LocumLife - December 2008 - (Page 12)

or husbands with them. When physicians take their children, the average contract length is a week or two; if only the spouse tags along, the contract may be longer. Younger physicians with spouses and children tend to accept shorter contracts because their youngsters are in school, or they plan their experiences to coincide with school vacations and holidays.” EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES Paul Smith, CRNA, has been turning locum tenens opportunities into memorable family experiences for the past 5 years, routinely taking his wife, Gina, and daughter, Savanna, who is home-schooled, with him on location. Registered with several staffing companies, including Reinhardt Medical Group, he is a seasoned veteran, practicing locum tenens either part-time or full-time since 1986. “Whenever we travel together, we refer to the opportunities as ‘working vacations,’” he jokes. “I work and they “These educational vacation. If the location is close enough, we take our experiences are fifth-wheel camper.” something you can The Smit hs have a knack for uncovering the never replace by treasures that a lesser- merely looking at known location might have to offer. In fact, by pictures in a book.” browsing through a list of —Paul Smith, CRNA positions, his family often helps him choose his next locum tenens experience. “Gina and Savanna would say, ‘Well, this looks interesting,’ and they would look up the area on the map to see what places of interest were nearby.” In August 2005, this process led them to a unique engagement in the Mid-Atlantic, arranged through the Pensacola, Florida-based staffing firm. “My family had never been to New York City, and when I told them it was only a few hours’ drive from my contract location, that was it,” he laughs. “We were going.” During his 2-week opportunity, Mr. Smith covered from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 5 days a week. “The hospital has three or four anesthesia techs who were instrumental in helping me acclimate to my new surroundings. I did a lot of neurology and orthopedic cases in that operating room.” As the first week came to a close, the Smiths made the much-desired trip to The Big Apple. They spent the weekend and saw Times Square, Chinatown, Little Italy, SoHo, Central Park, Macy’s Herald Square, the Statue of Liberty, and the site of the Twin Towers. The family was also able to enjoy the Little League World Series, which took place during the 2 weeks the Smiths were on location. “My daughter got to meet boys from all over the world,” he says, “and the games, except for the final one, were free.” 12 LocumLife DECEMBER 2008 Circle Career Card No. 608 http://www.StaffCare.com http://www.StaffCare.com

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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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