Five Resolutions for Your Locum Tenens Career

Happy New Year! What’s on your list of career resolutions? If you are a locum tenens physician or are considering locum work, why not resolve to take a few simple steps to prepare for your next opportunity. Here’s what our recruiters recommend.

Refresh your CV. If you haven’t reviewed your CV in a while, chances are, it could use updating. See our tips and ensure that you’ve added all of your new skills, licenses and other relevant information since your last update.

Enhance your skills. CME is a must, and if you’re going to do coursework, focus on classes that improve your skills and marketability. If you’re a hospitalist, consider procedures training. If your specialty demands other skills, make this the year that you get up to date.

Contact your References. A new job typically means reference checks—so when was the last time you reached out to someone you’re listing as an employment reference? If it’s been a while, a New Year’s greeting is a great excuse to reach out and renew that relationship. Remind the individual that you are still listing them as a professional reference, and consider asking them to write a newly dated reference letter.

Check-in With Your Recruiter. While you’re doing outreach, renew that relationship with your recruitment professional. Even if you have worked with a firm in the recent past, a periodic check-in is a good idea. Have your personal circumstances changed? Do you have more or less availability than you have had in the past? All of this information will help you and your recruiter build a plan to keep you happily employed throughout the year. (See our tips for building strong recruiter relationships).

Review your Licenses. Up to date licensure info is a must. Do you have yours handy? January is also a good time to get started on new licenses if you seek to move to or work in a new state in the New Year. Locum Leaders can help get you started. We’ll often reimburse you for your license costs if you work for our firm in a new state.

Good luck in 2012! We look forward to hearing from you—and working with you—in the New Year.

www.locums4you.com

www.pathmarkinc.com

Locum Tenens Physicians: Requirements and Benefits

Today, most healthcare facilities look forward to hiring physicians for Locum Tenens positions as it not only helps in fulfilling their staffing needs, but also helps in bringing down the costs associated with permanent recruitment for any position.

The term Locum Tenens is derived from Latin and is a healthcare phrase used for fulfilling a permanent position lying vacant due to a vacation, ill health or maternity leave of the permanent employee. Sometimes, the hiring of professional medical staff is also done on locum basis during periods when the influx of patients increases during specific months of the year.


This type of position benefit medical students who are freshly out of their residency and also to the experienced healthcare professionals. The duration of an assignment can be anywhere between four to fifty-two weeks in a year. Professionals starting their career take locum hiring as a bonus that can help them in getting assorted kinds of practice experience. The doctors and specialists who have been working for many years use locum positions for cutting down their work gradually before retiring.


The basic requirement and essential criteria for locum tenens jobs include U.S. residency training, work permit for the United States and one or more valid medical practice licenses. These positions also require fulfilling requirements such as an active Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration along with clearing any drug screening and criminal background tests.


Most locum positions are generally filled by the physicians with the help of physician staffing agencies, which can be easily found and contacted online. The medical experts, who are looking for locum positions, have their CV’s forwarded to suitable employers by the staffing agency and a follow up is done by the recruiter of the agency from time to time.


Once selected, screened and hired, physicians start practicing in the respective healthcare facility for a period of time under a contract. Locum Tenens physicians are free to schedule and plan their working hours and week offs. Another benefit a physician rules is the choice of selecting the desired location to work before applying for a job in the medical field.

For more information on opportunities for Locum Tenens and the hiring essentials, please visit the website http://www.locums4you.com/

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.

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

In our series on the top ten things you WON’T miss when you work a locum assignment, here are numbers 5 and 6…

5. Being the boss –Never underestimate the stress that comes with being the boss! If your office staff reports to you, you’re well aware of the difficulties of keeping all the balls in the air to keep the office work flow flowing.  Not to mention hiring, firing and figuring out what to do when someone calls in sick or just doesn’t show up at all. There’s really never a dull moment when you’re the boss!  When you’re the locum, you may not get to call the shots during your assignment, but because you work for yourself, you’re really the boss anyway!

6.  Meetings, meetings, meetings – No matter where you work, you’re probably required to attend meetings on a regular basis. Have you ever stopped to think how much time per day is spent in meetings? If you are a locum, you are rarely required to participate in meetings unless you are on a long-term assignment. Let’s face it, a meeting-free day means you get to see patients, get stuff done, and move on to the after work activities you enjoy the most.

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How to negotiate locum pay

When negotiating locum pay always keep these things in mind as they will give you leverage as to who needs who the most.

Firstly is there a shortage of locums:

1. Shortage in your area
2. Time of the year/day of the week eg. Holidays
3. Low volume of locums as a whole in your profession

How quick:

1. How soon do they require a locum
2. How far away are you from the job.
3. The number of days you can do.

Your Qualifications

1. Do you have better qualifications then the rest
2. Can you have someone who can vouch for your quality of work
3. Have you got the number of years behind you for this type of work

The Company

1. Does this company typically pay well
2. If they require longer hours/shorter lunch
3. Does nobody want to work for them

When negotiating the locum fees remember to calculate how much this will cost for you are you going to pay extra for mileage/accommodation to help them out? Will the parking be expensive? Will it take you 4 hours to get to (time is money).

Timescale is the most important factor for negotiating your locum pay, the sooner they need you the more room for negotiation. But remember that if you are too expensive they will just cancel the clinic. Ring back to see if they have found anyone cheaper (compromise)

Always sell your self eg. I have been qualified 10 yrs with a master’s degree and have exceptional communication skills that will guarantee people coming back.

Never negotiate with negativity, although your fee is sacred to you would you rather be sitting at home in anger or feel happy you did your best to compromise.