VISTA Voice

The physician assistant landscape is continually evolving, offering impressive career growth potential for men and women choosing to enter the field. With PA jobs expected to increase by 31% between 2018 and 2028, the PA industry is primed to grow much faster than average over the next decade. But while more PAs are completing their training, their primary care potential will remain limited as long as PAs remain concentrated in metropolitan areas. Below is a look at the changing role of physician assistants and a look at some of the efforts underway to help PAs address the shortage of primary care doctors.

The physician shortage in the United States is not going away anytime soon. New data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) supports previous estimates, projecting shortfalls between 46,900 and 121,900 doctors by 2032. That means job opportunities will always be abundant, and a career in locum tenens can open doors wherever you want to go—so when looking ahead to future work, the choice is truly yours.

Physicians have many tasks and responsibilities vying for their time, including mountains of paperwork, increased patient volume, electronic medical record demands, outdated technologies, and countless interruptions. All of these issues add stress and affect the ability of physicians to focus on their primary purpose for getting into medicine in the first place: caring for their patients. If you are dealing with exceptional levels of stress as a physician, the tips below will help you to increase your productivity and boost your job satisfaction. Better productivity can also improve patient care.

TED talks are videos made by influential experts. These talks cover a range of subjects, from business advice to scientific breakthroughs. The purpose of these talks is to enlighten the audience, inspire and encourage deep thought. For physicians, TED talks can be powerful and thought-provoking, influencing the way you approach your work on a daily basis. They are beneficial for physicians who may deal with many different issues, including accountability, modern medicine, peer learning and more. Below are five TED talks that are particularly inspiring and valuable to physicians and other medical professionals.

National Locum Tenens Week recognizes the physicians who practice locum tenens in order to meet the needs of patients. This celebration, which was established by the National Association of Locum Tenens Organization (NALTO), is held during the second full week of August each year. During this week, locum tenens physicians and recruiters have an opportunity to share their stories and experiences on a national stage.

By attending continuing medical education (CME) courses, you can stay up-to-date on all the amazing advances in the industry. From pharmaceuticals to legislative rules, these courses cover all the topics that keep the nation’s doctors, nurses, and clinicians ahead of all the changes.

As a parent, managing locum tenens work can be challenging. But during the summer, when your kids are out of school for summer vacation, you have various options to help you manage work while remaining present as a parent. Here are a few ways to manage locum tenens work through the summer season.

For many, locum tenens work is an exciting way to work in the medical field. And while traveling is one of the best, most attractive aspects of this career path, it can be stressful for many clinicians. This typically involves coordinating flights, finding housing and arranging for ground transportation, too.

Regular physical activity and healthy eating habits produce many benefits: Reducing the risk of chronic disease, improving mental and emotional health, boosting energy, lowering stress, and improving sleep. For healthcare professionals, staying fit is key to handling the strain of their work responsibilities and maintaining their overall well-being.

As summer rolls around, you may feel the urge to escape your day-to-day routine to take on new adventures. If you're a medical professional, locum tenens is the perfect solution. With locum tenens, you can experience new places, scenery and destinations while maintaining a good stream of income.

In a prior post, we focused on six locum tenens locations great for beating the summer heat. Here are five more states you should consider visiting this summer: