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Why do doctors choose locum tenens?

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Doctors chose locum tenens for many reasons. First of all, a newly graduated resident may not be exactly sure what kind of practice he or she wants to be a part of: small practice, large clinic, hospital setting, urban, suburban and so forth. Other non-medical issues may be a stake such as climate or family concerns. Locum tenens gives the physician an opportunity to work in a setting and “try it on for size.” Some physicians are just down-right adventurous and do not want to be tied down to a permanent staff position. Locum Tenens can allow them to travel to many different locations while continuing a medical career. A big benefit to a locum tenens physician is less administrative responsibility than a permanent position physician. Another possibility for a physician to choose locum tenens is non-competition clauses in contracts. Consider this possibility: a physician works for a large clinic and loves the community he or she lives in but hates the practice. Perhaps the on-call schedules or the salary are less than desirable. However, this physician cannot simply go join another practice nearby because of contract obligations. In other words, the large clinic does not want the physician to move five miles down the road and “steal” all the clients from the clinic. The non-competition clause usually has a time frame, like a year or two, and it usually has a radius distance from the clinic, such as fifty miles or so. So, the physician who wants to keep living in a specific area and not go through the trouble of moving him or herself and family members can find a viable solution through locum tenens. He or she can commute to a different clinic outside of the restricted distance for a year or so until the non-competition clause obligations are met. Then, he can happily join a different clinic down the road from the original clinic. Certainly there are disadvantages to computing over an hour or so to work each day for a year or two. However, some doctors who have chosen locum tenens for such reasons have found that the pay can be so good that they may have to work only four days a week instead of five. On top of that, the doctor may not have to take night or weekend call. Still another reason a doctor may chose temporary work is simply to make more money on the side while continuing his or her permanent job. Residents who are feeling the heat from medical school loans may opt to “moonlight” on the weekend at hospitals or other types of clinics in order to supplement their incomes. A final reason for physicians choosing locum tenens is when a doctor is ready to retire from his or her practice, but is not necessarily ready to completely end his or her medical career. Consider the wonderful possibilities: a physician could retire from a permanent job, travel for a while, and go back to work for a few months as a locum tenens and change his or her mind at any given moment!

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