There are reports of high levels of stress among doctors aged between 45 and 55, and the main cause is long working hours and high stress in medical centers. Encouraging medical providers to work with locum doctors in critical areas is a solution for medical centers, as it allows their permanent staff to work less-long hours, take leave, focus on patients and ensure a better quality of care. This undoubtedly reduces stress on medical staff and keeps the best doctors within the medical center.
Benefits Of Hiring Temporary Doctors
The burnout of medical staff, which is more pronounced among doctors, may be less relevant to doctors but may affect the experience of patients. One way to alleviate such burnout is to hire locum tenens or temporary medical staff. For young doctors who have recently graduated, temporary work is a good way to gain valuable experience, boost their income, and start a career that covers the shifts that hospitals and clinics need.
The benefit for the healthcare facility management is that it allows them to cover all necessary shifts rather than providing sporadic services.
Avoiding Burnout
There is a high turnover among health workers and for healthcare providers, it is best to have an antidote to professional burnout. Another way to reduce stress for doctors and other medical staff is by outsourcing the required medical services. This can also help strengthen patient care in times when specific support is needed, and not readily available from regular staff in the facility.
Origin of Locums
The work of locum tenens is most often associated with people from the medical field, but can be used by teachers, police officers, lawyers, and clergy. When a job needs to be filled temporarily, GPs and sometimes specialists are needed. They are often needed in emergencies, or simply to provide cover while a regular doctor or staff member in a health center, clinic, or hospital is on leave.
Depending on where you are in the world, you can use the abbreviation locum to refer to someone in a temporary position. In Latin, the term literally means “to take someone’s place,” and in regions where people love Latin, the plural locum tenens is often used.
Physician Recruiters
It is common for locum medical professionals to work with an agency or physician recruiter. The agency or recruiter finds available positions to match the skills of the doctor or physician. Many locums are experienced doctors who are easing themselves out of full-time work or retired specialists who still wish to contribute to the medical field without the pressure of a permanent position.
Some doctors also decide to try alternative career paths after studying medicine by working through a physician recruiter to get experience in different medical environments. But all locum physicians are general practitioners, some doctors are more specialized than others, such as neurologists, cardiologists, and neurosurgeons.
So, a physician recruiter can help a healthcare facility avoid burnout among its staff by providing temporary doctors to cover a range of needs. At the same time, a medical recruiter can help a doctor find a rewarding and satisfying locum position within their area of expertise, whether they are just starting their medical career, transitioning out of medicine, or wish to enjoy the freedom of working in various places and a wide range of medical facilities.
Patients And Locums
Patients may have some reservations about locum doctors, as they normally make special arrangements with their doctor about paying or screening. When patients have a stable relationship with a doctor, they may feel uncomfortable with a replacement. But they should remember that the temporary doctors have the same professional capacity as their regular doctors.
A Flexible Career Choice For Medical Professionals
The work of a locum medical professional is interesting because it exposes doctors and nurses to all kinds of people, clinical environments, and places of work. It is a good way to gain experience quickly.
