It’s National Women in Medicine Month and we’re celebrating all 389,750 women physicians practicing in the United States. We have the honor of working with great female physicians every day and we recognize that women have distinct professional aspirations (per a survey from the American Medical Association. About 80 percent of female physicians want more options that help them address the struggles of balancing work and family. What’s more, 97 percent of women physicians said they want the option to have a flexible work schedule.
What do women in medicine want? The locum life.
Do you wish you had more time to spend with family and friends? Do you want to travel to new places or go back to somewhere you love? What if you could interact with people in a more meaningful way and have a more flexible work schedule? Get your groove back with locum tenens.
Many female physicians (and advanced practitioners) choose locum assignments in order to ease back into work after maternity leave, spend time near family (think college-bound kids), tackle their bucket list items, use their skills to help a vulnerable or underserved population, and more. Locum tenens can also help fight burnout.
A 2018 Medscape report revealed that 48 percent of women physicians admit to being burned out vs. 38 percent of men. Emergency Medicine Physician Michelle Bens, DO, loves locum tenens for just that reason: ER docs have a high burnout rate and locums keeps me understanding that the grass is never greener; every place has its own problems and strengths. There’s no perfect spot. I can work as little or as much as I want.
Patients above all else.
Or course, one of the biggest benefits of is the patients: locum tenens fills patient-care gaps across America and that just might be the most personally and professionally rewarding thing of all.
Do you love a female locum or have a great story about a woman in medicine? Tell us all about her in the comments section below or email us at changelives@interimphysicians.com. To honor women in medicine this month we’re also giving away an Apple iPad! Click the here to enter and good luck.
