VISTA Archived Blogs

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!”

 As a government locums provider with VISTA, you can take great pride in providing care to the men and women who have served, or are currently serving, America’s military, as well as others in underserved areas such as the Native American populations. Locum tenens work comes with a lot of inherent advantages — like a flexible schedule, the ability to travel, plus the comfort of job security. Government healthcare facilities offer the opportunity to enjoy those benefits with the added fulfillment of personal and professional satisfaction.

Every physician’s professional journey looks a little different. While it starts with years of education and a passion for patient care, you never know where your path can end up taking you. Dr. Hope Eliot discovered locum tenens later in life, after more than 25 years of working in the same practice and growing weary of the pace. Following her first encounter with VISTA back in 2006, we maintained dialogue for five years, answering her questions and helping her see the possibilities of a more flexible lifestyle.

Doctors don’t have a lot of free time, but they do need to stay informed and keep their minds sharp. In addition to continuing education opportunities and the day-to-day lessons of clinical encounters, there’s another place to turn to learn something new and helpful. Podcasts!  

Podcasts are a great way to absorb information at your convenience without investing your full attention. They’re also a smart way to spend time traveling to your next locum tenens assignment, on your daily commute, while exercising or out for a walk, with your morning coffee… the list goes on.

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. As the largest health care system in the country, the VA operates thousands of hospitals, clinics, outpatient sites and other facilities—offering endless career opportunities for locum tenens clinicians.

Whenever I go to places on locum tenens assignments I love to immerse myself in the culture.I have loved reading about New Mexico.The history in the area is unbelievable. Kit Carson was one of the early pioneers of Taos, New Mexico.We live about two blocks from the Kit Carson House.The town still maintains a very historic look.It’s quite an authentic looking Western town.

Check out our favorite Australian shots from July including a manta ray we spotted in the river from our deck and the first koala we saw in the wild.

“I have loved working in New Zealand! My two stints have been in very different settings. The first experience was in a small rural hospital. Well-seasoned GPs provided most of the obstetric care. They did operative vaginal deliveries and assisted at cesareans. Midwives were involved in a smaller portion of the cases. I really appreciated not having to do normal deliveries, but only being involved in complicated OB cases, or cesareans. There was a reasonable flow of GYN surgery. The GPs do routine Paps and provide contraception. They refer “interesting” cases to you, the specialist. This system had obvious advantages and disadvantages.