Taking a chance on locum tenens neurology may feel intimidating, which is why our team at Hayes Locums is here to guide you. We sat down with a senior consultant, Tim Moses from the neurology team, to address some of the most frequently asked questions from neurologists interested in exploring locum tenens opportunities.
How do I find the right neurology locums job?
To ensure a neurology locums job is the right fit, you want to look for jobs that not only suit your experience, but that suit your preferences as well. While the first priority should be finding jobs that are a good clinical match, looking for jobs that also align with your priorities and what you want your lifestyle to look like will set you up for success in the long-run.
Geography is a big part of that. Ultimately, even if a job suits your clinical experience to a tee, if it’s not in the right location for you, it’s not going to be successful long-term.
For some physicians, that looks like finding locations where they have a connection to––whether that’s because they have family or friends in the area, or because they’ve already done training there, and know that they enjoy it.
For other physicians who are willing to practice anywhere in the country, that might mean finding locations that are easy to travel to (e.g. somewhere they can easily get to via direct flight). Many neurology assignments are filling full-time needs on a long-term basis. Even if an assignment is a great fit in every other way, if it takes 12 hours of travel to get there, that may not be sustainable in the long run.
That’s why it’s so important to find a locums consultant who has their eye on all of these factors, and is willing to do the work of getting to know you and zeroing in on what’s most important to you––so they can find the jobs that fit.
How can I find job security while practicing locum tenens neurology?
A primary concern of many neurologists, when considering the leap to locum tenens, is how to ensure they still have income security. They often ask about the longevity of neurology locums, what happens if a position falls through, and how to ensure sufficient income stability.
The key to successful locums work lies in the trusted partnership between providers and their consultants. Since locum assignments aren’t permanent—having an open, proactive, and trusting relationship with your consultant is crucial. Our team works to ensure assignments are reliable by performing due diligence, maintaining long-term relationships with facilities, and by proactively communicating any changes. Often, the end of an assignment is anticipated well in advance, which allows us to explore your options and keep a few irons in the fire for future locums opportunities.
At Hayes Locums, our consultants stay informed about developments at your current locum facility, and others—always on the lookout for positions that align with your interests. Building strong relationships with your consultant will help you secure the best fitting positions, providing reassurance and confidence in your locum assignments.
What makes locum tenens neurology assignments worthwhile?
Locums neurology jobs tend to be long-term instead of occasional weekend or holiday coverages. In some regions, it can take hospitals 3-5 years to recruit a neurologist. And even in regions where it doesn’t take quite that long, there’s a huge shortage of neurologists across the country, which means that many hospitals have major backlogs, and long wait-times as a result.
Patients can’t often afford to wait 9 months to see a neurologist for outpatient care, which means that most hospitals still rely on locum tenens to cover gaps in care and reduce their wait times. Especially for outpatient neurologists, the longer you practice at a particular hospital, the more patients get to know you, and depend on your treatment plans.
The more you build up a patient practice, the more likely a hospital is to keep you on. Even if a hospital does bring in a permanent physician, they may still retain the locums neurologist, because they’re still behind on wait times.
What skills make for a good locums neurologist?
The ability to stay calm under pressure is one of the most important skills a locums neurologist can have. This is especially true of stroke neurologists: hospitals usually have one stroke neurologist on at any given time, but there are times where two or three strokes can come in at the exact same time. So the ability to stay calm as you triage the patients is critical.
The other skill that’s important to have, especially when it comes to outpatient neurology, is the ability to be nice to patients, to hear them out and talk to them in human terms about what they’re going through and how you can help.
