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Why Working Locum Tenens Full Time Could Work for You
You have built a career of delivering high-quality care to patients and their families within your community. Undoubtedly, you’ve left an imprint on colleagues, too, from managing staff to mentoring, or simply practicing alongside them. But now, the idea of changing things has taken on greater appeal. If that’s what you’ve been thinking, you’re not alone. Multiple surveys indicate a substantial percentage of healthcare professionals have contemplated leaving their employers over the course of the past few years.
Still, switching from one hospital to another nearby may not seem like much of a change, and the concept of uprooting your home and family to relocate to another city or state is too much of a disruption. Doing locum tenens offers an attractive compromise. Indeed, there are several reasons to consider pursuing locum tenens jobs full time.
Exercise greater schedule control
One of the first things to understand about a full-time locum tenens career is that “full time” does not automatically mean punching a clock 40-plus hours a week…week after week. Rather, it means you agree to one temporary assignment after another instead of maintaining employment with a facility or private practice group.
How frequently you accept contracts, however, is completely up to you. That’s the schedule flexibility of locum tenens. The shifts you cover while working in a temporary position might reflect a permanent staff job, including call duties, but you can choose to take a few weeks off between positions if that is what you want. Then again, if you like the income stability of lining up one opportunity after another, that’s feasible, too. The point is that scheduling control lies with you. Just convey those preferences to your All Star Healthcare Solutions consultant, so they present the best matches that meet your needs.
Elevate skills by practicing in a variety of settings
The value you bring to patients and colleagues at your home facility most certainly will be appreciated at hospitals, outpatient clinics, and multi-specialty practice groups seeking additional clinicians. Your presence and commitment to patients empowers them to maintain continuity of care, making sure people receive the necessary services.
The benefit for locum tenens providers is that you have an invitation to experience new settings. If you have always been curious about practicing in a trauma center, inform your All Star consultant. If you prefer a slower pace than what you are used to, pass along that information. Plus, you have the advantage of working with new colleagues, from whom you can learn as well as share your expertise.
Put focus on patients
Whether you are in the middle of your career or starting to think about easing toward retirement, chances are, the more years on the job, the more administrative or managerial responsibilities you assumed. It’s an aspect of the work most providers like the least.
In fact, according to a 2021 Medscape survey, too many bureaucratic tasks is the number one contributor to feeling burned out. Accepting locum tenens contracts full time can help alleviate some of those duties. Temporary positions do not come with administrative requirements, such as committee assignments or attending management meetings or completing employee reviews, for example. This frees up time for locum tenens practitioners to invest more of their focus on providing high quality care, including greater interaction with patients and families.
Practicing in multiple locations also introduces you to various people and cultures. As a medical professional, seeing how these differences may impact healthcare can be a valuable tool as you agree to more opportunities and practice in more locales. Personally, it can be enjoyable to be immersed in different regions, partaking in their traditions, tasting their foods, and experiencing life differently than at home.
Assure future flexibility
Locum tenens professionals function as independent contractors, not employees of All Star nor of the facilities where you agree to practice on contract. That means you’re not bound by a long-term employment agreement. You have the freedom to accept one locum tenens opportunity after another for as long as you like, or seek other employment options at any point, including transitioning to a permanent job. All Star Healthcare Staffing is here to assist you in each of these circumstances.
Call 800-928-0229 to speak with one of All Star’s dedicated consultants, or contact us online.
