Some guess that as many as 60% of physicians still do not know of a quite popular career option available to them--locum tenens.
Locum Tenens is Latin for "one holding a place.
" Basically, physicians fill in for other physicians who are out on vacation, extended leave, CME requirements, or other activities.
Hospitals and medical practices around the United States use locum tenens for a variety of reasons.
The most popular is as a money saving tool.
If a facility's patient census rises for three months of the year, it doesn't make sense for that facility to hire a physician for an entire year.
It does, however, make sense to hire an independent contractor physician, a locum tenens, to come fill in for those three months to help with the work load.
When a medical facility utilizes a locum tenens physician, they ensure continuity of care for their patients, and a continued revenue stream for their facility.
The benefits for physicians who select this practice option are limitless.
They can practice medicine anywhere in the country that they want.
They can explore new communities, discover new practice types, and develop relationships with colleagues whom they might never have met otherwise.
This practice option for physicians is especially popular with two sub-sets of physicians.
The first is physicians just finishing their residencies.
They might not yet know where they want to settle down, or what type of practice they want to be in.
Working locum tenens for a few months, or a few years, lets them see all aspects of medicine, and the country, and choose the option that is best for them.
The second group of physicians who enjoy working locum tenens is those who want to slow down their practice of medicine, but not completely retire.
Those physicians love medicine, but are tired of the politics, the paperwork, the worries.
Some might want to use locum tenens as a way to slip into semi-retirement.
It is a great option for them, because they can still practice the medicine they love, without the headaches.
Physicians can work as a locum tenens independently, finding temporary jobs and setting up contracts on their own, or they can go through a locum tenens company.
physicians might make a little more money per day working independently, but there are benefits of going through a locum tenens agency.
Locum Tenens is Latin for "one holding a place.
" Basically, physicians fill in for other physicians who are out on vacation, extended leave, CME requirements, or other activities.
Hospitals and medical practices around the United States use locum tenens for a variety of reasons.
The most popular is as a money saving tool.
If a facility's patient census rises for three months of the year, it doesn't make sense for that facility to hire a physician for an entire year.
It does, however, make sense to hire an independent contractor physician, a locum tenens, to come fill in for those three months to help with the work load.
When a medical facility utilizes a locum tenens physician, they ensure continuity of care for their patients, and a continued revenue stream for their facility.
The benefits for physicians who select this practice option are limitless.
They can practice medicine anywhere in the country that they want.
They can explore new communities, discover new practice types, and develop relationships with colleagues whom they might never have met otherwise.
This practice option for physicians is especially popular with two sub-sets of physicians.
The first is physicians just finishing their residencies.
They might not yet know where they want to settle down, or what type of practice they want to be in.
Working locum tenens for a few months, or a few years, lets them see all aspects of medicine, and the country, and choose the option that is best for them.
The second group of physicians who enjoy working locum tenens is those who want to slow down their practice of medicine, but not completely retire.
Those physicians love medicine, but are tired of the politics, the paperwork, the worries.
Some might want to use locum tenens as a way to slip into semi-retirement.
It is a great option for them, because they can still practice the medicine they love, without the headaches.
Physicians can work as a locum tenens independently, finding temporary jobs and setting up contracts on their own, or they can go through a locum tenens company.
physicians might make a little more money per day working independently, but there are benefits of going through a locum tenens agency.
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