LocumLife - February 2009 - (Page 29)

choosing where and when to practice. Ultimately, you will have your own unique experiences, which will benefit you in different ways. Your consultants should be as concerned about the quality of patient care as they are about placing you in the right environment to practice medicine. Partnering with consultants with whom you feel comfortable, and who have working relationships with the contract facilities, can make all difference in finding rewarding opportunities. EXPLORING YOUR OPTIONS Fortunately, locum tenens practice enables you to earn an income while providing more time to determine how to move forward with your career. You may find you are like some physicians who had an idea of a satisfying longterm practice option, but changed their minds about the type of environment in which they wanted to practice after finishing a locum tenens engagement. Suppose, for example, that you believe private practice is right for you. After trying locum tenens opportunities in different settings, you may discover that you prefer a hospital-based environment—or vice versa. Depending on the needs of a contract facility, you could be offered a permanent position by the hospital or practice where you had originally provided locum tenens services. Moving from locum tenens to a permanent employee can make the transition easier, since you already have provided services at the healthcare facility, and it keeps your confidence level high. Moreover, using locum tenens to find a permanent job helps to reduce or eliminate any unexpected deviations in working conditions. Another benefit is that your locum tenens company accepts responsibility for medical malpractice coverage during the transition period. Accepting locum tenens opportunities not only gives you the time to www.LocumLife.com make better educated decisions about your career, it helps build your curriculum vitae and develop marketable skills. Furthermore, partnering with a locum tenens company offers you the chance to acquire additional experience and professional references from several different locations and practice environments—which could be the determining factor that opens up doors to successful career choices for you. L L Erik Turner is the training and marketing manager at Weatherby Locums, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. DO’S AND DON’TS Here are some helpful guidelines to follow when entering locum tenens practice: Do: Research companies that provide locum tenens services. There are many agencies, but you will usually ﬁnd that a choice few will ﬁt your needs. Start early. The more time you give yourself in selecting the right company and opportunities, the better off you will be. Talk with other locum tenens providers in your specialty and representatives at client facilities or medical practices where you are interested in providing services. Pay attention to your potential practice environment. What are the hours and expected caseload? Take time to read and study your agreement. Ask questions and make sure you fully understand all aspects before signing it. Compare locum tenens to permanent placement. Whether you are looking to remain in a locum tenens position indeﬁnitely or are using locum tenens to ﬁnd a permanent position, carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of both worlds. Don’t: Expect the practice environment to change after you begin the contract. In most cases, what you see is what you get. Assume you know how the compensation plan works. Thoroughly inspect the pay structure to avoid misunderstandings. Conﬁne your search to one type of engagement or facility. This could limit your future opportunities. Wait until the last minute. Even if you have a year or more before you ﬁnish your residency program, you can start to build a partnership with a consultant you trust. FEBRUARY 2009 LocumLife 29 http://www.LocumLife.com

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LocumLife - February 2009 Editorial Insights Contents From Nalto Stat! Money Matters Resources Last-Minute Luxury Opening the Door Med Ec-cerpts Winning the Battle Career Center Advertisers' Index Opportunities Direct Residency Corner Destinations Contest Rules Anyone's Guess La Vita Locum

LocumLife - February 2009

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