Physician Jobs - Locum Tenens Positions

Physician Jobs

Finding a job after your residency can be challenging. Physician jobs are far from scarce, but you need to find the right match. You can work in a private practice, join a hospital staff, get an academic job or work in temporary field positions. There are a variety of temporary physician jobs, also called locum tenens positions, available. These physician jobs are located all around the country and last for varying terms of several weeks to several months with the option for extension.

Locum Tenens

The Latin term locum tenens translates to “place-holder” in English. In medical jargon it refers to those doctors who fill temporary staffing positions. Private practices, hospitals and other businesses that have a need for a staff physician contract with physician recruiting companies to fill locum tenens positions. There are a number of reasons why a locum tenens physician could be needed including to staff rural clinics where doctors are scarce, to fill in for a physician on sabbatical or to supplement seasonal rises in physician demand.

Find Physician Jobs

It’s easy to find a physician job if you are looking for a temporary assignment. There are numerous physician recruiting companies that will help you find physician jobs in locum tenens positions. Jobs are usually listed by specialty and by location. Before you can take a locum tenens position, however, you need to get a medical license in that state. Your physician recruiting company should not only help you find physician jobs, it should help you get a license and complete necessary paperwork.

Temporary Physician Job

Many doctors observe that it’s not hard to find a temporary physician jobs, but making sure that job is the right match is a little more challenging. A temporary physician job may have unrealistic or unacceptable expectations of its locum physician that can make the work experience disagreeable. It’s important to negotiate your rights into your contract before accepting any temporary physician jobs. As the physician, you have to be your own advocate, because the recruiting company is working for the practice or hospital that hired it, not you.

Family Practice Jobs

Locum tenens family practice jobs in rural communities can be more overwhelming than you might imagine. Before signing on, be sure you know what you are getting into. In rural family practice jobs, you are often the only physician for miles. That means that you may be on call throughout the entire term of your position. Depending on the needs of the community, these temporary family practice jobs can leave you with no free time and very little sleep. Always negotiate an “out clause” into your contract in case it’s too much.