Emergency medicine physicians thrive on new experiences and stay calm and focused under pressure. These valuable characteristics, which help to elicit successful outcomes in the emergency department (ED), also lend themselves perfectly to locum tenens.
If you’re an ED physician considering taking locum tenens jobs, here are seven reasons why you’re suited to this practice alternative.
Flexibility. ED doctors are always ready to address any emergency situation that walks through the door. The level of flexibility required to tackle these challenges day after day is remarkable. That same flexibility will serve you extremely well as a locum tenens provider. In fact, flexibility is often cited as the most important trait in a doctor who provides locum tenens services.
Adaptability. The atmosphere in the ED can change from hour to hour. Sometimes the pace is fast and furious, with one critical illness or trauma after another. At other times the hours may drag by, with nothing but minor ailments to address. Emergency medicine physicians know this and adjust accordingly. This ability is extremely advantageous on locum tenens assignments as well, where you may not know what to expect.
Affability. Contrary to patients in a typical office setting, ED patients have not planned ahead to come and see you. You probably have no prior relationship with the patients you treat and only a very small window in which to forge a connection. This skill is invaluable to locum tenens providers as well. Not only is it helpful with the patients you’ll treat, but also with the new colleagues and support staff you’ll meet at each new assignment.
Critical thinking. As an emergency physician, you don’t get a patient with a diagnosis, you get a patient with an array of symptoms. So being adept at using critical thinking to make a rapid diagnosis is imperative in the ED. This also comes into play in the locum tenens arena, where providers who can assess new situations and grasp the big picture are destined for success.
Varied patient load. Part of what makes emergency medicine unique is the excitement of never knowing what will be coming through the door next. ED docs must be able to handle everything from trauma to mental illness to cardiac arrest, perhaps all in the same shift. Having the fortitude to tackle whatever comes your way will benefit you in locum tenens practice, too. Embracing new challenges, instead of shying away from them, is exactly what you need to do to succeed.
Organization. In addition to never knowing what’s coming next, emergency physicians often have to juggle several cases at once. You can’t plan your day like doctors in other types of practice. And if you can prioritize and manage a large number of patients at once, you are sure to have no problem multi-tasking the requirements of locum tenens services, which may include keeping track of different policies and procedures, tracking down pertinent paperwork and learning new EMR systems.
Calm under pressure. Perhaps the most important skill for an emergency medicine provider is the ability to stay calm and focused in stressful situations. ED docs are masters of thinking fast and making good decisions quickly. When facing a crisis, they can tune out all distractions and zero in on the task at hand. This skill will also be used time and again in your locum tenens practice. When you’re in a new place, often learning the ropes while treating patients, having the ability to completely focus on a patient in need is exactly what facilities need.
