Whether you’re looking to experience new settings, learn new skills, or avoid physician burnout, many healthcare providers are starting to opt for temporary placements to cover staffing gaps rather than seeking full-time employment for a specific facility. After all, doctors who do generally experience better flexibility, freedom with their daily schedule, exposure to different environments, work-and-life balance, and keep the love for their practice strong.
Greater demand for healthcare providers
As was reported by Medscape, a growing number of healthcare groups, medical organizations, and hospitals are securing the services of locum tenens practitioners to ensure their staffing gaps are covered. The survey conducted found that there was an increase in doctors who work in locum in the previous year. And of those who responded to this survey, ninety-four percent claimed to have employed medical professionals who were working with physician recruiters.
Most organizations and facilities mainly used those working in locum to cover their gaps until doctors who can fill certain specialties were found. However, while primary care healthcare professionals are mostly in-demand, there’s also a need for those who practice other specialties. Many physician recruiters have openings in various areas of expertise, and for this reason, the independent versus employed doctors trend is rising and increasing the need for certain medical roles. You can find locum tenens jobs at www.mascmedical.com.
Appeal of locum tenens
Locum tenens is as appealing for doctors as it is for healthcare organizations, and there are a few important reasons for it. For starters, this practice style can benefit those who are about to retire and new physicians starting their career, be it to fund a private practice, pay off medical school bills, or avoid the chronic stressors of the profession that could cause burnout. For many, the lifestyle enables them to achieve a much better balance of work and life, while others renew their love for medicine.
The solution to physician burnout
By now, every doctor is familiar with physician burnout. As its name suggests, many healthcare professionals suffer psychological syndrome brought about by occupational stressors that have become more or less chronic. Some of the common symptoms and signs of it are feelings of detachment, inadequacy, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and cynicism, among many others. And if left unchecked, it can lead to health-related conditions and compromise patient safety.
Many have cited the locum tenens approach as a solution to physician burnout because it offers the healthcare provider many advantages that a more traditional type of career lacks. For example, choosing assignments and scheduling control means that you can decide how much work you’re willing to put in instead of being at the mercy of the hospital or organization.
Conclusion
Locum tenens has changed the healthcare industry for the better. Apart from filling in staffing shortages, it also gives physicians many advantages that help them deliver the right kind of patient care. So whether you’re a seasoned doctor or fresh out of your residency, you’ll get the most out of your career by opting for locum tenens work.
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