LocumLife - December 2008 - (Page 11)

Combining work and play can be tricky, but when the right situation presents itself, and your family is on board, anything is possible. Kathleen A. Moore ocum tenens practitioners reap a host of professional benefits: the freedom and flexibility to practice when and where they choose, the chance to experience other locations and practice settings, and the ability to see how their specialty is practiced elsewhere. But sometimes, temporary contracts offer even more. Here, two mobile professionals and a staffing executive discuss how to turn locum tenens engagements into experiences the entire family can enjoy. CONSIDER THE SEASON Physicians and non-physician providers looking to combine an opportunity with a vacation may take advantage of seasonal openings, according to Frank Phillips, president of Maxim Physician Resources, based in Dallas, Texas. In the winter months, for example, more physicians are needed in places like Arizona and South Florida, as snowbirds flock to these warmer regions. The same goes for the New England coast in summer; locum tenens opportunities increase there when the “Opportunities like this tourist season gets underway. “We once sent a physician may not come up often, and his family to St. Thomas, but when they do, they U.S. Virgin Islands, for 2 weeks in the middle of winter,” recalls are surely worth Mr. Phillips. “The doctor was considering.” based in Chicago and it was an opportunity for him to get away, —Joseph Coppola, DO enjoy some warm weather, and take his family with him. His family vacationed while he practiced medicine. We have also placed physicians in popular vacation destinations like Orlando, Florida, southern California, and Phoenix, Arizona. “Generally, a combined experience like this requires pre-planning,” explains Mr. Phillips. “Staff at locum tenens companies uncover opportunities and then present them to candidates in their database. The vast majority of engagements, however, are not necessarily in areas where people want to vacation. They are in rural communities and regions of the country not really conducive to vacations. “Even so,” he continues, “our senior physicians take their spouses along about 50% of the time. Because their children are frequently grown and out of the house, they are more likely to take their wives DECEMBER 2008 L LocumLife 11

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LocumLife - December 2008 Editorial Contents From Nalto Stat! The Basics Last-Minute Luxury Mixing Business &�Pleasure Med Ec-cerpts Neonatology Advertiser Index Opportunities Direct On Location Contest Rules Anyone's Guess La Vita Locum

LocumLife - December 2008

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