Whether you’re still finishing your residency or fellowship, have 15 years of experience and a young family to support, or have already retired from private practice, there’s a locum tenens job for you. But why should you take a temporary job when you have — or are looking for — a permanent one? Here are 10 reasons to give locum tenens a try — and why you’ll love it.
1. You can set your own schedule
Don’t want to be on call every night? No problem. You can choose to work 8 – 5 Monday through Friday if you’d like to, only work weekends or even work just one week out of the month and spend the rest of the time with your family. Once you connect with a consultant at a staffing company like Weatherby Healthcare, you can figure out a schedule that works for you.
2. You don’t have to do paperwork
One of the biggest advantages to locum tenens assignments is the lack of administrative concerns. You don’t have to worry about paying utilities, hiring staff members or filling out mounds of paperwork for insurance companies. You can leave the pressures of running a business behind.
3. You spend more time with patients
Since you won’t be spending hours on taxes and forms, you’ll have more time to focus on your patients. While some physicians worry that the short-term assignment makes it harder to develop relationships with those they care for, recurring locum tenens jobs give you the opportunity to check in on patients and see how they are progressing.
4. You can supplement your income
No matter which stage of your career you’re in, earning extra income on the side is always a benefit. Residents and fellows often use the money they earn from locum tenens assignments to pay off student loans, while other physicians work locum tenens to fund medical missions or even to pay for their children’s college education.
5. You’re not committed to one facility forever
Locum tenens assignments range anywhere from a few days to several months, which gives you an out if you decide you don’t like working at that hospital or would like to live somewhere else. No need to sign a five-year contract and regret it later.
6. You get to test-drive a job
Healthcare providers fresh out of medical school like working locum tenens because it allows them to try out several positions and locations before deciding on one hospital job or opening a private practice. You can work at rural and urban hospitals, take jobs in your home state or travel across the country to experience a new setting.
7. You gain invaluable clinical experience
You’ll see all different kinds of patients on your locum tenens assignments and probably see injuries, diseases and subsequent treatments you haven’t encountered before. Working in a brand-new place can help you focus more clearly and have a different perspective on medicine.
8. You get paid to travel
There are few jobs that pay you to roadtrip across the United States — but locum tenens does. You can browse jobs in all 50 states and choose to work in a region you’ve always wanted to explore. While you will be hard at work while you’re there, you can be a tourist on your days off and cross sights off your bucket list before heading to your next assignment.
9. You’ll always see something new
If you’re starting to burn out at your current job, locum tenens is a great solution because it keeps you on your toes and forces you to try new things. You don’t have to dread Monday’s routine because each day will bring something different.
10. You help people in need
Many hospitals hire locum tenens providers because they simply don’t have enough physicians, NPs and PAs to provide care for their patients. You are often most needed in remote, rural areas where residents sometimes drive for miles to see a doctor — and you lighten the load for other overworked doctors and nurses when you step in to help.
Ready to try something different? Check out our open locum tenens jobs.
