by Carrie Abramson
Locum tenens physicians fill in for other physicians on a short-term basis for a range of a few days to up to six months or more. When a clinic or hospital faces temporary employment gap due to vacancies, illness, or other causes, they hire locum tenens physicians to fill those vacancies and maintain their high quality patient care.
Flexibility
With locum tenens positions , most physicians get to set their own parameters. They get the opportunity to decide which days they want to work during their assignments and how many days. This automatically gives those physicians the chance to find a practice that suits them the best and travel across the country and even the world. There are other options too such as agencies who offer short-term engagements where you can travel for as little as a few days at a time. The flexibility that locum tenens provides is also a huge plus for individuals with children.
Travel
As mentioned already, physicians who chose this route have the opportunity to travel domestically and internationally, while still making money. Sometimes, the recruiting company will even cover your travel expenses including flights, car rental and housing. Locum tenens allows individuals to take their time to explore their temporary environment without making any permanent decisions to move to another location. They get a change to embrace the change of working in a new environment which may help physicians discover what they want and need in their next permanent job opportunity.
Networking
Before deciding on a permanent job, more and more physicians are taking the opportunity to work a locum tenens position in order to engage and network with a variety of doctors, patients, nurses, staff, and more from all over the world. Professional relationships are very valuable in the healthcare industry and there is potential to create meaningful relationships and learn from other physicians and colleagues. It is important to adapt to the way things are done in the particular practice you are working in to make those lasting impressions on your new co-workers.
Pinnacle Health Group’s Locum Tenens division provides proactive and efficient locum tenens staffing solutions. Call 1-800-492-7771to speak to one of our recruiters about our current locum tenens opportunities.
Sources: The Hospitalist; LocumTenens.com; Mint Physicians.