As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, the use of locum tenens physicians has significantly increased. These temporary physicians provide essential coverage for programs in rural locations, those needing gap coverage while recruiting permanent staff, and more. Their flexibility and expertise help ensure that patient care remains uninterrupted despite staffing challenges.
Benefits of Utilizing Locum Tenens Physicians
Programs in rural locations often struggle to attract permanent physicians due to geographical and lifestyle preferences. Locum tenens physicians can fill these critical gaps, bringing high-quality care to underserved areas. Additionally, healthcare programs that need temporary coverage while recruiting permanent physicians can rely on locum tenens to maintain continuity of care. Other populations that benefit from locum tenens include:
-
Specialty Programs: Specialty programs requiring immediate expertise for short-term projects or to cover sudden leaves of absence.
- Academic Medical Centers: Institutions that need temporary faculty or to cover sabbaticals and extended research periods.
- Seasonal and Peak Demand: Facilities experiencing seasonal patient volume increases or peak demand periods.
Increasing Utilization of Locum Tenens
The trend towards utilizing locum tenens physicians has grown considerably:
- 2022 Data: 14.9% of all physician searches utilized locum tenens.
- Growth from 2020 to 2022: The use of locum tenens for permanent search gap coverage more than doubled
- Specialty-Specific Locum Tenens Utilization:
- Gastroenterology: 30.8% of searches
- Neurology: 11.4% of searches
- Hospitalists: 25.9% of searches
The Rosman Difference
Our highly specialized recruiters have an in-depth understanding of the entire market. This expertise is crucial in a world where the time to fill positions is key. Our connections and market knowledge allow us to quickly identify and place top-tier locum tenens physicians, ensuring that healthcare programs can seamlessly address their staffing needs without compromising patient care.