Physicians of all ages, experience levels, and practice areas can benefit from Locum Tenens work. Now, more doctors and other medical professionals are making the switch and enjoying the numerous advantages of going Locum. Working in the medical field no longer means sacrificing work-life balance to get the career you want.

In fact, 78 percent of residents and fellows, 63 percent of solo practice physicians, 64 percent of salaried physicians, and 68 percent of retired physicians said they would consider Locum Tenens opportunities. Furthermore, up to 90 percent of healthcare organizations used Locum Tenens physicians within the last year, making it a highly demanded occupation. The reason for the interest in Locum Tenens work is due to the many benefits, including:

If you have never experienced Locum Tenens work, it may be hard for you to separate fact from fiction. Don’t let the myths about Locum Tenens keep you from enjoying its many advantages.

Locum Tenens work is a rewarding experience that provides many benefits to both medical professionals and healthcare organizations. Sometimes, however, the myths surrounding Locum Tenens dissuades physicians from participating in the work. Below you will find out the truth behind many Locum Tenens-related myths.

Locum tenens is an exciting and rewarding experience. Latin for ‘to hold the place of’, locum tenens workers are, in effect, temporary health care providers utilized to supplement a facilities existing medical staff. When a private practice, hospital, or health care facility is in need of temporary workers, they call healthcare staffing agencies or locum tenens companies to place temporary workers. A healthcare facility may find themselves in need of a locum tenens provider if a staff doctor takes an extended vacation, is on maternity leave, is out sick, is terminated or otherwise requires addiontino providers to address growth and demand for services..

Locum tenens refers not only to physicians, but also includes nurse practitioners, physician assistants, or medical specialties. The industry was started in the early 1970’s out of a need to staff rural and medically underserved health care facilities in the Western US. Locum Tenens services has continued to advance as a necessary and accepted tool among physicians and administrators across the country to satisfy their short term and long term staffing needs. The success of the locum tenens industry is due in large part to the flexibility it provides for both physician and healthcare provider.

As every physician knows, eating well and exercising are two key factors in preventing illness and disease and for maintaining optimal health. But as every locum tenens physician knows, making good food choices and finding time for regular workouts while on the road is no easy task. Here are practical tips for staying fit and healthy while traveling.

Study your schedule in advance. Exercise—a brisk walk, yoga class, or hardcore gym workout—is often the first thing to fall off the list when life gets busy. Before you leave for a locum tenens engagement, look at your schedule and write in your calendar times when you can commit to exercise. Suzanne Schlosberg, author of The Ultimate Workout Log andThe Ultimate Diet Log says exercising four days a week is ideal, but doing something is better than doing nothing. "If it's a short-term stay, you don't necessarily have to maintain your usual level of exercise," she notes. "It doesn't take much to maintain your fitness. If you usually exercise five or six days a week, you can stay fit with twice-a-week workouts if you keep up the intensity of your workout." Schlosberg recommends a morning workout if possible because it's so easy to tell yourself that you're too tired at the end of the day.

The healthcare field is growing rapidly. The demands on all facets of the industry have increased with this marked growth. Full-time physicians and advanced practitioners, as well as Locum Tenens professionals, are providing great benefits to patients and healthcare facilities across the United States. Arranging these unions between providers and facilities, however, is left in the expert hands of healthcare recruiters. While this position can be exciting, fulfilling, and lucrative, it also has the potential for burnout. Fortunately, healthcare recruiters have the ability to manage their stressors, using a few simple techniques.

The Stressors of Healthcare Recruiting

Every recruiter knows the term “KPI.” Recruiters know that they must meet or exceed these standards in order to become successful in their field. While this challenge can be exciting and can incite healthy competition, it can also be quite stressful. Often, this means making countless phone calls, managing client needs, and creating harmonious provider/facility matches, among other necessary duties.

Why Locum Tenens is Family Friendly

One of the fastest-growing career paths for physicians today is practicing locum tenens. More doctors than ever are choosing to work locums full-time, finding a better family friendly work/life balance than what’s offered through permanent positions.

Reduce stress on healthcare staff over the holidays; deliver exceptional care and patient outcomes with a locum tenens provider.

The holiday season is a time for family; joy, giving thanks, and holiday cheer.

Physician burnout is a real and growing problem. As healthcare providers begin 2018, instead of just focusing on physical health resolutions like eating healthier or working out more, many of their colleagues suggest focusing on improving mental health, specifically reducing stress in the workplace.

LocumTenens.com recently surveyed physicians and advanced practitioners for their opinions on mental health in their work environment. Out of 2,438 clinicians who responded to the question “how much stress do you face in the workplace,” the majority of physicians answered “a lot of stress” while almost all advanced practitioners were split between “a lot” or “a little” stress.

The beginning of a new year brings with it the opportunity for a fresh start and renewed commitment. We make resolutions, but often fail to create a corresponding action plan that will help us reach those goals. By summer, most of us have all but forgotten what it was that we were so excited about changing or accomplishing back in the dark, short days of January. Can 2008 be different? Could this be the year that you succeed in reaching an important professional or personal goal? Very possibly. Consider a few new ideas.

Only set one goal

It is tempting at the beginning of a new year to make a long list of everything we want to achieve—lose weight, work out regularly, get a handle on finances, keep up on medical journals, volunteer at the homeless shelter, start dating again, read the classics. Are you exhausted just reading the list? Imagine setting one important goal this year and really committing to it. What would your one goal be? What one goal, if achieved, has the potential to improve the quality of your life in many other areas? Or what is one goal that would simply be a thrill to reach?

Few among us would work without fair compensation, no matter how much we loved our jobs. Physicians who practice locum tenens on either a part-time of full-time basis are naturally interested in earning potential. In this article, we answer some of the most commonly asked questions about pay rates.

Q: HOW ARE PAY RATES DETERMINED?

A: Think back to Economics 101 where you learned about supply and demand. Pay rates for locum tenens physicians – who typically work as independent contractors and are matched to assignments by staffing agencies – are very much market driven. When there is a higher demand for, say, anesthesiologists than there are anesthesiologists to fill positions around the country (or in a particular geographic area), these physicians will command a higher rate than they would if they were in an oversupply situation. Pay rates may vary somewhat by location (i.e., you may earn more practicing in a remote community), but overall specialty demand tends to trump geography. Rates may be higher in practice settings where patient volume is above average, or where a position has been vacant for a long period of time.

Are you a resident or fellow about to complete training? Not yet sure where you want to settle down? Waiting for a new job to start and looking to generate income and gain valuable experience in the interim? Locum tenens may be your answer. Consider these common myths and realities to find out more about this practice alternative.

MYTH: LOCUM TENENS INVOLVES TOO MUCH PAPERWORK.

Reality: It is true that, in most cases, you must secure a medical license for each state in which you practice, and you will likely need hospital privileges as well. These formalities need not be daunting if you give yourself enough lead time. Start by speaking with a recruiter at a reputable locum tenens agency. Companies have full-time staff members who will guide you every step of the way and even do some of the paperwork for you. Online credentials verification resources make the process easier than ever, but the sooner you get started the better. Some states (California, for example) tend not to rush when it comes to processing medical license applications. The bottom line is, yes, there is paperwork involved– but you will have support from your recruiter to get it all squared away.

A sizeable percentage of physicians are altruistic by nature and give of themselves—professionally and personally—in various ways throughout their careers. Locum tenens practitioners are in a unique position to take part in volunteer opportunities because they have such flexible schedules. In this article, we explore how you can volunteer at home, away from home, and even during your locum tenens engagements.

As a physician who is away from home for weeks or months at a time, serving on a community board that meets every fourth Wednesday or being a scout troop leader may not be practical. Instead, seek out one-time and short-term volunteer opportunities in your hometown. Go door-to-door or stuff envelopes on behalf of your favorite political candidate. Volunteer to chaperone (and be in charge of cuts, scrapes, and bug bites) for a youth group's weekend camping trip. Sign up to staff the first aid tent at local charity walk/run/ bike events. All of these activities are great ways to meet new people, stay connected in your community, and do a good turn for others.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the average debt for a 2008 medical school graduate is $139,517, and more than 75% of graduates have debt in excess of $100,000. These figures are comparable to a home mortgage in some parts of the country. This enormous debt can be daunting, especially considering that a physician does not begin earning (residency salary aside) until his or her late 20s or even early-to-mid 30s.

Doctors often want to pay off student loans as quickly as possible, but investment executive Joe Potosky of MV Financial Group in Bethesda, Maryland, ( http://www.mvfgroup.com/) says they should approach debt management strategically. "People get psychologically attached to accomplishing an objective that may not be the most sound," says Potosky. "Don't let your emotions get in the way of a good business decision."

There is no shortage of information available today about how to "go green" and reduce your carbon footprint. At home, many people take steps toward this effort by adjusting the thermostat, recycling, combining errands to save gas, or buying locally grown food. But what can you do while traveling to and from locum tenens engagements, and practicing in unfamiliar surroundings? Plenty.

Before you leave home. If your house will be empty while you are away, unplug electronics, put your water heater on the lowest possible setting, adjust thermostats to a "protect the home" level, and suspend newspaper delivery. Do you prefer to prepare your own meals while on location? Then, use the Internet or call ahead to find out where to buy local produce and other goods.

For decades, physicians have engaged in locum tenens practice for a variety of reasons at different times throughout their careers. Newly minted residents unsure about where they want to settle or what type of practice setting they might enjoy use locum tenens as a way to explore options. Mid-career physicians take locum tenens engagements to see how other practices operate or when they are between permanent jobs. Semi-retired doctors enjoy that locum tenens allows them to keep a hand in medicine without the hassle of staying fully immersed in practice.

Today, given the unstable economy and that healthcare reform is under serious discussion in Washington, physicians are looking at locum tenens for new reasons. Here are a few scenarios that locum tenens agency recruiters are seeing unfold.