Benefits of Locum Tenens
In many sectors, the advent of being short-staffed is sometimes inevitable. Utilizing lack of funds to hire permanent staff or due to permanent staff being on maternity leave, ill or working on other things, some services can fill that gap for you and they are often referred to as a “locum” or “locum tenens”.
The basic idea is for a person to temporarily stand in the role of the absent person, and typically it would be related to a clergyman or a physician. These professionals would still be governed by the regulatory bodies in charge of staffing them, even though they may be working as a freelance capacity or contract basis.
The Latin phrase of which this term is derived translates to the context of a French lieutenant, as a “place holder”. Some may call it “substitute teacher” as well and is a very similar concept too. Want to know more, click here.
Where Does locum Tenens Take Place More Commonly
In the current situation of COVID-19, this phrase has been mentioned numerous times and for good reason. There have been many restrictions to many workplaces especially in the healthcare industries, and many hospitals, doctors’ practices, and medical institutions have had to shut their doors as a result and retrench their staff while doing it. Unfortunately, a lot of the financial implications of not running a business means they cannot continue to keep their permanent staff.
Enter. Locum Tenens.
The healthcare sectors especially need this option now more than ever, with hundreds of people getting sick and needing a doctor or nurses assistance, hiring temporary staff to take the place of others, or to lend an extra helping hand makes a world of difference to may situations. Being understaffed in a sector that needs to look after patients 24/7 and 365 days, is not the ideal situation, especially during a pandemic.
In some countries, for instance, the UK, there are at any given time, about over 3000 substitute staff working in the hospitals and medical facilities a month on average. These do not count the general practitioners that are also filling up roles. Many of these are supplied to the facilities via a private agency that specializes in this service and who are experts in the field and have the right contacts and relationships with the majority of the healthcare sectors as well as their staff and potential candidates on their databases, such so that when called upon, they go through the available list of individuals and send them over.
There is a very high demand for such types of staffing and the turn around times are much quicker than any other form of filling in roles, such as the contract basis, permanent or temporary staff members. Typically, the agencies would have an agreement in place from the commencement of discussions, that spells out the details of the requirements of the medical facilities and the type of staff needed for that role.
Almost 80% of staff who are currently working in hospitals and healthcare facilities are stand-ins. A report published by the Royal College of Surgeons, states that in the UK alone, the NHS has spent roughly £467 million on locum surgeons, practitioners and staff through agencies in the past 10 years.
https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/search/#SearchTerm=locum
Benefits to Locum Staff
This means is not just advantageous to the employers, but it also provides huge benefits to the staff themselves. Below are a few things that they can get out of it.
Flexible Schedule. Most often then not, the ability to create your schedule is one of the most appealing factors of being a part of this crowd. You get to choose at your will, the assignments to take, the dates or days to work, the hours you can offer, and the location you will be willing to work at. Especially for those who have commitments outside of work such as family, caring for an elderly, or another job, this is the ideal situation to be in. it can help you create a much more convenient work/life balance.
Supplement Income. Even if you are already employed, you can work as a freelance staff member, and earn the extra supplement income. Most physicians work in their practices but also offer their services elsewhere by picking up extra shifts over the weekend or during public or bank holidays. Sometimes when staff is on leave or off on vacation, they tend to stand-in for them for a couple of days or weeks. It is possibly one of the easiest ways for them to earn some extra cash while helping others and doing what they love. For those who have financial goals of their own, this could help towards it.
More Patient Time. One of the most appealing parts of the majority of the locum tenens doctors who practice “pure medicine” is the time they spend with their patients and the one-on-one sessions to see improvements. Typically, full-time doctors need to also work on the admin side of things, but the stand-ins most often do not, which gives them more time to focus on the patients and less time with administration and paperwork. This also helps build long term healthy patient-doctor relationships, which is what every practitioner looks for.
Jobs Are Everywhere. There will never be a shortage of jobs in this industry. Medical facilities are everywhere, in both rural and urban areas, and if willing to, you can be open to all opportunities and never have any lack of positions opening for you. Patient demand will always be there and with-it physicians’ spots too.
If the above appeals to you, look for a staffing agency that provides this service and get that financial goal met in no time!
