Many surgeons today opt for locum tenens positions. They want to pick where they work and when. These opportunities can provide valuable professional experience and enable a better fit when a surgeon decides to take a permanent position. Additionally, some surgeons take locum positions for higher pay rates.
Locum tenens typically pay more since the assignments are temporary. For surgeons wanting schedule flexibility, richer experiences, and good compensation, locum positions can be quite attractive. They allow surgeons both professional and personal freedom.
Financial Benefits
Locum tenens surgeons boost their paychecks, as they can make $1500 or more a day if they have experience. The accompanying benefits packages are also designed to provide flexibility and financial advantages. Health/dental/vision insurance, retirement savings plans, malpractice coverage, travel, and housing stipends are typically included by the locum agency.
These generous benefits, combined with the higher pay rate, mean locum surgeons take home a larger percentage of their earnings. They also avoid paying overhead expenses associated with permanent staff positions. By leveraging their specialized skills, locum surgeons have earning potential well above a typical staff surgeon’s salary. This factor helps explain why countless doctors look into these temporary jobs for surgeons.
Change of Scenery
Locum tenens positions provide surgeons with a unique opportunity to travel and work in new locations temporarily. Many surgeons relish the possibility of readily moving between locations and health systems while seeing different regions, whether big cities or quaint small towns, through these temporary positions. It’s an unparalleled way for them to travel while continuing to utilize their specialized talents.
Career Development
Working as a locum tenens surgeon can significantly advance one’s medical career. By working at different facilities, locum surgeons are exposed to new technology, techniques, and a diversity of cases they may not see in one location. This can foster tremendous professional growth and development of surgical skills.
Additionally, the flexible schedule of locum tenens allows surgeons to pursue specialized fellowships or continuing education while still earning an income. With broadened horizons, valuable experience gained working with diverse patient populations and healthcare teams, and advanced surgical proficiency, doctors who do locum tenens work early in their careers set themselves up for expanded career success and advancement down the road.
Work-Life Balance
The temporary nature of locum tenens assignments combined with flexibility in scheduling facilitates better work-life balance for surgeons. Surgeons can more easily take time completely off for vacations, hobbies, personal needs, and family demands knowing another short-term opportunity awaits around the corner.
The availability of locum tenens assignments means surgeons can take assignments that fit their schedule rather than feeling tethered to strict hospital schedules. Surgeons gain greater control over their lives.
Try Before Commit
Locum tenens also offers a chance to try working in a new hospital or different geographic area before fully committing. Surgeons might connect better with certain facilities and teams than others. Locum tenens provides a low-pressure way for surgeons to experience a range of settings firsthand to find their best fit for a potential permanent position. Surgeons can settle down when they find the right opportunity.
Locum tenens provides surgeons exciting flexibility in where and when they work coupled with excellent pay. Surgeons can reduce burnout through diverse experiences around the country that facilitate adventure. At the same time, locum tenens supports better work-life balance and career development. The opportunities available make locum tenens an enticing option for surgeons.
