VISTA Voice

Choosing the right locum tenens agency when searching for the perfect roles and assignments is crucial. To make the best decision, it’s important to know what to look for. The following tips can assist:

For those who love to travel, having a permanent, full-time job often means feeling tied down. This doesn't have to be the case, though. For medical clinicians, there is an option that allows for traveling while working: locum tenens.

As self-employed, independent contractors, locum tenens clinicians don’t have access to a traditional employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k) or pension plan. But that doesn't mean that they should not or cannot save for retirement, they just need to find alternatives to ensure long-term financial stability.

Many myths circulate around locum tenens work, causing qualified practitioners to avoid this exciting career path. It can also keep clinics and other healthcare centers from finding the professionals that they need. Therefore, it is vital to continue debunking these fallacies so that the truth about locum tenens becomes more widely known.

As we enter tax season, it’s important for locum tenens clinicians to plan accordingly to avoid surprises. When working locum tenens, you are considered an independent contractor, and there are a few things to know when filing your taxes.

What is an independent contractor?

An independent contractor is someone who is considered self-employed. This means they will receive a Form 1099-MISC and are subject to self-employment tax. Additionally, independent contractors are paid without taxes being held. They may be required to pay quarterly estimated taxes or taxes on the amounts paid throughout the year.

As an independent contractor, you have distinct advantages and challenges when preparing your taxes. Here are a few tax planning tips to help navigate the upcoming tax season:

Whether you’re considering locum tenens or just starting your journey, you can learn a lot from experienced locum tenens clinicians. These three clinicians chose VISTA because of the personalized service, assistance with licensing and certifications, and location flexibility. Here’s what they had to say:

At VISTA, a locum tenens recruiter’s job is two-fold: we are dedicated to connecting facilities with highly qualified providers and we’re passionate about helping clinicians find the perfect opportunities to grow their career. Whether there’s a travel emergency or a licensing issue, we work to ensure the process is as smooth and stress-free as possible. To get an inside look at the role of our dedicated recruiters, check out a day in the life of VISTA recruiter Xi Feng from our Hospitalist team:

As a psychiatrist, you’ve attended medical school, completed residency, and earned your M.D. to diagnose, treat and prevent mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders in your patients. You have the skills and abilities to provide psychological treatment, prescribe medications and perform specialized procedures in order to treat people with mental illness.

But beyond your educational background, there are other key qualities that are crucial to your role as a psychiatrist. They will help ensure you are providing quality care to your patients, as well as succeeding in your role. Here are the top five qualities of a competent psychiatrist.

There are many benefits to a career in locum tenens. You have more opportunities to travel, you can get exposure from diverse areas, and backgrounds and you can manage how, when, and where you want to work. However, there is a misconception that full-time clinicians in permanent positions can’t work locum tenens because there is little to no time to take on additional work and/or it may interfere with their current role.