Maybe you’re a skilled locums provider with years among years of medical experience. Or, maybe you’re a recent graduate with top-notch textbook knowledge and hands-on residency practice.

No matter if you have 0 or 15 years of medical practice, there’s the perfect locum tenens opportunity waiting for you. However, if you’re on the prowl for a new and exciting locums assignment, you must be marketable to recruiters and facilities seeking coverage.

Here are a few helpful suggestions to present yourself as a top-notch locums candidate:

Keep your credentials updated! Your credentials include a current CV, state licenses, professional references, certifications, continued medical education credits and any other supporting documents.

1. CV. Your curriculum vitae represents your professional image as a physician. The CV should be clean and concise with no grammar mistakes. Before you apply for a locum tenens or permanent assignment, make sure to list your current and past medical experiences, state licenses, and awards and honors.
2. Professional references. If you have trusted colleagues or administrative staff that can vouch for your career and medical abilities, list them as references for your recruiting agency or future facility to contact. But, don’t forget to inform your references!
3. State Licenses. Renew your state licenses if expired or obtain a new license in the state(s) of your choosing. The more state licenses you have, the more you can travel, practice medicine in various clinical settings, network, and experience different cultures and cities.

Be flexible. Whether it’s the duration of an assignment, the practice environments or travel distance, you’ll be more marketable to recruiters and facilities if you keep your options open.

1. Travel. Many physicians choose locum tenens assignments because of the luxury of travel. With that being said, it’s important to be open to traveling 2 hours or 8 hours for your next locums assignment unless you choose locums as a weekend gig!
2. Assignment duration. While researching and applying for locums, consider short-term, long-term, and on call coverage opportunities. Although you may choose to only practice 1 week a month, provide 24 hour call coverage, or work locums as a full-time or long-term assignment, facilities are constantly seeking various locums coverage times.
3. Practice environments. With locums, you also have the opportunity to experience a magnitude of clinical settings from university medical centers, Indian Health facilities to correctional facilities, and private practices. Working in a new environment will increase your medical skills and perspectives.

Enhance your skill sets. Locums providers who have inpatient and outpatient experience, continually take continued medical education classes, have subspecialties, or can perform various procedures are often sought after by facilities. Keep your skills strong and inform your recruiter of any achievements!

Become tech-savvy. Healthcare is transitioning into the digital realm. What does this mean? Many hospitals and practices across the country are implementing computerized patient charting, electronic medical record-keeping, state-of-the-art technology, and telemedicine. If you’re familiar with modern medicine and tech-savvy, recruiters and facilities will see you as a valuable addition to the medical staff.

Locum tenens assignments offer physicians, whether novel or veteran, boundless opportunities to broaden medical perspectives, experience various clinical settings, and enhance skill sets and knowledge all while earning a great income either temporary or long-term. The more marketable you are as a physician more locums assignments will be presented to you.