No matter your specialty or stage of your career, locum tenens can be a great fit for any physician or advanced practitioner. Whether you’re recently graduated, in the middle of your career, a mom trying to balance it all, or a seasoned physician nearing retirement, the locum life can offer you the career flexibility, work-life balance, and adventure you crave.
New Kid on the Block
As you finish up your residency and transition into the real world, you’re most likely to be hit with a few things you might not have bargained for, like a mountain of student debt and an the uncertainty of which direction you’d like your career to go. Locum tenens pay rates are typically highly competitive for the current market and can even exceed what full-time permanent employees earn. With this additional income, you can chip away at burdensome school loans much quicker.
As a young locum tenens physician or advanced practitioner, you also have the chance to practice in various clinical settings and decide which fits you best. The opportunity to try before you buy allows you to discover what you like and what you don’t like while visiting areas of the country you might otherwise not have the chance to.
Middle of Your Career
As you move further along your medical journey, you can enjoy feeling more confident in your abilities and sound in your career. However, like your friend the recent grad, you too have a list of responsibilities facing you, like saving for your children’s education, paying for family vacations and home repairs, and preparing for retirement. You might even be among the 51% of physicians facing physician burnout.
Locum tenens can help combat physician burnout in addition to helping you save for your family’s financial needs by helping you earn extra income fast and giving you the freedom and career flexibility you desire. With locum tenens, you can leave once your shift is finished without dealing with the headache of administrative burdens and insurance reimbursements, and feel comfortable knowing that your family’s needs are taken care of along the way.
Dr. Mom/Dr. Dad
Like many physician parents, you may find yourself struggling to find the right work-life balance. Between getting kids ready for school, grocery shopping, household chores, paying bills, and practicing medicine, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. You value your hard-earned education and want to use it, but you also realize the importance of family.
Luckily, locum tenens can help you keep one foot in the medical world and stay connected while also tending to your duties at home. With assignments varying in location and duration, locum tenens doesn’t always mean traveling far from home. In fact, you can often find assignments right in your own backyard. By having the freedom to decide when and where you work, you’ll find that the locum life means a better work-life balance and more quality time at home with your family.
Nearing Retirement
As you contemplate hanging up your white coat, it can often be difficult to walk away from such an important part of your personal identity. After all, being a physician or advanced practitioner is who you are. Locum tenens can help bridge that gap between working full-time and being fully retired while allowing you to give back in new ways and practice medicine on your own terms.
As a seasoned physician or advanced practitioner, now is your time to act as a mentor and share your pearls of wisdom gathered over the years. Additionally, locum tenens allows you to keep your credentials and licenses up to date and still have time for fun things like traveling with your spouse, picking up a new hobby, and spending time with family. (The additional income is pretty nice too.)
Where do you fall?
No matter where you are in your career, it’s always the right time to try locum tenens. Find out how locum tenens can fit your lifestyle by connecting with one of our friendly recruiters today. Give as a call at (800) 226-6347 to begin your journey, or take a moment to browse our latest jobs.
