Let’s look at two general approaches to understand their pros and cons so that you can choose the one that works for you:
Locum tenens companies:
A staffing agency seems like a good option and is probably the quickest way to start with the locum tenens. They search for assignments and take care of some of the hassles for you (e.g., arrange your travel). However, you have to realize that hospitals are paying at least 25-30 percent premiums to the agency on top of what you get paid for work, therefore the facility cannot rely on you long-term simply because you are too expensive. So they get rid of you as soon as they get a chance (e.g., they hire permanent physicians or entice their own staff to take the shifts by paying them premiums, etc.).
Although some rare locum assignments can last for a long time, usually they’re good for several months to a year at most. This creates a situation where you have to change location on a regular basis.
Working with the locum tenens companies can be appropriate for a number of reasons:
1 — You want to travel and explore different locations and don’t mind bouncing from one facility to another on a regular basis.
2 — You need to find an assignment ASAP.
3 — You want to do locum tenens for a short time (e.g., few months in between permanent jobs).
From my experience it takes less time to start a conversation with a new hospital using a locum tenens agency compared to trying to reach the hospital recruiter directly. I suspect the agency has a direct channel to communicate with the facilities.
Pros: Less work on your part and probably quicker way to find an assignment
Cons: Hard to sustain as a full time locum tenens for a long unless you are OK with frequent travel and changing hospitals on a regular basis.
Direct approach:
The idea is simple — you contact the facility in your area directly and offer them your services (sometimes it’s called “per-diem” rather than locum tenens).
The facility can use your services without breaking the bank by cutting off the agency fees. It works even better if you are local and don’t need to have travel expenses covered (they may agree to pay for mileage). The biggest advantage for you is that this way they are not in a hurry to get rid of you so you can form a long-term relationship that can last for years.
When I started my first locum tenens jobs I worked with several agencies but terminated my contract with them within a year or so. I made the decision not to go back to permanent employment since I realized I wanted to retain the flexibility and freedom that locum tenens gives, but at the same time wanted to minimize the travel.
My wife was pregnant at that time and I needed to be at home every day. So I signed a per-diem contract with two local hospitals and one big hospitalist company that was looking for local doctors to cover “occasional” (turned out to be quite frequent 🙂 openings in the several hospitals that were all within 30-50 minutes of driving distance from my home.
Although it takes longer to find the assignments directly and build a local network of the facilities, you can potentially work more shifts per month given that you spend your nights in the comfort of your home and have quality family time. You would be less likely to burn out as well.
The other advantage is that once you familiarize yourself with your local hospitals (including EMR, overall hospital culture, consultants, admission and discharge process, etc.) you won’t have to go through the somewhat painful process of figuring out the system over and over again.
In my opinion, this approach is a great fit for physicians with families or those wanting to minimize the travel.
Pros: Allows you to have a full time locum tenens jobs close to home
Cons: The search process is more time-consuming and requires more work on your part
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Hi Locumguy,
Love the site. I stumbled upon it while doing some locum tenans research. I am doing some discovery meetings about the locum recruitment experience and would love to talk to you about any pain points/ frustrations you may have had in the past or currently? Essentially we are trying to figure out a way to leverage technology to allow facilities and locums connect more efficiently and cost effectively. Would love to chat and pick your brain if you are open to it? Feel free to msg or shoot me an email:) thanks again for the knowledge!
Just wanted to say that I absolutely love your website. I am a fourth-year medical student entering IM this summer with every intention of becoming a locum tenens hospitalist afterwards. You are such an inspiration for me, please keep putting out this information. I will reach out to you on Reddit or SDN one of these days once I’m closer to graduating residency. KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO MY FRIEND!
NuclearPotatoes,
I’m glad you liked my site!
My goal is to make it helpful as much as possible and reveal all the “secrets” that are normally kept away from locum “newbies”.
Feel free to contact me any time!