It’s National APP Week! Are You Adding Advanced Practice Providers to Your Facility’s Locum Tenens Mix?
September 25–29, 2023, is National APP Week, celebrating the many contributions of advanced practice providers (APPs) — nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), as well as certified anesthesiologist assistants, clinical nurse specialists, and certified nurse midwives. All Star Healthcare Solutions wishes to thank all APPs for your absolute dedication to patient care, which makes an impact on people’s lives every day.
In fact, incorporating locum tenens NPs, PAs, and CRNAs into your staffing formula not only positively affects your patients and their families, but also helps your staff meet demands while preventing provider burnout. Keep reading for a fuller portrait of the many benefits APPs can offer your facility.
Fulfilling the Rural Role
The combination of workforce shortages and aging populations have put rural and smaller community hospitals and clinics in a critical staffing status. According to the annual Rural America at a Glance report, compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one in five rural residents is at least 65 years old. Evidence shows that a large geriatric population increases the demand for services at local hospitals and clinics. Locum tenens APPs can step in to absorb some of the caseloads and offer high-quality care to people of all ages.
Expanding Primary Care
According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, NPs and PAs pursue careers in family medicine more than other specialties. Adding these providers to your facility, even on a temporary basis, augments access to preventive and non-critical care, and thereby reduces how long people have to wait to book appointments. From annual physicals and screenings for school sports to triaging patient complaints and managing seasonal illnesses, NPs and PAs take on a variety of primary care cases, enabling staff physicians to focus on more acute conditions.
Creating Specialty Access
Communities across the country continue to be underserved in many medical specialties, and in some cases, have been labeled healthcare deserts. Advanced practice specialists on locum tenens assignments can help address these needs. For example, CRNAs are the primary healthcare providers to administer anesthetics in rural facilities, per the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. Incorporating CRNA locums providers into your facility can expand the options available to the community so people receive the care they need without having to drive long distances.
Educating Patients
In many circumstances, NPs and PAs assume the patient-educator role, spending time with individuals explaining treatments, care plans, or healthy lifestyle habits. As locum tenens professionals, this function can be further highlighted. In addition to having more time-management flexibility free from administrative tasks typically attached to staff members, locum tenens providers can share their experiences with the newest research, medications, and treatment options with both patients and peers.
Offering Staffing Solutions
As a full-service staffing agency, All Star Healthcare Solutions can assist your facility with recruiting NPs, PAs, and CRNAs for direct-hire positions as well as locum tenens assignments.
Indeed, however you see advanced practice providers benefiting your staffing mix, All Star Healthcare Solutions is ready to help. Reach out to one of our dedicated consultants today at 800-928-0229, or contact us online.
Locum Tenens Builds Better Balance for Women in Medicine
Cardiothoracic surgeon Susan Trocciola, MD, has been accepting locum tenens jobs with All Star Healthcare Solutions since 2015. Along the way, she transitioned into a couple of full-time staff positions but concluded she prefers the freedom and flexibility of a locum tenens practice. As a cancer survivor, she believes it’s all about balance.
“It’s about being able to take time off to spend days with my nieces and nephews, and it’s about visiting my mom and dad. It’s all of that,” said Dr. Trocciola, who is also the 2023 All Star Cares Award recipient.
Indeed, locum tenens offers physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified registered nurse anesthetists an alternative career path that accommodates more room for professional and personal goals.
Beating Burnout with Better Balance
The number of women pursuing careers as physicians or advanced practice providers continues to grow. According to the most recent Census of Licensed Physicians in the U.S., produced by the Federation of State Medical Boards, women now represent 37 percent of the American physician workforce. However, the impact of today’s stressors affect women at greater percentages than their male peers. Per the 2023 Medscape Burnout and Depression Survey, 63 percent of female respondents report being burned out compared with 46 percent of men. What’s more, nearly half of the women responding to the 2023 Medscape Lifestyle and Happiness Survey admit to feeling conflict between their work and parenting responsibilities, which also ranks higher than men.
Locum tenens builds in flexibility that empowers you to address these and other issues in the pursuit of a more favorable distribution of your time and attention.
- Take control of your calendar with locum tenens
Ask any parent, guardian, or person with aging parents and they’ll probably tell you there just aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything for work and family and attend to one’s self-care needs. According to the 2022 American Time Use Survey, women spend 51 percent more time during the day caring for children, family members, and non-household individuals than do men.
Female providers who make locum tenens a full-time career choice more easily block out dedicated time for work, family, and self. For example, being on assignment may mean leaving home for a few days or weeks, but during that time, you are able to devote more of your attention to patient care without the distractions of administrative or management duties common to staff positions. When your shift ends, your time is your own to check in with family or attend to personal needs without the additional demands of a daily household to-do list.
Additionally, the time between contracts is open. You choose how to spend those days, such as focusing on family without work interruptions or daily commutes. Plus, as a locum tenens professional, you decide how often to take breaks between assignments and how long those breaks run. For family caregivers to children and/or elderly relatives, this scheduling approach allows more consecutive hours or days to address family needs without having to tack them on to a busy workday. It’s also conducive to individuals wanting to pull back on work hours, which is another method of self-care. Surveys show healthcare professionals believe schedule flexibility prevents burnout.
- Increase earning potential and other benefits with locum tenens
The 2022 Medscape Female Physician Compensation survey confirms 9 percent of respondents add medical moonlighting gigs to their schedules. Supplemental income from occasional temp jobs could enhance retirement earnings, cushion college savings, or speed up your plan to pay down debt.
However, there are several elements to the process that create their own unique value, whether you adopt the practice alternative full-time or intermittently. For example, All Star Healthcare Solutions typically provides liability insurance coverage to providers while on locum tenens assignments, handles necessary housing and travel logistics, and assists with credentialing.
“Not worrying about any of the details of an assignment, like housing and flights, is what makes All Star great. It allows me to just focus on patients. That’s what it’s all about, taking care of patients and doing the best I can,” said Dr. Trocciola.
- Ease into retirement with locum tenens
Over the past few years, the number of physicians contemplating retirement or early retirement has increased. And with the average age of nurse practitioners and CRNAs in the mid-40s and the average age of female physicians registering at 43.2 years old, per Data USA, retirement could be a prescient concern for many women currently working in medicine. Going from clocking 40-plus hours a week to working zero hours can be a stark adjustment. Just because you look forward to easing the daily grind doesn’t necessarily mean you’re 100 percent ready to hang up your stethoscope. The locum tenens option offers a bridge from full-time duties to semi-retirement. Temporary assignments enable you to maintain skills and make an impact on patients, but schedule flexibility allows you to transition on your terms.
To learn more about how a locum tenens career could create a better work/life balance for you and your family, call All Star Healthcare Solutions today at 800-928-0229, or contact us online.
How to Stay in Touch with Friends and Family During Locum Tenens Assignments
Locum tenens professionals enjoy the chance to travel to new cities, experience life in a variety of communities, and meet an eclectic array of personalities. Of course, choosing to practice as a locum tenens provider also means being away from home for a given length of time. Whether you prefer quick assignments that span a few days or more long-term opportunities that run a few weeks or months, staying in contact with friends, significant others, and family while on locum tenens jobs will keep you connected while away from home.
Here, we highlight 10 methods to foster those personal relationships.
- Schedule video calls
Make plans in advance to see and talk with loved ones on a regular basis. Use the time to catch up on kids’ school and activities so you stay in the loop, for instance. Address homelife issues if needed, but also use the calls to attend a virtual dinner with everyone where spontaneous conversations pop up.
- Arrange for short visits home
While fulfilling long-term locum tenens assignments, there may be an occasion to arrange a few days break for a quick trip back home. Or, invite your significant other, best friend, or family members to visit your temporary hometown so they can experience the area, too.
- Request locums opportunities near friends and family
Did you move away after college or medical training? Perhaps your adult children and their families have established homes and careers in different states. Or do you have school and college friends who scattered to various points after graduation? Locum tenens opportunities allow you to reconnect with family and friends in person. Speak with your All Star Healthcare Solutions recruiter about adding specific locations to your travel wish list so you can get closer to extended family and friends. Not only does the proximity make it easier to plan get-togethers, there’s also the possibility to tag on extra days before or after the contract so you can spend uninterrupted time with the people in your life.
- Track activities with online friends
There is a bounty of apps out there to track your steps, miles biked, heart rate while running, and any number of physical activities. While it’s interesting to gauge your personal stats, these programs also facilitate online communities for individuals with shared interests. The virtual nature supports connections without geographical boundaries, so it’s easy to maintain your presence when working locums. Plus, it is good motivation to stay on track of fitness goals during assignments.
- Play games together
Gaming technology keeps getting smaller, lighter, faster, and more mobile. Whether you log on via a smartphone, portable gaming console, or laptop, there’s no reason to put your game on pause when you leave for a locum tenens job. What’s more, multi-player games and online platforms invite participants to chat from wherever they log in. If your kids are into video games, scheduling time for a family competition is a fun way to connect while on assignment. There are even online board games you can all play together.
- Celebrate events virtually
Thanks to smartphone video capabilities, you can watch school performances and sporting events from a distance. If you happen to be on a locums job when your child, a friend, family member, or anyone special to you has a big event, ask someone who will be in attendance to livestream or record a video and send it to you, so you can watch the performance. Also, to mark important personal dates, such as birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries, arrange to have something special delivered, like flowers or a meal from a favorite restaurant. If schedules coordinate, make a reservation with your partner or family member for a virtual dinner.
- Write letters home
While technology has many advantages to maintain communications, there remains something special about a handwritten letter. If your locum tenens contract requires you to be away for an extended period, jot down a letter to the people at home once in a while. Use the opportunity to describe your new community so they can envision where you’re staying (postcards are great for this). Share a funny story or experience. The old-school approach oftentimes serves as a welcomed break from text messages and emails.
- Welcome a remote worker to join you
Where people work today is far more fluid than ever before. This new flexibility opens the possibility for others to travel with you to locum tenens assignments without having to take time off from their job. See our blog, “Experiencing the Locums Lifestyle with a Partner Who Works Remotely” for tips on how to accommodate a mobile office into your temporary housing arrangements.
- Make new friends
Of course, it’s important to build rapport with your co-workers on each new locum tenens contract, and you may discover people with whom you just click, either on a professional or personal level. Forbes reported on a YouGov study that found 75 percent of people make friends on the job. Our blog, “6 Tips to Making Friends While on Locum Tenens Assignments,” offers strategies on how to find friendships while on contract.
- Stay in touch with new friends
Collect your new friends’ contact and social media info before wrapping up your contract so you can keep in touch after you return home or move on to your next temporary position. Many seasoned locum tenens professionals say the friendships they form while practicing at different facilities last well beyond the assignments and are one of the key perks to the career alternative.
If you are looking into locum tenens, call an All Star Healthcare Solutions consultant today at 800-928-0229, or contact us online.
10 Things to Know When You’re New to Locum Tenens
If your curiosity about locum tenens has been piqued recently, but you are unfamiliar with the career alternative, we invite you to keep reading for 10 factors that can set you up for success.
1. Locum tenens can fit into any career stage.
Regardless if you are looking ahead to your first position post residency or fellowship, or your last few years before retirement, locum tenens can enhance your practice. Providers in the middle of their professional lifespan also benefit from the locums alternative.
2. Locum tenens can be a full-time career choice or a part-time side gig.
Demand for supplemental staff supports individuals who wish to exchange the traditional private practice model or hospital staff position for one temporary assignment after another. On the other hand, some physicians and advanced practice providers prefer to pepper their regular work schedule with moonlighting opportunities. All Star Healthcare Solutions looks for positions that best match your personal circumstances.
3. Locum tenens assists in making career changes.
The practice alternative serves as an invaluable tool when seeking to make a change in your professional status. Temporary contracts place you inside a facility or private practice shift after shift for a set period. The consistency allows you to assemble a realistic and comprehensive portrait of what a full-time position at that healthcare employer would entail. Plus, you get to know would-be co-workers and develop an understanding of what life in town offers. If those specific conditions do not satisfy your ideal job parameters, as a locum tenens provider, you are not bound by a multi-year contract. When the assignment’s end date arrives, you are free to pursue the next possibility.
4. Locum tenens allows retirees to keep skills current.
If you do not want to commit to a full-time career the closer you edge toward retirement, but you also want to maintain your license and clinical capabilities, consider locums. Semi-retiring with locum tenens allows you to accomplish all these goals.
5. Recruiters become your locum tenens partner.
Your All Star consultant (aka, recruiter) becomes your fiercest advocate and supporter. They search for jobs that check off as many of your individual preferences as possible and for which your clinical skills align. They also serve as your primary contact on virtually everything to do with locums. Your recruiter will call to inquire about the job after your arrival. They will intercede if necessary to iron out wrinkles. And oftentimes, they become a personal friend.
6. Expect thorough credentialing.
The process to match physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified registered nurse anesthetists with temporary positions is faster than the recruitment process for direct-hire jobs. Still, expect to undergo thorough credentialing. All Star kicks it off by vetting your education, training, licenses, DEA number, certifications, work history, and any malpractice activity. To expedite the process, prepare to submit all necessary documentation, either hard or electronic copies.All Star’s due diligence will speed up facilities’ credentialing systems to gain privileges before treating their patients. Our Medical Service Specialists will pre-fill a majority of the requirements before the facility’s forms land in your email inbox for completion, review, and signatures.
7. The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact opens the door to many out-of-state assignments.
One of the unique and appealing aspects of the locum tenens practice is that you can travel to other communities. This gives you the chance to experience practicing medicine in different settings as well as a different way of life. However, if those towns are out of state, you first must be licensed by that state’s medical board. Our licensing experts will assist you with the steps to secure licensure or to meet the requirements of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLCC). Physicians who apply to and satisfy the IMLCC eligibility mandates qualify for separate state licenses in each of the member states and the District of Columbia. The advantage is a highly expedited timeframe.
8. You are covered by All Star’s medical liability insurance.
Providers function under the All Star medical liability insurance policy while working locum tenens contracts with us.
9. All Star secures necessary housing and travel for locum tenens assignments.
The journey to locum tenens opportunities starts with granting your consultant permission to present your CV and profile to a hospital, clinic, private practice group, or other healthcare organization in need of clinicians. The next stop is a phone or video interview between facility administrators/managers and provider. Once you agree to an assignment, All Star will arrange temporary housing, usually close to the facility, and book the necessary flights and rental vehicle for you to use while on assignment. If you have specific requests associated with the type of housing, inform your recruiter.
10. All Star’s signature “Red Carpet” Service means going above and beyond as a standard.
Whether it’s your very first locum tenens opportunity or the first one with us, when you choose All Star Healthcare Solutions, you choose a staffing agency invested in supporting you throughout your locum tenens journey while you focus on delivering high-quality care to patients.
To find out more about locum tenens and our signature “Red Carpet” Service, call a knowledgeable All Star Healthcare Solutions consultant at 800-928-0229 or contact us online.
Why Changing Your Environment With Locum Tenens Can Revitalize Your Career
Has your idea of what makes for an ideal practice setting changed? What appealed to you as a physician out of residency or advanced practice provider out of training may no longer cater to your professional or personal goals. Perhaps changes to the healthcare industry and the clinician shortage have altered where and how you wish to practice. Or maybe, you have spent the majority of your career in one clinical setting and now you crave change. Locum tenens opportunities offer healthcare professionals all the benefits of switching environments without the constraints of long-term commitments.
Control the Pace of Your Practice
Each hospital, clinic, or trauma center, for example, has its own energy or speed at which it operates. Some facilities deal with a constant influx of patients. Others may have units that are always busy as well as some departments that incur only the occasional, temporary bump in census. Once in a while, it is energizing to experience something different.
Locum tenens positions permit providers to work within various settings. This serves individuals who like to inject change into their lives every now and then, as well as those looking to test drive various settings while searching for a new clinical home.
Gain New Experiences
Locum tenens jobs can present valuable learning experiences. Of course, All Star Healthcare Solutions carefully matches providers to positions for which they are qualified and meet the facility’s specific requisites. That said, practicing in an environment that’s different from what you are used to may create circumstances from which you can glean new or additional knowledge from colleagues, including specialists. You also may encounter cases or have access to equipment and services that are not necessarily common to your primary workplace.
Serve Different Patient Populations
Sometimes change isn’t just about where you practice, but who you treat. Switching up your clinical setting most likely means serving a different patient population. You could request locum tenens positions in underserved communities where you can make a significant impact on the citizens. You could seek locum tenens jobs where you are more likely to learn about various regional or cultural characteristics. You could inquire about recurring assignments that enhance relationship building with patients and colleagues.
Seek a Lifestyle Change
A change of environment doesn’t always have to center on the workplace. With a locum tenens practice, you can immerse yourself in a variety of communities. Explore any number of cities, small country towns, climates, landscapes, and more. Share your destination goals with your All Star consultant.
Wherever you wish to go on your locum tenens journey, All Star Healthcare Solutions consultants can help you get there. Call us today at 800-928-0229, or contact us online.
6 Tips to Making Friends While on Locum Tenens Assignments
Friendship takes on many forms: There are lifelong friends from childhood, pals we met in college, and work colleagues. These relationships play important functions in our lives, from sharing interests and activities to mentoring and counseling. Research by the American Psychological Association even indicates friendships deliver healthy benefits, such as better immune function, less stress, and faster recovery from illness.
Other research suggests the older we get, the less likely we are to forge new friendships. However, that’s one of the key benefits of a locum tenens career. With each assignment, physicians and advanced practice providers arrive at a facility where they meet a new set of co-workers and community members, which means chances to make new friends.
Expanding your social circle as an adult really can be as easy as finding pals when you were younger, especially if you incorporate the following tips from VeryWellMind.com.
1. Be Open
Welcoming the possibility of a new relationship requires a personal commitment and mindful action. Before walking into a locum tenens job, adopt a mindset of greeting people you meet with a willingness to learn about their uniqueness. That open-minded perspective increases the likelihood of connecting with others over something in common, such as professional experiences.
2. Try New Things
Locum tenens makes this step almost a given. Going to various locations in and of itself is trying something new, but once there, be willing to engage in local activities through which you could meet potential friends outside of work.
3. Accept Invitations
From the most casual offer, like joining someone for lunch or participating in potlucks, to the more formal invitation to attend social or professional gatherings, seize each opportunity to build your professional and personal network of contacts.
4. Find Local Groups
If you are active in clubs at home, look for a local chapter in your temporary hometown. Your familiarity with the organization can put you on the fast track to meeting like-minded individuals. The same approach can be applied to hobbies. If you like to bicycle, for instance, look for a biking group that meets at a time convenient with your shift schedule. There are groups that get together to play board games, discuss books, celebrate cultural events, or practice skills like acting or standup comedy. You can also download apps to find gatherings, events, and virtual activities with other people who share your interests and hobbies.
5. Attend a Place of Worship
Finding a local place of worship while on locum tenens assignments offers individuals a familiar environment to meet others, as well as a place for personal reflection.
6. Maintain Social Connections
Social media makes staying in touch with friends, old and new, easier. Post pictures so family and friends at home can see what experiences you are having on assignment. Invite new friends to follow your accounts—and vice versa—to stay current with each other after a locum tenens contract ends. Messaging new acquaintances via text or social media platforms also encourages ongoing contact so friendships survive distances and time.
Whether making friends is one of your goals in pursuing locum tenens jobs, or just a beneficial plus, being friendly can ease your acclimation on any new contract. What’s more, your genuineness undoubtedly will be well-received by staff and patients.
Learn more about locum tenens opportunities from one of All Star’s dedicated consultants. Call 800-928-0229, or contact us online today.
The Benefits of Adopting a “Customer Service” Approach to Your Locum Tenens Practice
When you step into the role of a locum tenens professional, you adopt two primary customers: your patients and the facility in which you will be practicing. Fortunately, there are several steps that will ensure you deliver exceptional customer service on locum tenens assignments.
Putting the Focus on Patients
The people you treat as a locum tenens provider may never know you are practicing at the hospital, clinic, or other healthcare organization for a set time. Serving in that role, however, creates unique opportunities for you to elevate patient satisfaction.
- Without the obligation of organizational duties, such as meetings and unit or personnel management, you can turn the majority of your attention to patient care. An extra few minutes spent interacting with individuals and their family members further personalizes the experience and can make a lasting impression.
- As a newcomer, having an open mind toward the individuals you treat opens the door for more candid communications.
- Medical visits can be a stressful time for patients and their loved ones. Establishing a genuine connection — friendly inquiries about your temporary community, for example — can help people feel more comfortable meeting with a new provider.
Fitting In at Facilities
Administrators and colleagues appreciate the ability of locum tenens professionals to quickly acclimate to their environment.
- Professionalism extends beyond providing high-quality patient care. Paying attention to everyday details, such as punctuality and being cordial toward staff, helps everyone ease into your locums assignment.
- Incorporating the facility’s established protocols into your practice will convey the message that you are intent on adjusting to their operations and not trying to institute changes.
- As you settle into the new setting and community, it’s natural to have questions about where items are stored, how to navigate electronic medical records software, or even where to go for a good meal. You most likely will find people are eager to help you fit into their workplace. Of course, it may be more efficient to seek out one or two individuals as your go-to contacts.
- Show your appreciation for your peers. Kind gestures, like bringing in treats or supporting a community fundraiser, generally solicit positive reactions, which help foster connections.
Our Promise to Excellent Customer Service
Our signature “Red Carpet” Service is a commitment to go above and beyond as our standard. Your consultant will keep you informed every step of the locum tenens journey as well as be available to answer questions or address issues if needed. That’s our commitment to serving the physicians and advanced practitioners who are willing to go where the need for patient care is greatest.
Set off on your locum tenens career today. Call an All Star Healthcare Solutions consultant at 800-928-0229, or contact us online.
Mid-Career Providers Find Professional Rewards with Locum Tenens Opportunities
If it’s been at least a decade since you finished residency or fellowship, then by most measurements, you have reached the “mid-career” stage. You’ve spent the past 10 or more years accomplishing multiple goals: establishing yourself as a specialist, building a patient clientele, and/or gaining management responsibilities. Are you ready to invest in new goals? Are you interested in balancing your professional duties with outside projects, such as medical missions or starting a business venture? Maybe you and the family are open to moving to a new town, which requires a new job.
Assessing your next career move at this stage can be just as exciting and offer as many — or more — possibilities than when you finished training. Locum tenens opportunities can help you formulate a plan. These temporary experiences will supply you with invaluable firsthand impressions and evaluations that can help identify key criteria for what’s next.
Build a Broader Network of Professional Contacts
The All Star Healthcare Solutions job board on our website features opportunities for physicians and advanced practice providers. These postings are great for telling the what, where, and when, but the who can make an impactful difference if you are considering a major career move. In locum tenens, your All Star recruiter can be one of the most influential individuals in your network. Our consultants keep you informed, guide you through the various steps, and seek to resolve any questions you may have throughout the locum tenens journey.
Another key benefit of using locum tenens to shape your mid-career goals is that each short- or long-term assignment puts you in contact with a variety of professionals. Forming relationships with the people you meet on contract offers multiple rewards, such as accumulating professional references that could lead to future possibilities.
Take Charge of Scheduling
Staff clinicians can log 50-plus hours each week, especially when patient census climbs. A vacation is a great break from the work routine and a chance to relax and/or concentrate on loved ones. But then it’s back to the same old schedule. A locum tenens practice can change that. Physicians and advanced practitioners who adopt the locum tenens career alternative full time control their assignment calendar. Depending on your personal preferences, that could entail a few days off between contracts or multiple weeks off. It’s your decision. Providers in the middle of their careers may find this freedom refreshing and more accommodating for family life.
And, if you have outside interests, such as entrepreneurial endeavors or medical missions, there’s no need to postpone them until retirement when you cut back on clinical hours. Locum tenens schedules can support both your professional and extracurricular interests right now.
Expand Your Experiences
Other than continuing medical education (CME) requirements, mid-career providers typically haven’t been in the student or trainee role for quite some time. In fact, it is more likely you have assumed a teaching or mentoring posture, advising newer doctors and advanced practitioners. Locum tenens experiences, however, open up possibilities to expand your skill set and knowledge base. Exposure to other clinicians might showcase different approaches to procedures, for example, or practice styles incorporating cultural or regional nuances.
Add Variety to Your Professional Background
A change of venue can stimulate a renewed interest in your medical profession. Use locum tenens jobs to work in larger or smaller facilities. Use assignments to gain more experience with specific types of cases, such as higher level traumas, or to take a break from high-acuity conditions. Use temporary contracts to learn about different patient populations. The variety can help providers from burning out on the routine.
Prepare for a Job Change
It is not unusual for people in the middle of their careers to switch employers. Maybe you want to relocate, change workplaces, or look for a new role. As a full-service staffing company, All Star Healthcare Solutions’ Direct Hire recruiters can identify permanent positions that meet your criteria. If you want to test the waters first, our Locums consultants will present short- or long-term opportunities where you can immerse yourself in the clinical and community environments before making a job move. Agreeing to locums enables you to make well-informed, confident choices for your next career stage.
Whether you have a clearly defined path ahead or are undetermined about which direction to turn, All Star Healthcare Solutions can help you get to that next stop.
To learn more about locum tenens or direct-hire opportunities, contact All Star Healthcare Solutions today online or by calling 800-928-0229.
All Star Healthcare Solutions Names President Ken Bernstein as CEO
All Star Healthcare Solutions®, a full-service healthcare staffing firm specializing in locum tenens and direct job opportunities for physicians and advanced practitioners, has appointed Ken Bernstein, who also retains his role of President, to Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately. He succeeds Keith Shattuck, who served as CEO since 2005.
“Ken is an exceptional leader and the epitome of high performance and absolute dedication. His extensive knowledge of our business has been instrumental in our continued growth. Moreover, he is uniquely positioned to lead our company in its next phase of strategic development,” said Shattuck, who will remain with All Star as Chairman of its Partners’ Board.
Additionally, Pat Kennedy, who brought over 30 years of growing healthcare staffing firms with her when she joined All Star in 2016, relinquishes her position of Chief Strategy Officer, fully moving to the Partners’ Board, which she helped form.
“It’s humbling and an honor to have the confidence and support of our Partners’ Board and All Star family,” said Bernstein. “We — my fellow Executive Board members and I — are excited to lead our company into the next chapter as we continue to move our business forward, remaining grounded in our people-centric culture and Core Values, and committed to connecting quality providers to facilities and patients.”
Bernstein joined the company as Chief Financial Officer in 2012, with years of corporate finance and capital structure experience. He expertly oversaw financial planning with a strategic vision and drive for growth before becoming President in August 2022. Bernstein holds degrees in Finance and Management Information Systems (MIS) from the University of Central Florida, College of Business Administration. In 2021, he was recognized as a CFO Awards finalist by the South Florida Business Journal.
5 Steps to Finding Mentors Through Locum Tenens Opportunities
Did a certain professor or teacher stimulate your desire to pursue a career in medicine or lead you toward a specialty? As a resident or fellow, were you paired with a mentor who guided you through the intricacies of transitioning from student to practicing clinician? Between school, training, and on-the-job experiences, you undoubtedly encountered a plethora of knowledgeable individuals who left impressions on you personally and who may have influenced your career development.
Of course, the mentor relationship is not confined to school or training. Rather, careers are full of possibilities to learn from a variety of people, especially when adding locum tenens to your CV. By accepting contracts to practice in various hospitals, private practice groups, clinics, or other healthcare organizations across the country, you have more chances to meet an eclectic collection of colleagues and acquaintances, observe how others work, and accumulate new knowledge.
That said, establishing a mentor relationship while serving in a temporary position requires a more accelerated progression than what may transpire as a staff member. So, how does one identify and form a mentorship as a locum tenens professional? Well, the American Medical Association has defined the following five steps to forging successful mentor connections. Here, we explain how they apply to the locum tenens experience.
- Seek Out Mentors
The key to finding a mentor in a short timeframe is to actively look for someone from whom you could gain knowledge or guidance. Be willing to initiate contact with that person. Explain why you wish to learn from them along with your assignment details so they understand the purpose and immediacy of your proposition. However, be willing to extend the professional relationship after the contract’s end date. There’s always the potential for an enduring collegial relationship to form beyond the locum tenens role.
- Look for Variety
Different mentors fill different roles in your professional or personal development. As a locum tenens provider, this step in mentor networking almost becomes automatic. Each new assignment introduces you to another set of consulting physicians, advanced practice staff, and other healthcare professionals from whom you can absorb advice or observe differences in practice styles.
- Match the Mentor to the Situation
Here, again, a locum tenens practice naturally sets up the circumstances for this step. No two facilities function the exact same way, nor are patient populations identical from community to community. Therefore, networking with a mentor on a new assignment is already specific to the situation. Consider someone who is experienced in the setting and can impart insight into regional, cultural, and other pertinent information regarding patient care in that facility.
- Don’t Force It
Not every locum tenens situation will present a new mentor — some contracts may be too short or simply do not offer that type of connection. That’s okay. You can still expand your professional network of peers who share similar interests. And of course, making friends on and off the job is a great perk to the locum tenens lifestyle.
- Expand the Definition of Mentor
Mentors certainly fulfill a professional function, but you are more than just your job. Therefore, the individuals you meet on locum tenens opportunities could serve as an inspiration in other areas of your life — spiritually, personally, or in any regard important to you. For many locum tenens professionals, it’s the people you meet who can make the experience extra special, from peers to patients to friends, and of course, your All Star Healthcare Solutions recruiter.
To start on your locum tenens journey, or to look for your next assignment, call an All Star Healthcare Solutions consultant today at 800-928-0229, or contact us online.