COVID-19 has caused many people to look at their lives more closely and how they have been living them. About 25 percent of physicians are planning to retire earlier than planned as a result of their experience treating COVID-19 patients. Twelve percent are considering leaving medicine according to a Medscape report. The report also indicated that 62 percent of physicians said their income decreased since the beginning of the pandemic, with 33 percent reporting their income decreased by 11 to 25 percent. 

Doctors Having To Close And Or Sell Their Businesses

Thousands of medical practices have closed during the pandemic, according to a survey from the Physicians Foundation of America, which surveyed 3,500 physicians. The survey found that 8 percent of the doctors reported closing their offices in recent month, which the foundation estimated could equal some 16,000 practices. Another 4 percent said they planned to shutter within the next year. The Paycheck Protection Program authorized by Congress to help businesses, including medical practices, with the economic fallout of the pandemic, helped many doctors remain afloat.

Burnout And Strict Practicing Guidelines

Approximately 64 percent of physics report higher burnout since the pandemic started. Forty six percent said they are lonelier due to stay at home social distancing guidelines. Other doctors report that their reasons for leaving stem from strict practice guidelines which left them feeling constrained in their careers. Some have left their conventual physician roles in order to pursue start up ideas in healthcare.

Physician Shortages Are Predicted To Become Worse

There’s an increased number of people looking for primary care doctors after the Affordable Care Act became viable. An aging population that requires more care and more medical students choosing specialties rather than primary care are also reasons why there is a looming primary care physician shortage. A survey completed in 2015 predicts there could be a shortage of 33,000 primary care physicians by 2035.

So, what’s the solution? Several family medicine organizations have launched a long-term initiative called 25 X 2030. Leaders in this effort will work for the next 10 plus years to ensure that by 2030 25 percent of combined U.S. allopathic and osteopathic medical school seniors select family medicine as their specialty.

Could Locum Tenens Be The Answer For Doctors To Stay In The Healthcare Game?

The word “Locum” comes from the Latin term meaning ‘place holder.’ A provider working as locum tenens is a person who temporarily fulfills the obligations of another. Therefore, In healthcare, a locums provider can be employed at a hospital or community healthcare facility that may be short staffed or need temporary coverage when another provider is on leave.

Locum tenens offer a variety of diverse experiences and the opportunity to see how various healthcare systems work. Locums also offers a diverse patient population from working in inner city to working in rural farmlands. If you are a health care provider looking for a change, are open minded, adventurous and flexible, you should definitely give Locum Tenens a try.

Some locum tenens assignments could be part time or offer a short-term assignment. Perfect if you are thinking about retiring from your full-time position, but you’d like to still keep one foot in the game. Locum Tenens can also be considered the ultimate ‘Work-Vacay’ experience. It’s literally paid tourism. You can work in amazing places that offer historical and local attractions that will add to your work life balance.

The post Could Working Locum Tenens Be The Answer To Stay In The Game? appeared first on Medcare Staffing.

If you’re a “Newbie” in the locum tenens game, you’re first day on the job can feel like that awkward first day in middle school. You don’t know anyone, you don’t know what to expect, and you probably forgot your lunch! The locums landscape of forever changing assignments can sometimes skyrocket your anxiety through the roof.

You may be working in a new city, embarking on a new commute, entering into an unfamiliar office space with new coworkers and administrative staff. Science says people are “hard-wired” to feel anxious in pretty much any new situation. However, moderate levels of anxiety can facilitate and drive performance. The stress of wanting to make a good impression on your first day of your new Locum Assignment can also add to your anxiety. 

Health care professionals with higher levels of anxiety and frustration were more than twice as likely to report workplace burnout, compared with those with lower levels of anxiety and frustration, according to a study of primary care professionals published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. Moreover, primary care physicians reported burnout at double the rate of other health care professionals in their practice settings.

Fear not newbie! All is not lost, and your anxiety can be controlled with these 5 tips:

1. Be Aware Of Your Stress Level And Anxiety Triggers

            Caffeine, skipping meals, bills and taxes can all be triggers too anxiety. Try and limit         these as best as possible before your first assignment. Perhaps pay your bills or write         out checks and be confident that they will be taken care of to decrease your anxiety. Prescriptions like birth control pills and OTC cough and congestion medications may            create sensations that become anxiety triggers for you. 

• Be Confident And Smile

            If you have too much anxiety it can derail your performance. Confidence in your clinical skills is key to success. Trusting your own judgement and abilities along with valuing   yourself worth can curb your anxiety. Body language can help boost confidence. Practice an open body posture. Don’t put your hands of your hips or slouch. Smiling and         practicing open communication will project an energy of confidence.

• Get Informed

            Before your assignment, try and get informed about what is expected from you as           much as possible. Does the clinic you are going to work at require you to have a health      physical, urine drug screen, TB, and COVID test? Having these done before starting your           first day on your locum assignment will create less stress. Ask your recruiter as many           questions as possible in order to get informed on what to expect. For example, what             type of charting will you be doing? Paper or electronic? Do you have the option to work      telehealth? Where will you be parking and is it secure? Who is the person you will be             reporting to at the clinic?  How many patients will you be seeing? The more you know,    the better.

• Brush Up On Your Skills

Brushing up on your skills before starting your first day in clinic can help boost your confidence level and decrease your anxiety. Classes for skills like CPR, PALS, ACLS, suturing techniques, and several others can be obtained online easily. You may even want to check out YouTube for videos that will help you refresh your skills like adult physical exams, pediatric physicals, new baby exams, sports physicals, and pap exams.

• Network And Connect With Your Support Staff

            Getting to know the clinic staff and communicating your needs can help minimize your    anxiety. Introduce yourself, smile and be cordiale. Find out if you will be working with       the same medical assistants on a daily basis or if you will have a new person with you.          Ask them what the standard routine is of the clinic and how they usually work with         healthcare practitioners. Communicate what your needs are and don’t be afraid to let       them know your weaknesses.

Following these tips will help to decrease your “Newbie” Locum Tenen jitters and quantum leap you forward to success. The more confident you feel with yourself, the better your assignment will be. Anxiety can be overcome ensuring you a happy and productive assignment.

“Experience is not what happens to a man, it is what a man does with what happens to him.”- Aldous Huxley

Who are we? MedCare Staffing is a small, veteran-owned, family-oriented team. We start every day with gratitude because we LOVE what we do! We are a team on a mission to make a positive difference in the lives of our clients and providers.

What we do: We place Physicians, Dentists & Advanced Practitioners in Locum Tenens, Contract Positions and Permanent Jobs

To contact MedCare Staffing, call 888.474.3380 or visit or website by clicking here!

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