The Physician’s Guide to Locum Tenens

1) What locums solves (and what it does not)

Locum tenens is best understood as a scheduling and work-environment strategy. It can reduce certain burnout drivers—especially administrative overload and loss of autonomy—by letting you choose higher-leverage clinical blocks. It does not automatically fix moral injury, unsafe staffing, or personal health challenges without boundaries and site selection discipline.

2) The four scheduling models physicians actually use

• Block inpatient weeks: predictable on/off cadence.
• Weekend moonlighting: additive income with tight scope.
• Seasonal bursts: earn aggressively, then recover.
• Semi-retirement glide paths: fewer shifts, more selectivity.

3) Compensation: the 12 questions that prevent regret

1. What is the weekly rate—and what does it assume for hours/census?
2. How are extra shifts paid?
3. What is included in stipends (travel, lodging, rental car)?
4. Malpractice type and tail coverage expectations?
5. Cancelation policies and stipend caps?
6. Who owns credentialing costs?
7. Telehealth or remote charting expectations?
8. Supervision model and APP layers?
9. Call burden and post-call protections?
10. Documentation environment (EHR, scribes, templates)?
11. Billing productivity pressure—real or implied?
12. Start date realism based on privileging?

4) Credentialing without chaos

Treat credentialing like a project plan: owners, deadlines, and document checklist. The fastest placements happen when physicians respond quickly—and recruiters pre-clear dealbreakers like procedure requirements, case mix, and privilege categories.

5) Travel that does not wreck your nervous system

Sustainable travel locums is a systems game: sleep consistency, duplicated essentials, predictable recovery days, and choosing sites with honest cross-cover expectations.

6) A simple decision framework

If an assignment improves either autonomy, income, recovery time, or skill fit—without unacceptable safety tradeoffs—it is worth serious consideration. If it only chases a headline rate, pause.