10 Things You Won’t Miss when You Work a Locum Tenens Assignment (continued)

As promised, here are 2 more things you won’t miss when you work locums:

7. Self promotion – Twenty years ago, physicians would have considered it unethical to market and promote their practices. Today, the internet has changed all that and physicians must use every angle they can to get the word out to prospective patients.  Locum tenens physicians don’t have to worry about promoting themselves or their practices because when their assignment is complete, they move on to the next one. Most locums do recognize however that they need to provide excellent patient care and be easy to work with so that they are either invited back when a vacancy opens up or can land a plum assignment in a new locale.

8. Long hours – Physicians with office or hospital practices rarely work an eight hour day. When you have administrative responsibilities in addition to medical responsibilities, the day is long. If you have a family or want to spend your free time somewhere other than work, the long hours can take their toll. That’s not to say that locums don’t work long hours when needed. They do! But locums tend to be able to set their schedules and work when they want to, and if they want time off, they just schedule their assignments around it.