A recent article in Locum Life magazine offers good advice for first-time or long-time locum tenens physicians who feel the tug of family responsibilities when they travel.  One great idea from the article is to hold a family meeting before your assignment to discuss why your career involves trips away from home. 

Locum Leaders CMO Bob Harrington, MD adds, “it’s best to let your family know where you’re working, your contact information, hours that you’re working, and good and bad times to get in touch with you.” And take particular care to explain to younger children why you need to leave home. “I think it needs to be portrayed in a positive light,” he advises.

Work-life choices are also highlighted in a job satisfaction survey I recently came across on MomMD.com. The survey found a strong correlation between hours worked and a desire to leave the practice of medicine.  Women who worked more than 50 hours a week as an attending physician were almost twice as likely to want leave medicine as those who worked less than 50 hours a week.

If you seek a better balance, locum tenens jobs offer a viable alternative to full-time employment. Many locum assignments don’t require travel and can provide consistent part-time income for parents who want to adjust their schedules.

Enhance your education.   Your skills are what keep you marketable as a physician job seeker and locum tenens.  If you can get most or all of your CME out of the way for the year at a single conference, then that’s a pretty good use of your time.  You might even learn a thing or two.

Catch up on health care reform.   Most of the major medical conferences have sessions on health care reform.  These are great opportunities to dig into the specifics of the recently passed federal healthcare legislation and learn more about what organized medicine is doing to protect your interests.

Network with hiring managers.  The exhibit halls at medical conferences are typically filled with recruiters of all types.  Those representing agencies, like ours, as well as direct hiring managers from hospitals and clinics are on hand to learn more about you.  It’s a great way to get your name out in a short amount of time, and to meet recruiters face-to-face to discuss your ideal work scenario.

Take a breather.  An interesting or new locale is always a good reason to take in a medical conference.  Use the event as an excuse to squeeze in a little sightseeing or some well deserved down time.  The old adage about “all work and no play” is true for doctors, too. Even a brief break from patient care can reinvigorate you and perhaps provide a new perspective on physician life.

Take a write-off.  As a locum tenens, your conference expenses may be tax deductable (check with your tax professional). 

Can you think of other reasons?   If so, perhaps we’ll see you soon at an upcoming conference.

Update your CV. Are you current with recent work experiences, address and other contact information? What about the addition of new skills, licenses, publications or certifications? If you haven’t checked out your CV in a while, chances are it’s time for a quick review and revision.

Refresh your References. You’ll need three to five strong references for almost any job, but keep a longer list ready just in case some of your contacts are unreachable. Make sure your references include previous supervisors (not just peers), and don’t hesitate to ask for a new reference at the end of a positive locum assignment. If you’re listing someone you haven’t spoken with in a while, now is a great time 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.

Acquire New Licenses. Want to work in sunny Florida? Then you better have a Florida license (unless you plan to work at a federal facility). If you have your eye on locum work in a new locale, now is the time to become licensed in your states of choice. Remember that licensure in some states can take three months or longer, so don’t delay. It’s also a good time to check on certifications (like ACLS) to be sure you are up to date and, if not, renew as applicable.

Organize your Locum Life. Working as a locum tenens requires some organization. Some tips: Keep a log of assignments and facilities to which you’ve been submitted. Keep a folder of expenses and pay information for tax purposes. Maintain electronic files of references and other common locum tenens paperwork, and transfer copies to a flash drive so you have them on the road for easy access.

Talk to Your Recruiter. The best way to book consistent locum work that meets your goals is to partner with a recruiter who knows your interests, pay expectations, skills and availability. Even if you have worked with a recruiter or 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? Are there new locations you seek to work in? All of this information will help you and your recruiter build a plan to keep you happily employed throughout the year.

It can be a little daunting and you may feel, well, a little out of place.  

Fortunately, no matter how long or short your assignment, the hospital where you are working is invested in your success.  So most will do what they can to orient you and integrate you into their team as quickly as possible.

At some hospitals, you’ll participate in a formal orientation program.  These programs are helpful, but can vary from location to location in terms of quality and duration.  On some assignments, your orientation will be comprehensive, while on others, it may be brief and somewhat informal–so be prepared for all of these possibilities.

One approach to hit the ground running is to be pro-active in your information gathering.  Try using a self-orientation checklist to ensure that you know everything you need to know to be successful in your locum tenens assignment.  Our Chief Medical Officer recommends the list below as a starting point for hospitalists.  If you’re in a different specialty or work outside of a hospital, you can modify this list accordingly.

A final tip:  Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It shows interest on your part and a commitment to quality patient care.

Orientation to the Hospital
 Program Office
 ICU
 ED
 Physicians Lounge
 On-Call Room
 Medical/ Surgical Units

Orientation to the Medical Records
 CPOE  Brief version(if appropriate)
 Review of normal patient chart
 Standardized Orders – access and use
 How to retrieve old records
 MAR/Pharmacy records access
 Patient Documentation

Billing System Orientation
 Online orientation for electronic system, if available
 Paper based system explanation/workflow

Medical Director Briefing
 Job specific requirements:
      Pre-op clinic
      Code coverage
      Procedures
      “Special” admissions for hospitalist program
      Rapid Response Team
 Key medical staff relationships
 Case management interface, if appropriate
 Patient Handoff Process

Luckily, there are many resources that help explain the basics of locum tenens work, including this recent article featured on the career center at the NEJM.  In the article, author Bonnie Darves addresses common myths surrounding locum tenens.  See for yourself whether you agree or disagree with these statements:

Myth:  Locum opportunities are scarce or limited to undesirable locations. 

Reality:  Assignments are available in most parts of the country–in rural, suburban, and urban locales, and in varied types of practice environments, notes Darves.

Myth: The locum lifestyle suits most physician personality types.

Reality:  According to Darves, locums practice may be “a poor fit for physicians who either require a great deal of direction or desire a consistent work structure.” Conversely, she writes that being personable and prepared to fit in are key attributes for locum tenens success.

Myth:  Locum tenens attracts doctors with spotty work histories or competency issues.

Reality: “This is far from the truth,” says the author. “Physicians who work locums must have a good practice record and documentable skills and are as thoroughly vetted by hiring agencies as their counterparts seeking permanent positions. In addition, surveys show that hiring facilities routinely rate locums’ skills as very good.”

Myth: Locum tenens doctors won’t be accepted by full-time colleagues at the hiring facility.

Reality:  This might have been an issue three decades ago, says Darves, but that rarely happens now. “For the most part, colleagues are often so desperate for help or so concerned about the impact of short staffing on patient care that they welcome locums physicians wholeheartedly. Ideally, the physician contemplating a several-month assignment will have had either on-site or extensive phone discussions with prospective physician colleagues.”

At Locum Leaders, we can help you separate myth from reality and find a suitable match for your career and lifestyle goals.  Contact us today to assist you in your job search.

• Curriculum Vitae – (Month and Year format throughout with time gap explanations)
• References (a minimum of three opinions), in the provider’s specialty area (preferred) who can attest to the provider’s clinical skills, rapport with patients and co-workers and professional past. References should be able to attest that they have worked with the provider within the last two years.
• Medical School Diploma or Nursing and CRNA Program Diploma
• Internship, Residency and Fellowship Certificates or CRNA Certificate
• Verification of Board Certification or Board Eligibility Letter
• Verification of All State Medical Licenses
• ECFMG Certificate, if applicable
• Verification of DEA
• Verification of State Controlled Substance Permits
• Current CMEs, if available
• BLS, BCLS, ACLS, ATLS, PALS, if available
• Previous Certificate of Insurance, if available
• Case Logs, if available
• Copies of immunization records and TB screening records (PPD and Chest X-Ray, if applicable)
• Medicaid, Medicare, NPI and CAQH number, if available
• Explanation of any malpractice claim regardless of whether the claim was dismissed, settled out of court, pending, or judgment

It’s a good idea to have all of this documentation together in one place to speed access.  Some locum jobs are urgent opportunities, so your ability to provide this information quickly can impact whether or not you are a viable candidate for a role. 

Having scans of this information for electronic transmission can offer more convenience and time savings.  Locum Leaders offers a secure, password-protected area where you can upload and maintain your documentation.  To assist you, our internal credentialing team works closely with you and the client healthcare facility.

I couldn’t agree more.

As a provider, you should have assurances that you’re protected beyond your temporary assignment, even if your locum tenens firm changes their insurance carrier or goes out of business.

Many locum tenens/staffing agencies offer claims-made coverage.  Locum Leaders offers occurrence coverage, which provides more comprehensive protection.

Claims-made policies, according to Kern, “offer only temporary coverage, which expires unless it is either renewed or continued through the purchase of extended reporting coverage, a ‘tail.’”

With occurrence malpractice insurance, the coverage trigger is whether the incident in question took place during the policy effective dates.  That means you don’t need to worry about tail coverage or insurance carrier changes or whether the staffing agency will maintain coverage for your prior activities into the indefinite future.

If you decide to work with a staffing organization that only offers claims-made coverage, it is in your best interests to know the details of the tail coverage. Are the limits sufficient? Is the tail coverage shared by a large number of doctors? Will coverage cease before the statute of limitations expires?  These are all important questions to ask.

Admittedly broad and open-ended, it’s usually someone’s way of saying, “I’m interested in locum tenens, but I’ve never done it and don’t know what to expect.”  It’s a conversation starter that often leads to a series of more specific questions about pay, travel, insurance, credentialing—you name it.

The reality of my job as a recruiter is that I provide a lot of education to our potential candidates.  I try to help you understand whether locum tenens is a fit for your current or future situation, and then we’ll usually end up talking in greater detail about the specifics and logistics of a locum tenens assignment.

Resources for Research
If you’re just starting your research on locum tenens, let me recommend a few resources.  For starters, check our website and our Frequently Asked Questions page.  Other great web-based resources are NALTO, the National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations, and LocumLife, a publication dedicated exclusively to locum tenens physicians.

Another tip:  talk to someone who does locum tenens.  You may know a friend or someone at your current workplace and they can be a good resource for advice.

The bottom line is, don’t worry if you don’t know the right questions to ask—just start asking.  I’m here to help, so call or email anytime and let’s get started!

A new American Medical Group Association report on physician retention highlights the challenges of striking a work-life balance.  The survey shows that many physicians leave a group practice to move closer to family or to simply reduce their workload. 

The report adds that women 39 and under are significantly more likely to leave a medical practice than their male counterparts.

In another recent survey of women in healthcare, only 9% of women rated themselves as “very satisfied” with their work-life balance.  Respondents reported that at least once each week they had to make choices between work and family.

Becoming a locum tenens physician isn’t a cure-all for work-related stresses, but it does allow you to practice medicine without the worries of managing a practice or chasing reimbursement and other administrative hassles. In addition, consider these benefits:

• Locum tenens gives you choice and flexibility, allowing you to decide when, where and how often you work.
• Locum tenens jobs can be close to home or travel assignments. While some doctors associate locums work with relocation or travel, the reality is that many locum tenens providers only accept shifts in their immediate area.
• Locum work can ease a career transition.  If you want to re-enter the workforce after an extended leave or if you are between full-time positions and don’t want to make a permanent commitment, locum tenens is a great option.

As a critical care nurse, recruiter and parent, I appreciate the work-life choices that impact your career decisions.  If Locum Leaders can help with your unique situation, don’t hesitate to let us know.

New to the Workforce
Many healthcare professionals make their first job a locum tenens job.  Some do so because they are reluctant to sign a long-term contract or make a career commitment immediately after residency.  Others may wish to travel or try jobs in different parts of the country to get exposure to regional lifestyles.

Geography aside, a locum tenens job is also a way to ‘kick the tires’ on different types of practice settings.  New physicians can take short-term positions in small clinics or large corporate health environments as a way to see how their practice style meshes with varied healthcare delivery systems. 

Career Changers
Job changes in medicine are more common than ever and physicians and CRNAs often turn to locum tenens while in-between full-time positions. Unanticipated job loss, a move to a new state, or a return to the workforce after a sabbatical are common career change scenarios. Whatever the reason, a locum tenens assignment can help fill a temporary gap between jobs and help ease a career transition.

Part-Timers
Locum tenens positions are, by definition, part-time jobs.  However, they are often filled by physicians and CRNAs who are otherwise fully employed.  A common example in the industry is a physician who allots a few weeks of his or her vacation time to locum tenens work. Other full-time physicians may ‘moonlight’ as locum tenens, working during nights or weekends to earn extra income.

Still other part-timers are retired or semi-retired.  Many locum tenens providers don’t want to work full-time, but like to keep a hand in medicine by taking call, working weekends or accepting periodic travel assignments.  Some parents may also find a more ‘family-friendly’ work schedule as a locum tenens.

Full-Time Locums
The last category is made up of physicians and CRNAs who work exclusively as locum tenens providers. These ‘full-time locums’ may work a single long-term assignment or may jump from job to job and state to state during the course of a year. Some enjoy the travel and practice diversity:  the flexibility of choosing when and where they work.  Others like the independence of working as a solo contractor, allowing them to care for patients without the business hassles of running a practice.

Getting Started
If you can see yourself in one of the categories above, then take the next step toward pursuing a locum tenens assignment.  Check out physician employment opportunities on general job boards, check our current job openings or drop me an email to discuss your interests and needs.