Working locum tenens (temporary employment) is a valuable source of income for many physicians, nurses, and related medical professionals. Other appealing aspects of taking on locum tenens assignments include flexibility in scheduling, opportunity to travel, and experience gained through involvement in a variety of practice settings.
Experienced locum tenens (LT) providers generally "know the ropes" in dealing with agency recruiters and their client employers. The following tips are offered for healthcare practitioners who are not as accustomed to working locum tenens jobs.
(1) Understand the nature of LT assignments. Clients use locum tenens providers to fill temporary vacancies due to illness, vacations, maternity leave, time off for Continuing Medical Education (CME's), and so on. Additionally, healthcare organizations use locum tenens employees to fill in while they search for permanent hires. In some cases, LT assignments represent temp-to-perm opportunities. Most often, the assignments last from a few days to a few weeks. In some instances-such as with government contracts-the length may extend for months or up to a year
(2) Be flexible regarding the assignments you are willing to work. Locum tenens firms represent a wide variety of employment opportunities. Some are more attractive than others. Who wouldn't want to work three weeks in Miami Beach during the winter? Or two weeks in picturesque Vermont in the fall? Recruiters cannot wave a magic wand to determine what opportunities will be available. The reality is that they work hard to fill the staffing needs of their clients wherever and whenever such needs are identified. For this reason, it's advisable not to be too "picky" when accepting LT assignments. It's understandable that recruiters mention the more appealing assignments to qualified providers who are most loyal and dependable. Being willing to take the less desirable assignments will put you in good stead for consideration for the more desirable opportunities.
(3) Keep master copies of your written credentials handy at all times. Some LT assignments represent emergency staffing needs. A client may phone the recruiting agency on Thursday with an urgent need for a provider to start work the following Monday. Obviously, hospital privileging must be done quickly for whichever candidate the client accepts for the job. To help the recruiters with whom you work to do their job most efficiently, keep clean copies of your written credentials available for speedy submission via fax or e-mail.
(4) Cooperate fully and communicate regularly with your recruiter. There is nothing more troubling to an LT recruiter than trying desperately to locate a provider for an urgent hiring need-without success. Given the time factor involved in filling LT assignments, the recruiter might not be able to identify a suitable backup candidate in time to make the placement. Consequently, a competitor agency might fill the job. This being the case, make sure you stay in touch with your regular LT recruiter and indicate how she can reach you if you are not accessible through normal communication channels. Furthermore, you can score some points by cooperating fully with the recruiter who represents your employment interests. Their job is to meet clients' needs in timely fashion with the best candidate available for the job. Providers who are reliable and cooperative top the list for special consideration.
(5) Honor your employment commitments. The agreement that you sign for each LT assignment is a binding contract. Keep in mind, the recruiting agency is also bound to the terms of their contract with a given client. Understandably, if the LT provider does not show up for work as agreed, the agency recruiter is in hot water. Admittedly, there are emergency situations that arise, such as personal illness or death in the family. Such circumstances are understandable. On the other hand, it is inexcusable for a locums provider to have a last-minute "change of mind" and not start the job on time, or not complete the entire assignment as agreed.
(6) Obtain reference letters wherever you work. This applies especially to work assignments that last more than a week or so. It's good to keep a dossier of references from supervisors who can attest to your current clinical competence. Having fresh references readily available helps tremendously when recruiters present your credentials for employment consideration and when actual privileging takes place.
(7) Don't pull any surprises for the recruiter. LT recruiters make every effort to arrange a convenient and comfortable stay for their providers everywhere they work. Within reason, they can try to accommodate special needs. But they don't appreciate last-minute surprises thrown at them. Examples: notifica
