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Medical Doctor Associates Describes New Trends Among Physicians Exiting Residency Programs

- Is Locum Tenens a viable option?

ATLANTA - April 12, 2004 - There was once a time when a locum tenens (LT), or temporary, physician was regarded unfavorably by the medical community. Over the past two decades the LT image has undergone a radical transformation.

First, healthcare organizations have significantly stepped up their credentialing standards and requirements. There is an inherently higher risk for an insurance carrier in covering LT physicians, and often they must have cleaner records than physicians in permanent practice to qualify for insurance. As a result of these industry-wide changes, LT physicians are now commonly viewed as quality physicians, and an integral part of the provision of quality healthcare.

The numbers reflect the changing way that LT physicians are viewed by healthcare organizations as well as by other physicians. Over the three-year period from 1999-2002, hospitals and other medical facilities increased the amount of money they spent on LT staffing by 231%, bringing the total amount of money spent on LT physicians to $2.08 billion. The amount of money spent on LT isn't the only number that is rapidly increasing, as more and more physicians are realizing the benefits of LT work. Close to 30,000 physicians worked locum tenens in 2002. LT physicians now annually cover in excess of 560,000 days.

Although it is possible to arrange locum tenens work on your own, the vast majority of LT physicians locate and fill positions through an LT company. The advantage of working with an LT company is that the physician can concentrate on patient care while the company deals with the paperwork associated with licensure, credentialing, travel, housing, and professional liability insurance.

Working locum tenens allows physicians to do the things for which they originally became a doctor, and gives them freedom from all of the extraneous hassles that most physicians have to deal with on a daily basis. "Indeed, if there's a watchword to describe locum work, it's 'freedom,'" according to Gail Garfinkel Weiss, Senior Editor of Medical Economics.

The freedom associated with LT has started an exciting trend among residents, who see LT work as offering more to them than it does to physicians already in permanent practice. This is because LT work can be used as a type of "working interview." A temporary assignment allows the physician to meet hospital administrators, check out the community with their spouse, and experience working with the patient base before committing to a practice.

Increasingly, residents are beginning to see these qualities as ways of jump-starting their careers. The number of physicians who began locum tenens work straight out of residency increased by 1,300% from 1996 to 2001.

LT was once seen as an option only for physicians who were going into semi-retirement, or who couldn't find permanent placement, but today's residents are seeing LT as a career option. In addition to offering freedom from the "nettlesome aspects of practice, such as overhead expenses, administrative hassles, and office politics," says Garfinkel Weiss, "locum tenens is the practice option of choice for physicians who want to travel, work when it suits them, sample different practice types and settings, [or] learn new techniques." It is highly advised that all residents consider going into locum tenens at the conclusion of their residency program.