VISTA Archived Blogs

Our nation’s veterans served and sacrificed to protect our freedom. Now they deserve high-quality care, and the Veterans Health Administration provides that to millions of veterans each year. 

In the evolving world of healthcare, advanced practice clinicians are poised to play an important role in helping fill physician shortages at hospitals and other medical centers in underserved areas.

Dear Physician Assistant (PA),

In honor of National PA Week, VISTA wishes to extend a sincere and tremendous thank-you to physician assistants everywhere. From October 6-12th, we’re celebrating National PA Week, which recognizes the PA profession and its contributions to the nation’s health. During PA Week, we hope you’ll have the chance to talk to a PA about what it is they do, and why they're proud to do it.

We recognize even if you haven’t been treated by a PA before, there’s a good chance you will in the near future. There are more than 123,000 PAs working across the country—and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the profession is expected to grow 37 percent between 2016 and 2036.

Deciding to start working locum tenens right out of residency isn’t something a lot of new physicians do, but it’s a decision Dr. EmmaLeigh Smith, a Family Medicine Physician, embraced wholeheartedly. Almost seven years after she started working locum tenens through VISTA, we caught up with Dr. Smith who is currently working in Portland to talk about her experiences and  why she is “still loving it!”

Working locum tenens in the government sector comes with unique professional and personal benefits. You have options across the nation, the flexibility to make your own schedule, plus the chance to give back to deserving populations in potentially exciting settings. And when you partner with VISTA, you have dedicated recruiters by your side, just as passionate about finding the right match as you are about finding a rewarding experience.

Last week, the World Health Organization released an advance preview of its new International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), which includes significant improvements on previous versions that aim to help health professionals record conditions more easily and completely. The revision simplifies the coding structure and is now completely electronic, introducing a more user-friendly format that reflects years of collaboration.

Getting enough quality sleep is a common struggle for all Americans, no matter their occupation. Add in frequent travel, and it can be even more challenging. For locum tenens clinicians, the ability to travel is a unique benefit, but it can require some adjusting. Fortunately, there are a number of tips you can follow to maintain healthy habits and feel ready to take on your assignments at your best.

Nurse practitioners play a critical role every day across the country, helping to fill the gap in coverage created by the physician shortage and delivering holistic, high-quality care. They have stories to tell, and compassion and lessons to share.

Previously on our blog, we listed our picks for the most savvy docs on social media. Today’s post is all about nurse practitioners, featuring handles and pages to follow for news, conversation and #NP inspiration. The following NPs:

• Are in good standing within the medical community.
• Post regularly and offer helpful health and lifestyle content that extends beyond personal opinions.
• Engage authentically with their followers, sharing personal experiences and building relationships.
• Have noteworthy social clout, as reflected in their number of followers.

If you’re looking for an easy way to make your social scrolling pay professional dividends, or you just want to know what social influencers in your field are sharing, click the Follow button for these five NPs.

Anytime you start something new, it’s likely that you’ll experience some hiccups, or at least run into some questions. It’s just the way it is — from riding your bike when you were a kid, to learning the ropes as a professional in a new environment. No one just knows anything! We learn through practice and experience, and by doing our homework.

You don’t have to look hard to find work after completing your residency or fellowship. Demand for physicians and advanced practice providers is high across the board — from coast to coast, in urban and rural areas and every practice setting. But the first assignments you take on can help set the pace for your career. It’s important to take time to consider what you want, and prepare yourself to transition from residency to reality.

Even though you just graduated, you’re already off to a great start! You’re here, exploring what locum tenens could mean for your professional path. Now keep up the good work, and check out the following tips as you take on the world and begin your search for locum tenens work you’ll love.