You’re a successful medical professional in a great facility. You like the people you work with and have high satisfaction with your job, but sometimes you think about expanding your experience. Or maybe you’re tired of the paperwork, politics, or regimented schedule of your current position. You could be a great candidate for a locum tenens – often referred to as locumtenens – position.
As a locum tenens physician, you choose how much you want to work, where, and when. It provides a freedom not often found within permanent medical positions. If you don’t want to work in a certain facility, you don’t have to. If you want to plan a vacation, simply schedule it after your current contract is up. No hoping your requested time off is approved.
If you like to travel, a locum tenens position can take you all over the country. You can work in just about any U.S. city. You can finally explore the places you’ve been meaning to go but have never had the chance due to your highly demanding position.
Often, compensation for these positions is higher, since facilities are desperate to fill staffing shortages during vacations, peak seasons, and physician illness.
As a locum tenens provider, you are flexible, able to adapt to various situations, and succeed in many environments. If you like regimented work in the same facility seeing the same patients regularly, locum work may not be for you.
Locum physicians should enjoy travel and exploring new places. Your opportunities will be greater if you are willing to temporarily relocate to places outside your home city or state.
Most of all you have to enjoy working with and helping patients. As a locum provider, you’re there to reduce workloads for existing physicians, and that could mean seeing many patients. At the same time, your paperwork responsibilities could drop. So you might end up doing more of what you like, and less of what you don’t.
First, talk to colleagues who have experience in locum work. See if they liked it, and why (or why not). Word-of-mouth advice is always the best kind.
Then, read more about locum work on our locum tenens page.
If you think you’d be a great locum physician, the rest is easy. Simply complete a one-minute form here and make sure to opt in for our allied health news and opportunities newsletter. We’ll keep you updated when new locum tenens positions are available. Soon you’ll be on your way to the flexibility and adventure that locum tenens positions offer.