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What must a doctor do to become a locum tenens?

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There are numerous companies that recruit and oversee locum tenens. Hundreds of medical facilities will put in requests for locum tenens to these companies. The companies help find a good match between the physician seeking to work as a locum tenens and the medical facility requesting a locum tenens. The locum tenens recruiting agency will handle all the contract issues. The companies often help find housing and transportation. Very importantly, they help obtaining medical licenses which are required in each state in the United States. And of equal concern, the recruiting companies may pay for medical malpractice insurance. There is a National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations (NALTO) that deals with locum tenens issues and ethics. Many companies are registered with NALTO. Obviously, some specialties are in more demand than others. Hospitals and clinics often are in need of emergency room doctors, family practice doctors, hospitalists and internists. Employment in every specialty is possible, but the physicians in certain specialties may not be in demand as other specialties. The salary for locum tenens can range from $450 a day for a family practice physician to $1500 a day for a neurosurgeon or radiologist. A doctor applying for a locum tenens position can expect to wait for several weeks before he or she can start his assignment, especially if he or she must obtain a medical license in a different state. Also, the locum tenens recruiting company will check the credentials of the physician before sending him or her to a new job. Neither a recruiting company nor a medical clinic wants to hire a physician with a poor track record.

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