What Is Locum in the Medical Field?

Locum is short for Locum Tenens. It’s a term used in the healthcare industry that refers to a professional who temporarily fills in for another.

A locums physician provides the same level of healthcare as the permanent health practitioners within an organization because, technically, they’re also qualified doctors or physician assistants.

However, the permanent staff may require time to accomplish personal goals despite long-term commitment, which is one of the reasons why health facilities utilize temporary work.

This physician’s guide to locum tenens will explain everything you need to know if you want to pursue life as a locum tenens physician.

Key Takeaways

Healthcare organizations utilize the services of locum tenens to account for shortages in their staff.
Locums are assigned their jobs through agencies according to their preferences after they register to be considered for the job.
You can become a locum after acquiring enough experience in your field and registering through a staffing company like the NALTO.

Table of Contents

Why Do Healthcare Organizations Hire Locum Tenens?

Locum tenens are useful to cover staff shortages, fill gaps during vacations or leaves, provide care in underserved areas, and handle sudden surges in patient volume.

It’s safe to say that the average hospital in the U.S. typically practices using locums.

According to a 2024 report by CHG Healthcare, locum tenens are hired primarily to meet the increased demand of patients. Here are some statistics:

40% of locums are hired to meet increased demand
28% are to support existing staff during peak hours
25% are to maintain regular services during the organization model transition
4% are to test or market a newly implemented service

Locum tenens also provide some pressure relief on medical staff, with 38% hired to provide coverage during vacations, 29% for maternity/paternity coverage, and 27% to cover for burned-out doctors.

How Does Locum Tenens Work?

Locum tenens work consists of three primary steps.

Here’s how a temporary healthcare professional can be assigned to an organization:

1. Job Posting

Healthcare facilities that require locum tenens inform the agencies about their temporary staffing needs, including the number of required staff and the departments that are currently understaffed.

2. Matchings

Agencies review their pool of registered professionals and match qualified candidates with suitable positions.

In most cases, the most heavily considered factors are specialization, availability, and location preferences.

3. Contract Agreement

Once a suitable match is found, the agency provides a contract to the qualified candidate.

The contract must clearly address payment terms coverage, as well as:

The employment duration
Benefits (if applicable)
Any other specific requirements proposed by the healthcare organization

The healthcare facility also verifies the locum’s credentials and licenses to ensure compliance with its regulations and standards.

This is to ensure that the quality of service provided by the locum is on par with the organization’s standards.

In some cases, this may include completing specific training or paperwork.

How to Become a Locum Tenant

We mentioned how an organization hires locums, but how can you, as a physician, become an eligible candidate for such a position?

Assuming you’ve already completed your undergraduate education and earned a bachelor’s degree, here is the typical locum tenens experience:

1. Internships

Internships help you decide the specialty you’d like to pursue as a locum or as a permanent doctor in an organization.

You can complete those during your undergraduate studies or after as you study to earn your medical degree.

2. Gain More Experience

Once you’re set on which specialty you’d like to pursue, you should gain more knowledge and experience about it.

Once you finish your medical school training, your residency will be an excellent opportunity for that.

Residency allows you to train while under the guidance of another practitioner in your specialty of choice.

You’ll gain familiarity, experience, skills, and résumé achievements.

3. Register in a Locum Tenens Placement Company

The next step is to contact locum agencies or staffing companies like the National Association Locum Tenens (NALTO) to be considered for temporary positions.

Typically, you’ll be requested to submit your credentials, license, work preferences, and any other information required by these agencies.

Once you finish registration, you’ll need to wait until you’re contacted.