An Alternative to Traditional Physician Jobs
You’ve spent years in medical school and residency dreaming about the time when you could care for your patients and start settling down into a regular life. For many people, working in traditional physician jobs is the perfect solution for enjoying life outside of medical school. For other doctors, however, who find that graduating from medical and completing their residency is a completing liberating experience, the prospect of being tied down to a full-time job just isn’t a thrilling idea. Many new doctors who have been stuck inside a classroom or doing residency inside a hospital for years may be ready to break out of the traditional mold and see a little bit of the world.
For these doctors who find traditional physician jobs unappealing, a job as a locum tenens doctor may be the perfect solution. Locum tenens doctors are traveling positions who work on a contract basis to cover for full-time doctors when they go on vacation or take another type of leave of absence from their positions. Their services are vital to hospitals, medical centers, and even family practices that otherwise would not be able to care for patients adequately when members of their medical staff are away for an extended period of time.
Most professionals working as a locum tenens doctor will find employment options through a servicing company, which can negotiate your compensation package, and make your travel and housing arrangements for each of your jobs. Often the compensation received for locum tenens services are superior, and many medical facilities will cover housing, travel, malpractice insurance, and even licensing fees. These jobs are available for doctors who have chosen not to specialize such as family practice physicians as well as others who have specialized in any number of areas, including surgical specialties. The jobs are a great way for doctors to travel and see different parts of the country while still working in their profession.