In today's global medical and health care economy, professionals are becoming increasingly mobile in their jobs. Because of this, as well as situations such as attrition from downsizing and restructuring of institutions and programs, more and more employers are filling staffing needs through a concept known as Locum Tenens.
Merriam-Webster defines locum tenens as "One filling an office for a time or temporarily taking the place of another. ..."
This concept is used in the medical, health care and clergy fields, among others.
The typical locum tenens scenario involves a relationship between an agency (the "broker"), the professional and a facility willing to take on temporary help. The agency is usually responsible for securing employment contracts, performs the day-to-day administrative duties of license procurement and maintenance, payroll to the employee, and provision of insurances and confirmation of continuing education.
Physicians as Locum Tenens
According to Trey Davis, executive vice president of the Texas-based company Staff Care, the professionals that are most heavily involved in the use of locum tenens are physicians. Doctors who are "semi-retired," have no family constraints or are single are frequent participants in these programs. Many physicians have recently retired from an existing practice, and are in their late fifties or sixties Often their commitments are for a predetermined number of weeks and can be subject to extensions or reassignments.
Mid-level Providers as Locum Tenens
More and more mid-level providers are making use of locum tenens relationships with health care facilities. This group is typically comprised of nurses, nurse anesthetists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and physical therapists. More and more specialties are being added to these ranks as health care and employment dynamics change.
Clergy as a Locum Tenens
It has been in practice for some time that priests and other clergy members utilize the locum tenens blueprint for staffing churches. The concept of locum tenens positions is not unique to the Catholic religion. Religious sects such as Baptists, Methodists, and Lutherans all utilize the locum tenens model to distribute pastors, reverends and the like to churches and parishes in need of short- to long-term staffing help.
In the Catholic religion, it is not uncommon for priests to rotate to various parishes in areas where the population is under-served in this regard. In some instances, one priest can cover several parishes, or even combine two or more into one larger entity. In Eastern and Western Orthodox Christian cultures, the concept of locum tenens has been around for some time, and used regularly.
Typical service Terms of a Locum Tenens
It is understood that locum tenens professionals are temporary personnel utilized by institutions to fill short- to long-term needs. Those needs may arise from vacations, attrition from retirement and layoffs, maternity leaves or illness.
A typical service contract between a physician locum tenens agency and a health care facility can range from a long weekend to a year in duration, according to LocumTenensJobs.com. Many agencies have agreements with facilities for automatic extensions of favored employees.
Financial Advantages of a Locum Tenens Relationship
A locum tenens relationship between a health care facility and a professional is typically a win-win situation for both parties, according to information from LocumTenensJobs.com. The professional benefits from many things: personal freedom to choose assignments and locales, lack of administrative and licensure headaches as the are typically handled by the agency, weekly pay in many instances and paid continuing education, to name a few.
The facility benefits in that they are not "hiring" this individual, therefore there is no burden from the standpoint of payroll, benefits, retirement and health insurance. It is usually a straight business write-off for the facility. Additionally, the facility has no obligation to retain the individual after the completed assignment.
Member Comments