Looking up the definition of Locum Tenens in the unabridged dictionary, the definition is as follows;
“One fulfilling an office for a time or temporarily taking the place of another. Used especially with physicians and clergymen; a substitute replacement.”
-Webster’s Third New International Dictionary-
Locum Tenens is not a lifelong career. Locum Tenens exist for physicians and specialists who want a change in their life. Signing on right out of medical school, or after retiring from practice, physicians are offered different opportunities and locations to practice. Medical school graduates use this opportunity to explore where to set up practice. By working in different locations, they can test the waters first.
Professional journals, online websites, medical journals and recruiting firms are places to find out about locum tenens. If you are signing up with a recruiting firm, take a moment; using a search engine, type in locum tenens testimonials, then click search. You will be amazed at the stories that exist. Reading these physicians’ trials and challenges while working under locum tenens will inspire you. Some of the stories may even shock you.
Once you sign up you will be assigned a practice, hospital or clinic in need of your services. The pay is higher than if you just started out in a group practice, but you will find that you might have to work harder, be denied certain benefits and be tied to rules made (sometimes without your knowledge) between the recruiting firm and the hospital/clinic in question.
Assigned to a remote village in Alaska, William T. Cushing, MD, MBA relays a compelling tale of his experience with working the life of a tenen locum. You can read his account on the American Academy of Family Physicians website, under A Physicians Guide to Locum Tenen. It should be required reading for anyone considering this type of move.
The benefits of signing on for tenen locum are:
- Experiencing different lifestyles all over the country, on a temporary basis.
- Establishing yourself into a community where your skills are needed.
- Not investing large amounts of money into a situation.
- Learning about the people, the health care of the area and how you can benefit from this exposure.
The drawbacks are:
- Benefits are not always included.
- Malpractice fees can be higher.
- If you sign on with a firm and don’t read the contract, you might be in a situation that you will soon regret.
Traveling to remote areas or into the inner cities can be exciting, risky, challenging and rewarding. Most hospitals and larger practices prefer to work with the recruiting firms, allowing the firms to handle all the details. Just be sure, that before you place your signature on the contract, you are aware of what those details are.
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