Provider-centric staffing for purpose-driven healthcare™
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There are many important benefits of locums for facilities. Now more than ever, American healthcare facilities need qualified medical professionals to meet growing patient care demands. But staffing shortages abound in hospitals and clinics throughout the country, and it's often difficult to provide every patient with the care they need. That is where locum tenens work can make a difference.
Literally, "locum tenens" means "to hold the place of." As this definition suggests, a locum tenens worker is someone who takes a temporary position in the place of another professional in their field until reliable permanent employees can be found. While several industries may use locum tenens, it tends to be most closely associated with the medical profession.
Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers take locum tenens jobs on a temporary assignment basis. These assignments can be as brief as a few days or as long as several months, depending on the particular contract. Locum assignments are dispersed to healthcare facilities nationwide and are available in any part of the country in which healthcare professionals can obtain the proper credentials.
There are many important benefits of locums for facilities. Physician burnout and mental health challenges in the medical industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are still rampant, and many medical professionals are seeking alternative employment opportunities in their career path. There is an ample supply of qualified healthcare providers ready to enjoy the scheduling flexibility and competitive pay rates of locum work.
Pair this supply of healthcare workers with a growing demand for patient care as the American population ages and chronic illness spreads. There is a clear solution provided by locum tenens work, and overburdened facilities around the country can take advantage of this unprecedented staffing opportunity. Not to mention, many doctors and advanced practitioners enjoy living the locum lifestyle and are thrilled by the benefits of locums jobs.
Hiring locum tenens providers is hugely beneficial for today's healthcare facilities. Not only can facilities enjoy greater operational efficiency with qualified temporary employees to fill staffing shortages, but hospitals and clinics can also improve staff morale and patient outcomes by hiring locums.
Some benefits of locums for facilities include:
Let us take a closer look at the particular ways that locum tenens work can benefit healthcare facilities across the United States.
The most appealing benefit of locums work is that it gives Physicians and other healthcare professionals time and flexibility that has been lacking in their career path. There is a lot of freedom and flexibility afforded by the locum tenens lifestyle. When Physicians and Advanced Practice Professionals work with a reputable staffing agency like Caliber, they are able to choose from a selection of assignment opportunities and pick the best jobs for them.
Locums work gives healthcare providers the ability to choose the appropriate work location, schedule, and patient volumes. There may even be part-time opportunities available for Physicians and Nurse Practitioners in retirement. And Physicians fresh out of medical school can earn competitive pay to help with managing medical school debt.
When Physicians have a choice over the terms and conditions of their work environment, they're more likely to be less stressed and more happy. And when Physicians are happier, they can provide even better professional advice and care to their patients. Mental well-being is often overlooked in the medical industry and is as important for providers as it is for patients.
Not every facility offers a comprehensive slate of specialists for their patients. But with the help of locums providers, hospitals, and clinics can provide their patients with specialty care that they might not be able to receive otherwise. This is especially true of healthcare facilities in remote areas where the nearest specialists for a particular health concern may be hundreds of miles away.
For example, a patient at a remote healthcare facility may need to consult with a Gastroenterologist, but no such specialist is employed there. A locum tenens Gastroenterologist could provide the care and expertise the local patient population needs without a lifetime commitment to a career in that facility. When that particular specialist's locums work is over, another locums Gastroenterologist can step in for a new assignment.
Physicians and advanced practitioners deserve their time off, whether it be for maternity leave, professional conferences, or a tropical vacation. Unfortunately, when healthcare staff takes their much-needed temporary leave, gaps in patient care are left behind. After all, illness and injury don't take a vacation.
Locums tenens jobs are a superb solution to any facility's temporary leave problems. Locums professionals can fill in temporary employment gaps until full-time employees return. Even if the assignment is only a week-long, the value of having a qualified Physician or nurse to fill in for absent employees is massive.
Your facility can have your cake and eat it, too. Your permanent employees can get the rest and recuperation they've earned while your facility still operates with a full staff. Patients will get the care they need, and other healthcare staff members won't feel pressured or overburdened by the absence of their colleagues. In short, when you leverage the expertise of locums healthcare providers, your full-time staff can take their leave without having to compromise patient care.
Locums staffing can seem like an expensive investment for healthcare facilities at first, but it can actually reduce costs over time. Locums professionals can earn a higher pay rate than their full-time counterparts due to the high demand for their skills. But working with a reputable locum tenens staffing agency like Caliber can drive down costs in other administrative areas.
By choosing locums, you will do more than reduce Physician burnout. You can actually reduce staffing expenses for recruitment, payroll, and human resources since your locums staffing agency will cover those needs as part of your contract. And you won't have to worry about paying for time off, benefits, or overtime.
A great locums staffing agency can help you to deliver the care your patients deserve. And as beneficial as locums Physicians and advanced practitioners can be for patients, they can also help to alleviate the workload of overburdened full-time staff, which can have tremendous benefits for both their physical and mental health.
Temporary healthcare employees help to ensure that your full-time staff isn't stuck with an unfair workload when staffing vacancies arise. Locums can keep things running smoothly until a permanent staffing solution can be found, which in turn promotes better retention and job satisfaction among current employees.
When you choose a locums staffing solution, you can also test different staffing configurations. Maybe you want to try adding some more Nurse Practitioners to your roster. Maybe you are interested in incorporating more family medicine specialists. Whatever staffing configurations you have in mind, you can test the impact of adjusting staffing levels without having to commit to full-time employment.
Similarly, a locums approach can help to ensure that new hires are the right fit for your facility. Often underutilized by healthcare facilities, a locums-to-permanent method gives your organization the ability to try out new providers on a temporary basis without the commitment to hire.
Locum tenens work has been a long-held practice in the American healthcare industry, going back to at least the 1970s. Since then, the field has ballooned to a multi-billion dollar industry, with a majority of healthcare facilities in the US leveraging locums professionals to fill temporary positions.
But today's healthcare landscape is dramatically different than that of the seventies, and locum tenens plays a more vital role in the American healthcare system than ever before.
First, there's a growing Physician shortage across the United States. There simply aren't enough qualified doctors to meet the staffing demands of the nation's hospitals and clinics. And while some facilities are implementing creative staffing solutions like hiring additional Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants, there's no substitute for the professional advice and patient care that a great Physician provides.
Second, there is a growing need for patient care in general. The overall population of the United States is constantly climbing, and thanks in large part to health insurance initiatives like the Affordable Care Act, more Americans qualify to receive the healthcare they need. But it's not just a large patient population that's driving patient care needs.
The American population is living to be older, on average. An aging population naturally comes with the health complications that come with elderly life, which in turn, require more frequent and specialized healthcare solutions. Couple this with a rise in chronic illness throughout the US, and you are faced with a relatively large population of patients with increasingly dire healthcare needs.
Finally, as we have previously explained, there is the looming mental health crisis afflicting American healthcare providers. Many facilities are overburdened with patients, and the absence of even a single full-time staff member can be catastrophic for morale and potentially compromise patient care. American healthcare workers need assurance that they will have the support they need to provide quality care when staffing problems occur.
Locum tenens work can alleviate all of these pressing problems. Even though locums jobs are temporary positions, they can have a lasting impact on the way a facility runs and the level of quality patient care that it delivers. From solving staffing shortages to boosting staff morale, locums are crucially important to the future of the American healthcare system.
Today, there are thousands of doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals living the locum lifestyle. They enjoy higher pay rates compared to their permanent counterparts and can work on a schedule that fits their needs.
Caliber connects qualified healthcare professionals with the facilities that need them most. We use a specialty-focused recruitment approach to connect the right providers with the right hospitals and clinics. Whether it's a few extra shifts or full-time locums jobs, we provide a comprehensive range of assignments for our clients. If you are interested in hiring locum tenens providers in your facility, get in touch with Caliber today.
Hospitals use locums to address staffing shortages and meet patient care demands without putting an extra work burden on current healthcare staff.
While housing and travel arrangements are usually taken care of, locums generally do not have full-time benefits like paid time off.
Providers work locums jobs because of the scheduling flexibility, travel opportunities, and competitive salary.
