My dream job would be to travel the world and work as a dermatology physician assistant in other countries. Unfortunately, because physician assistants (PAs) are not universally known across the globe this is not an option. The closest thing there is to my “dream job” is to be a travel physician assistant within the United States. Did you know that was possible?
I have been speaking with a recruiter over the past month about possibly working locum tenens when it is time for my husband and I to move away from our current location. My husband is active duty military and we move to a different state roughly every 2-3 years. Up until this point I have only considered full-time positions. Both of the employers that have hired me thus far have been aware of my situation up front. They have hired me knowing I would eventually leave.
I was interested in the idea of working locum tenens straight out of PA school, but considering I was a new graduate physician assistant I knew how important the first few years of work would be for learning. I wanted to work with physicians who were willing to train me.
My husband and I recently went out to dinner with another couple. The wife had brought up that she was friends with another PA who worked locum tenens. That PA got to decide when she worked and was compensated for things such as housing and gas. She even takes summers off to travel with her kids! It got me thinking about the flexibility something like locum tenens could offer. Now that I have some experience (it will be over 4 years old by the time I leave my current position) I decided to consider locum tenens again.
First of all, what is locum tenens?
Locum tenens is a Latin word that means “to hold the place.” The idea is to place medical providers in underserved areas or in clinics or hospitals that are short-staffed. Since there is a shortage of healthcare providers in the country there are typically many opportunities for someone interested in working locum tenens.
The process of finding a locum tenens position
The first thing I did was simply google “locum tenens for physician assistants.” Several agencies will pop up on Google for you to contact. I picked one whose name I was familiar with and filled out a form on their website requesting additional information. Not even 2 hours later I received a phone call from a recruiter. We spoke and he asked me several questions about my work experience, where I was currently licensed, what my current employment situation was, and what I was looking for.
He also ran through a list of questions regarding my criminal history and any past or ongoing investigations into my medical licenses. Once he determined that I was squeaky clean he asked me to send him a current CV and a reference of a supervisor from the past year. He also answered all of my questions. Some of the questions and answers are listed below:
Questions and answers
Q: How does licensing work?
A: We help you become licensed in the state you intend on working in. There is also something called a compact license. The PA Compact is an agreement between some states allowing PAs with a license in a compact state to easily become authorized to practice in any other member state. (Since I am currently licensed in a compact state this may be a good option for me.)
Q: How long are the typical assignments?
A: They vary greatly, but they are between 6 to 12 months on average.
Q: What is the typical pay?
A: It varies depending on the state or clinic but on average you can expect somewhere between $80-$120 per hour. Some companies also pay by the week.
Q: What other perks are there?
A: Some companies will pay for lodging, reimburse flights for traveling to the location, pay for medical malpractice insurance, credentialing, and licensing, and also reimburse for gas.
The main reasons I think working locum tenens is a good option:
- The flexibility. I would love to choose where I am working month to month. When my husband goes out on deployment I could pick up and pretty much go anywhere. Hawaii in the winter, take the summer off, and Vermont in the fall anyone?
- The pay. If I got the right assignment between the high hourly pay and the cost of housing being covered I could work less and get paid more. Working hard for 9 months out of the year and taking the other 3 off may not be for everyone but it sounds pretty ideal to me.
I am still several months away from possibly starting to work locum tenens. I purposefully started the process early because I knew it would take time to get all of the paperwork filed and to learn if this was something I wanted to do. If you are someone who has worked locum tenens before comment below with your experience whether it was good or bad!
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