Today’s healthcare system could not function without locum tenens, medical professionals who step in to fill staffing shortages. With healthcare workers in high demand today, many assume locum tenens are never without jobs. They can pick and choose when and where they work, or can they? It isn’t this easy. Locum doctors face many challenges today, including the following.
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Inconsistent Work
The locum market tends to ebb and flow, leaving workers stressed and uncertain about the future. They cannot budget their time or money because they don’t know when they will work again. To overcome this, locums need to be flexible. They should look outside their geographical area, be available to work at any time and have a diverse skill set, which will open more positions.
Locum tenens must network to discover more opportunities and invest in continuing education. At the same time, they need to establish a budget and set aside money for slow periods. To obtain more work, these individuals may also want to research the only locums VMS platform to see if it can help them get more jobs.
Administrative Requirements
Healthcare workers face heavy administrative burdens today. Locum tenens must navigate new administrative hurdles each time they move to a different location. To reduce these burdens, temp workers should have a digital portfolio with all essential documents. When stored in the cloud, this portfolio makes it easy to share information with new facilities. Locums need to communicate with administrators to ensure the document exchange moves smoothly.
Isolation and Lack of Support
Locum agencies recognize one of the challenges temp medical professionals face is isolation and a lack of support. The continuous moving from job to job means these workers never develop relationships with co-workers or build a community of support. Locums should talk with the agencies they partner with to see if there are support groups they can join or research other ways to connect with locum colleagues. However, locums should also stay in contact with doctors they have previously worked with. A permanent position may open near one of these doctors, and the locum can quickly determine if it fits them.
Professional Development
Every healthcare worker must participate in continuing education, as the industry is advancing rapidly. Doctors with permanent positions find their organizations typically arrange and pay for this training. Locums, however, must manage professional development independently. Locum agencies may be of help with this. They can alert their workers to continuing education resources, medical conferences, and workshops online that will meet CE requirements. Locums may also join a medical society to gain access to continuing education resources. Locums should also make use of self-directed learning to further their careers.
Networking
Many people believe locums shouldn’t have a hard time networking. They move from job to job, which gives them ample opportunity to meet and connect with new people. However, as these assignments often don’t last long, building relationships can be challenging. Locums need to work to form these connections. One way to do so is to be a giver as well as a taker.
Locum doctors enjoy the benefits of temporary work but also find this work comes with several challenges. Knowing how to overcome these challenges is critical to a successful career in this field. Locums who are proactive and resourceful tend to thrive in this environment. Partnering with a reputable locum agency can allow them to advance their career even more, so this is one option every locum tenen should consider.
