a recruiter who was willing to search outside the typical SNF/outpatient box. She's happy to talk through this specialty pathway for any COTA who's curious about it.