What Is Locum Tenens? Definition, Benefits, and How It Works

Locum tenens is a Latin phrase meaning “to hold the place,” used in medicine to describe physicians and advanced practice providers who temporarily fill clinical roles at hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities.

If you are a clinician exploring a more flexible career path, or a facility administrator evaluating staffing options, this guide explains what locum tenens is, how it works, who qualifies, what to expect financially, and how to get started.

What Does “Locum Tenens” Mean?

Locum tenens is the standard U.S. term for temporary medical staffing in which a licensed healthcare provider fills another provider’s role for a defined period. The phrase comes from Latin and translates directly as “to hold the place of.” In everyday conversation, providers and recruiters shorten it to “locum” (plural: locums). The term appears almost exclusively in medical contexts in the United States, though it also surfaces occasionally in clergy and law.

Term	Meaning
Locum	Short form; used casually and standardly in the UK and Canada
Locum tenens	Full Latin phrase; the standard term in U.S. healthcare staffing
Locums	Informal plural; used interchangeably in everyday speech
Temporary physician	Plain-language synonym; used in facility communications and job postings

How Does Locum Tenens Work?

Locum tenens works through a structured process involving three parties: the healthcare facility with a staffing need, the staffing agency that coordinates the placement, and the licensed provider who fills the role. The agency serves as the operational backbone, matching credentialed providers to open assignments, managing logistics, and ensuring both sides are supported throughout the engagement.

The Role of a Locum Tenens Staffing Agency

Facilities contact agencies when a staffing gap opens, whether from a leave of absence, a surge in patient volume, or an unfilled permanent position. The agency then matches qualified, credentialed providers to that opening based on specialty, geography, availability, and facility requirements.

Critically, the facility pays the agency, not the provider directly. The agency’s compensation is built into the arrangement, so there is no fee charged to the physician. A good agency takes the time to understand what matters most to you before presenting an assignment: your specialty, preferred geography, call tolerance, schedule preferences, and career goals. That conversation should happen before any paperwork is signed.

All Star Healthcare Solutions places all provider types, including MDs, DOs, Nurse Practitioners (NPs), Physician Assistants (PAs), and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), nationwide across all 50 states, more than 150 hospital systems, and more than 1,600 healthcare facilities. To learn more about how the placement process works end-to-end, visit how the locum tenens placement process works.

Typical Assignment Types and Durations

Locum tenens assignments range from a single day of coverage to multi-year arrangements at the same facility. The structure depends on the facility’s need and the provider’s availability.

Assignment Type	Typical Duration	Common Reason
Short-term	Days to a few weeks	Vacation cover, sick leave, emergency gap
Medium-term	1–6 months	Maternity leave, open permanent recruitment
Long-term	6+ months (ongoing)	Extended vacancy, rural site staffing, specialty access

Common settings include hospitals, outpatient clinics, urgent care centers, rural health centers and FQHCs, VA and military facilities, and telehealth or hybrid care environments.

Common Reasons Facilities Use Locum Tenens

Facilities turn to locum tenens for a wide range of situations. Covering physician absences, including maternity and paternity leave, medical leave, and sabbaticals, is the most common reason. Other frequent drivers include managing seasonal census spikes or episodic demand surges, staffing rural and underserved sites without sufficient volume for a full-time hire, filling specialty coverage gaps in high-demand fields like gastroenterology,  cardiology, surgery, and anesthesia, and bridging staffing gaps while a permanent search is underway. Some facilities also bring in locum physicians to support training and transition during EMR migrations or major workflow changes.

A Brief History of Locum Tenens in the U.S.

The modern locum tenens staffing model traces to 1979, when early staffing pioneers, including Dr. Therus Kolff, began formalizing the practice to address physician shortages in rural America. What started as a patchwork solution to coverage gaps in underserved communities grew steadily into a mainstream workforce strategy used by healthcare systems of every size.

Today, 90% of healthcare facilities rely on locum tenens providers, and with this growth, the National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations (NALTO) was established to set ethical and professional standards for staffing agencies operating in this space.

Who Can Be a Locum Tenens Provider?

Any licensed physician or advanced practice provider who meets facility and agency credentialing requirements is eligible for locum tenens work. The model is not limited to MDs or DOs. Demand for NPs, PAs, and CRNAs has grown significantly over the past decade, particularly in rural, primary care, and procedural settings.

Eligibility and Credentials

The baseline requirements for locum tenens work include a medical degree (MD or DO) and completed residency, or the equivalent for NPs, PAs, and CRNAs, along with active, unrestricted state medical licensure. Providers with licenses in multiple states or participation in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) have a broader pool of assignments available to them. Current DEA registration (where applicable), board certification, and a clean malpractice history are also standard requirements. Each facility will conduct its own credentialing and privileging process, called primary source verification, before any assignment begins.

Typical Locum Clinician Profiles

The locum tenens model attracts clinicians at many different career stages. Near-retirement physicians often choose locum work for a flexible, part-time schedule that keeps them clinically active on their own terms. Early-career clinicians use locum assignments to explore different specialties, care systems, and geographies before committing to a permanent role. Subspecialists provide short-term coverage for rare or high-demand skills. Clinicians in transition, including those relocating, between permanent roles, or post-fellowship, use locum work to maintain income and clinical activity during a pivot. Parents, researchers, and educators who need scheduling flexibility alongside their clinical work also represent a growing share of the locum workforce.

Benefits of Locum Tenens Work

Locum tenens offers a combination of financial, clinical, and lifestyle advantages that a traditional permanent position rarely provides. The most frequently cited benefits include:

• Schedule flexibility — you choose when, where, and how often you work
• Geographic freedom — test communities, systems, and settings before committing permanently
• Varied clinical experience — diverse patient populations, EMRs, and care models build clinical breadth
• Higher hourly rates — locum rates are typically above permanent equivalent to offset the absence of employer benefits
• Reduced administrative burden — no hiring, billing, inventory management, or office politics
• Career exploration — many locum roles convert to permanent offers, making it a genuine “try before you buy” arrangement
• Networking — working across multiple systems builds relationships that often lead to long-term opportunities

The flexibility benefit deserves particular emphasis. Unlike a permanent role, which typically requires months of notice and involves complex contract obligations to modify, a locum tenens arrangement is designed around your availability. You can work a few shifts a month alongside a permanent role, take a full year of continuous locum assignments, or anything in between. That level of control over your own schedule is rare in clinical medicine.

Drawbacks and Financial Considerations

Locum tenens offers real advantages, but it also comes with trade-offs that deserve honest consideration before you make any career decisions. The providers who thrive in locum work tend to be those who go in with eyes open.

Income Variability and Gaps Between Assignments

For providers doing locum work alongside a permanent position, which describes the majority of locum clinicians, income variability is a limited concern. For those practicing full-time locum tenens, it deserves careful planning.  

Contract work means there is no guaranteed salary. Gaps between assignments are unpaid, and short-notice cancellations do happen. Before transitioning to full-time locum work, most experienced locum physicians recommend maintaining a three-to-six-month emergency fund to cover personal expenses during slow periods. 

Working with multiple agencies simultaneously reduces gap risk. If one agency’s pipeline slows, another may have immediate openings. When negotiating rates, factor in unpaid travel days as part of your total compensation calculus.

Benefits You Will Need to Self-Fund

As a 1099 independent contractor, you are responsible for sourcing your own benefits package. That means:

• Health insurance: No employer-sponsored health, dental, or vision. Source via the ACA marketplace, professional association plans, or a spouse’s employer plan.
• Retirement: No employer match. Consider a SEP-IRA, Solo 401(k), or similar self-employed retirement vehicle.
• Disability insurance: Particularly important given income variability. Must be purchased independently; do not delay this one.

Taxes as an Independent Contractor

Most locum physicians are paid as independent contractors and receive 1099 income rather than W-2 wages. This means you are responsible for self-employment tax (approximately 15.3%) in addition to federal and state income tax. The trade-off is a meaningful set of deductible business expenses: licensing fees, CME, professional memberships, home office costs, and travel related to work can all reduce your taxable income. Working with a CPA who specializes in locum physician finances is one of the highest-ROI professional investments you can make.

Note: The above is general financial information, not tax advice. Consult a qualified tax professional regarding your specific situation.

Pro	Con
Schedule flexibility — choose when and where you work	No guaranteed salary; income gaps between assignments are unpaid
Higher hourly rates than permanent equivalent	Must self-fund health, dental, disability, and retirement coverage
Geographic freedom — work in any of all 50 states	Self-employment tax (~15.3%) on top of federal and state income tax
Reduced administrative burden (no billing, staff management)	Credentialing takes 4–12+ weeks before each new facility
Diverse clinical experience across settings, EMRs, and patient populations	No employer-sponsored CME, DEA renewals, or licensing fee coverage
“Try before you buy” — explore specialties and regions before committing	Potential tail insurance cost if agency uses a claims-made malpractice policy

Note: Agency-sponsored licensing coverage varies by firm. All Star Healthcare Solutions covers licensing costs as part of the assignment.

Understanding Your Locum Tenens Contract

Your locum tenens contract defines the terms of your assignment and your relationship with the agency. Read it carefully. For high-value, long-term, or complex contracts, independent legal review is worth the cost.

Your Recruiter’s Role in the Process

The staffing agency is paid by the facility, which creates a potential misalignment of interests worth understanding. In practice, a reputable agency’s long-term incentive is a successful, lasting placement, not a quick transaction. Know who your primary contact is for scheduling changes, pay disputes, and housing issues before your assignment begins. Your recruiter should be reachable throughout the assignment, not just during the placement phase.

Key Contract Terms to Review

Before signing any locum tenens contract, confirm the following:

• Scope of duties, schedule, and site(s) covered — be specific; vague scope creates friction later
• Hourly rate, call stipends, overtime, and holiday rates — confirm whether call pay is included or separate
• Out clause: The notice period required to end the assignment early, from either side
• Restrictive covenants: Noncompete and nonsolicitation clauses are negotiable — pay close attention to geographic scope and duration
• Credentialing contingencies and start-date flexibility provisions — delays are common; build in buffer time

Should You Become a Locum? A Quick Fit Check

Deciding whether locum tenens is right for you comes down to a clear-eyed look at your financial situation, career goals, and personal priorities. The table below is a useful starting point.

Locum Tenens May Be Right for You If…	Locum Tenens May Not Be Right If…
You value schedule flexibility over income predictability	You need a consistent paycheck and employer benefits immediately
You adapt quickly to new clinical settings, teams, and EMRs	You’re settling into a community and want long-term stability
You want to explore specialties or geographies before committing	You prefer deep, longitudinal patient relationships
You’re financially prepared to self-fund benefits and manage quarterly taxes	You’re not yet financially prepared to handle gaps between assignments

If the left column describes you better than the right, locum tenens is worth exploring seriously. Here is how to get started:

1. Ensure your CV, licenses, DEA registration, and board certifications are current and ready to submit.
2. Register with two to three reputable agencies and evaluate them on support quality, specialty expertise, and geographic reach, not solely on compensation offers.
3. Plan for four to twelve or more weeks of credentialing before your first shift. Start the process early; delays are common and often outside anyone’s control.
4. Begin with shorter, local assignments to experience the logistics and pace of locum work before committing to long-distance or extended placements.

Whether you are exploring locum tenens for the first time or ready to find your next assignment, All Star Healthcare Solutions is here to guide you through every step of the process.

How All Star Healthcare Solutions Supports Your Locum Journey

Choosing the right staffing agency matters as much as choosing the right assignment. The agency you work with shapes your credentialing experience, your day-to-day support during an assignment, and your long-term career trajectory. 

All Star’s service philosophy is built around genuine care for the providers and facilities it works with, anticipating needs before you have to ask and following through consistently.  Whether you are scheduling your first locum tenens assignment or your fiftieth, All Star is built to support your career, not just fill your calendar. Explore locum tenens specialties we place to see if your specialty is represented.

Locum Tenens Quick Reference

Term	What It Means	Key Detail
Locum tenens	A healthcare provider who temporarily fills another provider’s role	Latin for “to hold the place.” Standard term in U.S. healthcare.
Locum	Informal short form of “locum tenens”	Standard in the UK and Canada; used casually in the U.S.
Staffing agency	Connects providers to temporary assignments and manages logistics	Handles credentialing, travel, housing, malpractice coverage, and billing
Credentialing	Facility verification of a provider’s licenses, training, and qualifications	Required before every new assignment; typically takes 4–12+ weeks
Independent contractor	The employment and tax status of most locum physicians	Means 1099 income, self-employment tax, and self-funded benefits
Tail coverage	Extended malpractice reporting period after a claims-made policy ends	Confirm in writing whether your agency covers the cost
NALTO	National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations	Sets ethical and professional standards — All Star Healthcare Solutions is a NALTO member