A locum tenens provider is a medical professional who fills in for another doctor or nurse on a temporary basis. They can provide coverage for a single shift, a week, or even longer if needed. Locum tenens providers can be used to cover for maternity leave, vacation time, or to provide relief during a busy period.
Locum tenens providers are often physicians or nurses who are retired, semi-retired, or between jobs. Whatever their reason for choosing locum tenens work, these professionals bring valuable skills and knowledge to the medical team.
Locums clinicians have become an important part of the medical community, offering stability and continuity of care to patients and medical practices. But how do locums providers bring stability to a practice?
There are many reasons a medical practice might find itself in a state of transition or uncertainty:
Perhaps your practice is new or in a small rural area with limited resources, making it difficult to gain access to the clinicians you need to maintain continuity of care.
Locums providers help practices with financial stability by offering their services on an as-needed basis. This is especially beneficial for small practices that don’t have the resources to hire a permanent provider.
Working with a locum tenens agency can also help you fill the gaps in staff coverage, whether it’s due a long-time staff member retiring or providers leaving on short notice. In any case, when a medical practice is facing upheaval, having a locum provider can be a huge help in stabilizing things.
Locum tenens clinicians are especially helpful for practices experiencing spikes in patient volume, due to seasonal illness or an outbreaks of new diseases. They ease the burden on the permanent staff by taking on some of the patient load. This also helps ensure that all patients receive the care they need in a timely manner.
If you’re looking for a locum tenens provider to help stabilize your medical practice, consider working with a locum tenens agency who can assess your unique needs and match you with a medical practitioner.