Provider-centric staffing for purpose-driven healthcare™
.svg){kind=logo}
.jpeg)
Locum tenens—Latin for “to hold the place of”—refers to temporary clinical coverage roles, typically filled by physicians or advanced practice providers through a staffing agency. These roles are critical in ensuring uninterrupted patient care when a permanent provider is unavailable.
While locum tenens positions are most common in the medical field, the concept of locums work is expanding to meet the demands of modern healthcare delivery. From large health systems to small rural clinics, facilities across the United States rely on locum tenens physicians and advanced practitioners to maintain operational continuity and care quality.
Assignments vary in length—from a few days to several months—and can occur across a wide range of practice settings and specialties. These flexible placements are essential for bridging staffing gaps and supporting the evolving needs of today’s physician workforce.
Healthcare leaders are under increasing pressure to deliver consistent care amid physician shortages, growing patient volumes, and economic constraints. Locum tenens offers an agile, cost-effective solution that aligns with both clinical and operational priorities.
As more providers choose to work locum tenens for its autonomy, income potential, and scheduling flexibility, healthcare facilities gain access to a reliable and ready pool of credentialed professionals. This dynamic workforce strategy enables organizations to maintain quality care without overextending their core staff.
Whether you’re seeking to cover a sudden vacancy or implement a long-term staffing strategy, locum tenens staffing can help your facility reduce physician burnout, stay fully staffed, resilient, and ready to serve your community.
Partnering with a trusted locum tenens staffing agency like Caliber offers strategic value across multiple operational dimensions. Here’s how:
Locum tenens professionals are highly effective in filling unexpected or planned staffing gaps. Whether you need coverage for a provider on leave, assistance during a hiring delay, or support during seasonal patient surges, locum tenens physicians and advanced practice providers help maintain consistency in patient care.
These temporary placements ensure that no patient is left behind—and that your permanent team isn’t pushed to the breaking point.
Physician burnout is a systemic issue that affects care quality, team morale, and retention. When providers are overburdened, the entire healthcare ecosystem feels the impact.
Locums work offers relief by redistributing clinical responsibilities and allowing full-time staff to take necessary time off—without compromising coverage. This improved work-life balance is essential in today’s high-pressure healthcare environment.
Not all facilities have access to a wide range of specialists. Locum tenens enables hospitals and clinics to bring in niche expertise—such as cardiology, neurology, anesthesia, or psychiatry—on a temporary basis.
This is particularly valuable in rural or underserved areas of the United States, where attracting full-time specialists may be difficult or impractical. Locum tenens positions ensure that even remote patient populations receive comprehensive, high-quality care.
Patient volumes and service line needs shift over time. Locum tenens allows your organization to remain flexible by scaling clinical staff up or down based on real-time demand.
Whether you're piloting a new care model, opening a new unit, or experiencing a seasonal influx, locums assignments give you the coverage you need—without a long-term commitment.
Although hourly rates for locums may appear higher, the total cost is often lower when you consider savings on recruitment, onboarding, benefits, and overtime. When you work with a locum tenens staffing agency, many of these functions—such as credentialing, licensing, and travel logistics—are handled for you.
Additionally, locum tenens professionals are typically compensated on a 1099 basis, reducing the overhead associated with full-time employment.
Want to test a new service line or consider a provider for a permanent role? Locum-to-perm arrangements allow your team to evaluate clinical performance, team dynamics, and cultural fit before making a full-time hire.
This approach reduces hiring risk, improves retention, and supports more informed staffing decisions.
The United States faces an ongoing shortage of physicians—a challenge that is expected to intensify in the coming years. According to the AAMC, the nation could face a deficit of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. This shortfall threatens not only rural areas but even well-resourced urban systems.
Locum tenens positions provide an immediate, flexible way to address these gaps and ensure communities retain access to timely medical care.
Increased access to insurance, an aging population, and a rise in chronic disease have all contributed to a growing demand for healthcare services. Locum tenens physicians and advanced practitioners help ensure patient needs are met while relieving stress on overworked full-time teams.
For facilities struggling to balance volume and quality, locums deliver a practical, scalable solution.
Healthcare delivery is inherently high-stakes. When facilities operate short-staffed, the pressure intensifies—and that pressure impacts both provider satisfaction and patient outcomes.
By leveraging locum tenens coverage, organizations demonstrate their commitment to supporting the health and wellbeing of their clinical teams. This investment in morale ultimately pays dividends in retention, recruitment, and reputation.
Whether you're a provider hoping to explore flexible locum tenens work or a healthcare leader seeking staffing solutions, locum tenens offers opportunity.
At Caliber, we connect qualified physicians and advanced practice providers with locums assignments nationwide. We take a specialty-focused approach to ensure each match aligns with both clinical expertise and facility needs.
Caliber delivers tailored, provider-centric healthcare staffing solutions to hospitals, clinics, and health systems across the nation. Our team specializes in placing physicians and advanced practitioners in locum tenens positions that support clinical quality, operational continuity, and cost efficiency.
We go beyond filling shifts—we help you build a more sustainable and agile workforce. Contact us to learn how we can support your healthcare organization today.
Why do hospitals use locum tenens providers?
Hospitals use locum tenens to fill temporary or ongoing staffing gaps without compromising patient care or burning out existing staff.
Do locum providers receive benefits?
Most locum tenens jobs include travel, housing, and malpractice coverage. Traditional benefits like PTO or health insurance vary by contract and agency.
Why do physicians and advanced practitioners choose to work locum tenens?
Providers are drawn to locums work for its schedule flexibility, competitive pay, exposure to diverse practice settings, and ability to achieve better work-life balance.
