Many physicians opt for locum tenens positions when progressing toward retirement.
Some doctors just beginning their careers choose this as a way to develop their interests, find the ideal hospital or private practice setting, and travel to various destinations to inspire a preference for a new hometown. Many physicians nowadays are also choosing locum tenens as their full-time endeavor.
It’s predicted that the physician shortage will become exorbitant in the next decade, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Because healthcare providers are in such high demand, health systems are reaching out to leading recruiters like Caliber Healthcare to fill the gaps with locum tenens providers.
Facilities like these are reputed for successfully matching qualified, talented physicians with preferred hospitals, clinics, and private practices. How can a doctor find success as a locum Tenens? Let’s learn.
Finding a Successful Career as a Locum Tenens Healthcare Practitioner
Caliber Health is responsible for fitting physicians and healthcare facilities together for the ideal working relationship. Doctors rely on this recruiting team to handle the logistics for a smooth process. This allows the practitioner to focus on their priorities, practicing medicine.
How can a doctor find success when working as a locum tenens professional? Many see the experience as quite rewarding, although, as with anything, there can be downsides.
You must do your due diligence in research and input considerable forethought to determine what you want to achieve in this role before taking it on to ensure a positive experience.
Find tips to enhance your locum tenens experience by visiting https://locumstory.com/spotlight/positive-locum-tenens-experience/. Then follow here for a few tips to guide you through the initial phase of your locum tenens journey.
Your objective
The first step when deciding on a locum tenens pursuit is determining your objective with the role. Some physicians choose this position because it offers them the opportunity to travel across the country and explore areas they’ve wanted to visit. Others prefer autonomy, and some simply want higher pay.
When you have direction, you’ll be better prepared to negotiate contracts for assignments that suit your preferences, those that excite and motivate you.
In that same vein, working with the right locum tenens recruiting team is crucial. The facility should have specialists in your field who can help guide you toward the best assignments to satisfy you professionally. The individual should be professional, responsive, and reliable.
Finding a good fit for you will require some research, checking their history and background, and getting recommendations from others within your specialty. It would help if you also met with a few before committing to a company.
Responsible and responsive are key to a good experience
A locum tenens doctor will have paperwork to complete with each new assignment. Before getting started, the facility will vet your credentials and clinical qualifications. You will establish a good reputation as responsive, reliable, and responsible if you handle what can become cumbersome for you.
The facility will also need to know that you’ll be available and responsive if they need to reach you while you’re on assignment. You must be reliable in providing contact details and ensure that you answer messages, phone calls, and emails as soon as these are received to develop a positive reputation with the staff.
Be prepared for a learning curve
Regardless of your credentials, qualifications, and experience, each assignment will be new and involve a different protocol to which you must adapt. This means asking questions, taking notes, and being prepared for the learning curve that comes with all new positions.
While the expectation is that you’ll hit the road running, it’s also anticipated that you will need time to adjust.
Your colleagues will rally around you for the first few days when you need feedback or have questions. By taking notes that you can refer to, you’ll remember key details to help you work alongside the staff productively.
These steps will help establish a team relationship and make your assignments positive experiences.
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Offboarding is a critical part of the process
As a rule, these assignments are short-term. Your reputation is impacted just as much by the offboarding process as it is by onboarding. You should let the staff know when you’ll be leaving. If you have the details, tell them when the next person will start and who the doctor will be.
On your final day, you’ll prepare the staff with a patient list detailing the number of patients being cared for with their care plan and diagnoses so that the team can remain functional as they transition to a new physician. Go here to learn the benefits some doctors see with locum tenens roles.
Final Thought
As a recruitment team, Caliber Health brings locum tenens physicians into healthcare facilities to fill a staff shortage or to serve in a specialist position. A locum tenens physician will find the greatest success when they can adapt to constantly changing environments while still providing superior clinical care.
