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.

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.

To answer the question, "Why choose locum tenens" requires first addressing the question of who practices locum tenens as either a full-time career or on a part-time or occasional basis. In this article, we break the who question into five categories, each one followed by answers to the why question.

Just out of training

Doctors fresh out of residency or fellowship who have yet to decide where they want to settle down find that locum tenens offers an excellent opportunity to explore different areas of the country. Like the idea of living in Montana but not sure how you would handle the winters? With locum tenens, you can find out firsthand.

Negotiation often brings to mind complex transactions like selling a house or legal matters like settling a divorce or dissolving a business partnership. Even negotiating something as seemingly simple as buying a car can conjure up images of conflict. Well, there is good news when it comes to negotiating a locum tenens contract. In fact, the process is so straightforward that it usually requires very little negotiation. This is because all of the parties involved want the same thing - a qualified physician to take care of patients on a temporary basis.

The recruiter responsible for matching a doctor with a particular opportunity wants to do a good job for both the client facility or practice and for the doctor. On the one hand, the hospital or clinic has a need to fill; whereas the locum tenens physician wants to practice in a setting and geographic location that will be professionally and personally rewarding. When three motivated parties have a vested interest in seeing "the deal" come to fruition, negotiation really comes down to engaging in open, honest communication that satisfies everyone's needs.

The interview went great. Your potential new partners were friendly and eager to show you the best of everything - within the practice, at the hospital, and in the community. You were entertained at fine restaurants. A chatty real estate agent drove you around town while boasting about the quality of the schools, the fabulous amenities in the community, and the great climate. You accept the position and 6 months later realize that the practice is on shaky ground financially, your partners are not highly thought of within the medical community, the school board is more dysfunctional than your cousin Leonard's family, and it has not stopped raining since you arrived. If I had only known, you think to yourself.

It is not uncommon for physicians, particularly young professionals, to take a first job (and even a second or third) only to find themselves disillusioned after a relatively short period of time. The reasons may be specific, or it may simply be that the practice was not a "good fit." Jumping too quickly into a permanent job is an understandable mistake, especially for doctors just out of training who are eager to get settled and start earning a living. But even mid-career physicians can be seduced into positions that turn out to be disappointing.

Type "locum tenens agency" into the search box on Google and you’ll find more than 100,000 website links. Okay, there are not actually that many companies in operation, but they would all like to help you find your next temporary engagement. So how do you choose the best staffing firms for you? Here are some tips that will help.

Talk to colleagues

If you are considering locum tenens for a week, a month, or for the rest of your career, your first step should be canvassing your professional network to find out who has experience, with which agencies, and in what kinds of practice settings. Ask what they know now that they wish they had known when they first began locum tenens practice.

Reviewing and signing a long-term employment agreement can be a daunting experience. Page after page of legal language plus difficult to decipher compensation formulas are enough to give you a headache and heartburn, and that is before your attorney starts poking holes in every other clause. When it comes to reviewing a locum tenens agreement, however, you can leave your analgesics and antacids in the medicine cabinet.

These agreements run, at most, a few pages and you will most likely understand every paragraph even if you don't happen to have a law degree. This does not mean, however, that you should sign an agreement or engagement letter without reviewing it carefully. The short-term nature of a locum tenens engagement and the fact that you are an independent contractor make the agreements fairly straightforward. But you are entering into a contractual business agreement, so it is important to understand what you are signing. Read your entire agreement and pay special attention to the following: