The tale of the medical provider enthralled by wanderlust, who takes an adventure to a foreign area in pursuit of work in a locum tenens role, is no longer a tale of risk so much as it is one of the positive results.
Why?
Because there are too many boons to working locum tenens to claim otherwise and nobody has the incentive to keep that a secret. This doesn’t mean that providers no longer venture into locum tenens roles for altruistic reasons; it simply means that reasons for entering these roles are easier to find than ever. A growing number of physicians and other medical providers are not only enjoying locum tenens positions—but they are also finding that mastery of the locum tenens process affords far more income, flexibility, and satisfaction than they may have anticipated.
Although many have unique reasons for pursuing the medical field, whether for personal beliefs or top-rate compensation, the earnings of locum tenens providers, on average, exceed those of permanent provider jobs. In fact, MD Kevin Pho reported on Medpagetoday.com that locum tenens physicians earn approximately 33-50 percent more than permanently placed providers so long as they can maintain continual employment within these roles. [1]
However, those considering locum tenens roles for reasons unrelated to income are in luck. Flexible and fewer hours are significant incentives to those seeking locum tenens work, giving providers more time to enjoy their personal lives. Although locum tenens work may require relocation, the best staffing agencies cover costs for expenses associated with travel.
Furthermore, although it can be difficult to leave family and friends behind, distance no longer imposes as many problems to relationships as it did prior to social media and other communication technologies. Therefore, the more pressing issue separating many providers from their families is not proximity but rather, time; something that some facilities do not sufficiently provide to their physicians in permanent roles.
On an even brighter note for the locum tenens physician jobs future, certain areas may not even require a provider to uproot his or her life and move away from family.
It’s for these reasons that Morgan Lewis Jr. reported on Medscape.com that many locum tenens providers are enjoying their work more than they did in previous positions. [2] Although permanent positions offer several uncompromising benefits to some providers, flexibility and work-life balance are making locum tenens physician and medical provider jobs more appealing than ever, revolutionizing the functionality of modern medicine and ameliorating the provider shortage—phenomenon likely to result in global health benefits in the near future.
Sources: