According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the healthcare industry may face a shortage of primary care doctors by the year 2030, and of nurses by 2022.

While there is still considerable time before the predicted workforce shortage, some medical practices already feel the effects of the shortfall. Some look to locum tenens to fill the workforce gaps, and find that doing so helps relieve stress common in growing practices.

Staffing Problems May Lead to Burnout

According to a Mayo Clinic Proceedings Report, about 54.4% physicians experience symptoms of burnout due to excessive work.

In facilities swamped with work, employees are usually the first to experience shortage of labor. Staff members experiencing work fatigue usually exhibit symptoms, ranging from increased absenteeism to poor service. When all these add up, it may lead to a generally chaotic practice.

Patient Care Also Affected

As tired employees become frustrated, it may spill over to your patients eventually. Some patients will openly express their dissatisfaction with your services, but some may not let you know of their concerns directly. Worse, they may even take to social media or other platforms to announce the news of your bad service. This will make you look bad, and it may take a long while before your brand can recover from the hit.

By enlisting the help of locum tenens, you address the gaps in the workforce and prevent your team from experiencing burnout, without compromising the quality of care. This is most important for critical care doctors, who are the frontline of saving people’s lives.

Call us if your practice needs qualified family medicine locums or other critical doctor relief staffing. We are a pioneer in providing hospitals and heathcare facilities with the temporary staffing since 1979.

To inquire about locum tenens staffing coverage, fill out our online form and we will get in touch with your soon.