News & Views

Perspectives on the locum tenens industry

A Look at the Increasing Demand for Locum Tenens Emergency Doctors in the US

Emergency medicine departments across the country continue to experience increasing volumes of patients. This could be rooted in the fact that there’s an ongoing physician shortage, nationwide. Since many patients find it difficult to get an appointment with an office-based doctor, they turn, instead to emergency rooms to seek medical care. After all, emergency departments are open 24 hours a day, even to those who don’t have urgent medical needs.

Filling the Gap

With more patients to serve, many medical facilities turn to locum tenens physicians to boost their workforce. As a matter of fact, next to primary doctors, emergency medicine physicians are the most in demand for a locum tenens position, according to a recent survey.  They are used to temporarily fill in positions in the department until the facility finds a permanent replacement.  But most of the time, they are hired to address short staffing caused by the influx of patients.

Unique Career Opportunity

Apart from helping facilities solve staffing issues, locum tenens emergency medicine physicians enjoy tons of advantages, too. For one, they earn hourly rates that are usually higher than on-staff physician pay. They also have an opportunity to build a career network by working in a variety of locations across the country. They get to travel, as well, but more importantly, they gain valuable working experiences they won’t get if they’d only stay at one facility for a year.

With the growing demand for locum tenens emergency doctors, it seems that now’s the perfect time to maximize this opportunity. Not only will you contribute to addressing the nationwide issue of short-staffing, but you will also enjoy the perks that come with the job— a win-win situation for both sides.

If you want to learn more about locum tenens jobs, don’t hesitate to contact us, today. We’d be happy to guide you to get your first assignment.