2024 marked a pivotal year for locum tenens in healthcare. Nearly 90% of facilities now rely on locum providers to deliver quality patient care, cover staffing gaps, and support their full-time teams. 

The impact? Revitalized careers for providers, strengthened health systems, and most importantly–improved access to care for patients who need it most.

Here are some of the ways locum tenens has made a difference in the lives of patients, providers, and hospitals this year:

Locum tenens makes a difference in communities that need care.

It’s no secret that the physician shortage has led to gaps in care in many healthcare facilities––especially rural hospitals––across the country. The pandemic left many hospitals with significant surgical backlogs and wait lists for crucial services like cancer screenings.

Locum tenens helps bridge the gap in communities most impacted by physician shortages, by providing quality patient care until hospitals can find a more permanent solution. It also helps these facilities address backlogs, by sending specialists to areas where specialist care can be hard to find, and by offering additional coverage to help hospitals catch up on patient caseloads. 

One aspect of locum tenens that we hear most about from providers is how fulfilling it can be to make a difference in hospitals and communities that are most in need of their skill set.

“The most rewarding part of locums is feeling like I’m meeting a need,” said Dr. Gia Marotta, locums ENT. “Even though it’s probably not a permanent need, I help keep the wheels of the machine running, so that when a hospital does have a permanent hire doctor come in, they walk into an already functioning machine. That feels really good. Doctors love to feel needed. We go into medicine because we love science and we love people. We love to feel like we’re helping people and doing something important and being part of a community.”

Locum tenens eases burnout by offering better work-life balance to healthcare providers at all stages of their career.

One of the top reasons healthcare providers choose locum tenens is to find better work-life balance. 

Locums lets you work at your own pace and on your own schedule. Because more hospitals rely on locum tenens than ever, there are more options available to suit your preferred schedule: whether that’s one or two weeks a month, occasional weekend assignments, or more long-term roles. That makes it flexible enough to fit whatever stage of life you’re in.

  • For early career physicians, locums helps grow your clinical skill set by learning from a variety of different practice environments and patient populations. Those diverse experiences can be crucial in growing and refining your skills, instincts, and expertise as a healthcare provider.
  • For mid-career physicians looking for a change, locum tenens can offer an opportunity to slow down and assess your options without creating gaps in your resume. When you’re ready to transition out of your current role, but aren’t quite ready to commit to another full-time position, locum tenens takes the pressure off, so you can take your time to find the right fit. That applies to other kinds of transition, too: if you’re moving to a new city but aren’t sure of the landscape, locum tenens jobs can help tide you over while you get settled and see what your options look like.
  • For physicians close to retirement age but not yet ready to stop practicing, locums allows you to slow down while still getting to do what you love. Locum tenens offers freedom over your schedule, so you can spend more time with your family without giving up your medical practice. Locum tenens also allows physicians to step away from the administrative side of medicine––e.g. attending meetings or sitting on committees––so they can focus more fully on patient care. 

That level of flexibility is crucial during a time when many healthcare providers are still struggling with burnout. Thankfully, burnout is on the decline––burnout is now lower than 50% this year, down from 61% at the height of the pandemic––but many providers still report feelings of stress and overwork. By offering more options for healthcare providers, locum tenens helps ensure that those providers stick around––instead of retiring early, or leaving healthcare entirely.

And because locums involves less administrative work than traditional full-time roles, it also lets providers focus on the part of their role that is most fulfilling—taking care of patients.

“My best advice to any physician who thinks they’re headed toward burnout is: try locums. It’s an effective remedy for physician burnout.” said locums ENT Dr. Peter Zonakis. “You can still be a doctor, but you’re not undergoing stresses that we were never trained to deal with. You can actually enjoy the practice of medicine.”

Locum tenens providers earn a great income.

In a year when many Americans are suffering from the effects of high inflation and other financial pressures, locums can be a godsend for providers looking to earn a higher income. 

Locum tenens assignments tend to pay higher than full-time hospital positions, both because demand for these positions is high––since hospitals are usually looking to fill an immediate need––and because they don’t come with the same fringe benefits as full-time employment. That means for many specialities, you may actually be able to decrease the amount of hours you work, while still earning an income comparable to full-time employment.

In fact, last year, self-employed physicians––including locum tenens physicians––made 20% more than employed physicians.

But a full-time locum tenens career isn’t the only way to earn a great income. For physicians who are already working full time but want to earn more, locums can supplement your income to help you meet your financial goals. Nearly 40% of physicians rely on outside medical work, including locum tenens, and most of them cited increased pay as their reason for doing so.

Whatever your financial goals, locums can help you meet them––whether it’s through a full-time locum tenens career or occasional locum tenens jobs.

As we reflect on 2024, the impact of locum tenens providers extends far beyond individual assignments. Together, our providers have strengthened healthcare delivery across the US—from reducing surgical backlogs and expanding specialist care access to revitalizing medical careers at every stage. To the physicians and advanced practice providers who chose to make a difference through locums this year—we thank you. The healthcare landscape is stronger because of your contributions.