What Is a Locum Tenens Physician Assistant?

Having locum tenens physicians in medical facilities is becoming a necessity in the U.S., especially with rural areas constantly suffering from a lack of staff.

While an increasing number of locum physicians is often available, the situation can be remedied with the help of locum tenens physician assistants.

These trained professionals can do the majority of a regular doctor’s work and greatly relieve pressure on existing staff and other nurse practitioners.

In this guide, we’ll explain what these locum PAs do in detail, the pros of such a position, and how to start a career as one.

Key Takeaways

Locum tenens PAs can fill staffing gaps, especially in underserved rural areas.
Locum PAs perform similar duties to regular PAs but with temporary contracts.
Benefits include networking, travel, flexibility, and higher pay, despite lacking benefits.
Becoming a locum PA requires a bachelor’s degree, clinical experience, and certification.

Table of Contents

What Is a Locum Tenens Physician Assistant?

Physician assistants are well-trained healthcare professionals who practice a wide range of medical operations in medical facilities under the supervision of a doctor.

When you add “locum tenens” to the name, it refers to a supplementary physician assistant who temporarily replaces an existing physician assistant.

Because of health industry growth, vacations, and burnout, it’s common for physicians to take some time off. However, the increased patient demand necessitates the existence of replacement to keep the process going.

Just like physicians, physician assistants can also become locum tenens.

What Do Locum Tenens Physician Assistants Do?

Locum PAs have the same job description as regular physician assistants. The only difference is that their contract’s period is limited (weeks to months), and they usually don’t have packages, benefits, or insurance.

As for what they do, their practice settings include but aren’t limited to:

Taking medical history and physically examining patients
Diagnosing and treating illnesses
Prescribing medications
Performing various medical procedures
Educating the patients on the best health practices
Emergency medicine and urgent care

Keep in mind that physicians must supervise most of the procedures performed by physician assistants. The “necessary supervision” aspect draws the line between regular physicians and physician assistants.

What Are the Advantages of Becoming a Locum Tenens Assistant?

Despite being a temporary job, there’s a lot you can get from working as a locum tenens PA:

1. Networking

Working in different settings and locations provides various networking experiences. Throughout the contract period, you can build a professional network to help your future job opportunities and career growth.

It’s also not uncommon for a locum tenen to receive a full-time contract. While it’s not guaranteed, if you like your work environment, try to excel and prove that you’re a valuable asset if you seek a long-term contract.

2. Traveling Opportunities

Working as a locum can be rewarding for those who are willing to move between cities or states. In fact, some people thrive on changing their work environment every now and then.

3. Flexibility (Sometimes)

Working as a locum often comes with more free time compared to long-term contracts.

However, this one isn’t always guaranteed, as some contracts may require you to be available on call, which means your free time is never 100% free.

4. Increased Payment

Locum tenens PAs usually get paid more than those with long-term contracts. According to ZipRecruiter, locum assistants average a decent $58 per hour or $120,000 a year.

This is to compensate for the lack of benefit packages, insurance, sign-up bonuses, retirement plan assistance, etc. Some contracts even provide housing and travel expenses.

5. Job Security

It’s a little odd to say that a temporary job is a secure one, but we’re not talking about a single temporary job; we’re talking about the locum tenens industry in general.

While not restricted to locum physician assistants, CHG Healthcare estimates that 52,000 physicians annually work as locums in the U.S.

In other words, your contract may not last long, but the abundance of locum tenens jobs will enable you to quickly find another one once the current one expires.

How to Become A Locum Tenens Physician Assistant?

Here’s a quick guide to becoming a locum assistant:

Step 1: Earn an Undergraduate Degree

Your first step is earning a Bachelor’s degree in a medical science-related field. Typically, you should aim for a bachelor of science degree in chemistry or biology or a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field.

Step 2: Gain Some Clinical Experience

Most PA schools require at least 1,000 hours of patient care experience (PCE) or healthcare experience (HCE).

You can get such experience from roles like:

Medical technician
Dental Assistant
Paramedic
Hospice worker
Phlebotomist

Step 3: Enroll in a PA Program

Accredited PA programs give you the knowledge you need to pass the national certifying exam. Such programs provide coursework in fields like:

Anatomy
Clinical therapeutics
Histology
General medicine principles

Note: The program you choose must be approved by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).

Step 4: Obtain Your License

Graduates from PA programs who hold accreditation from the ARC-PA have the chance to enter the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE).

Passing this test will earn you a PA license that is valid in all U.S. states. However, some states may require additional licensing, so keep that in mind.

Step 5: Register for Locum Tenens

With your license, you’re eligible to request to be considered by locum agencies like the National Association of Locum Tenens (NALTO).

The process is simple: you submit your papers and fill in your work preferences, and you’ll be contacted as soon as a locum tenens assignment role is available for you.

Final Words

Working as a locum, especially for a long time, can take your career as a physician assistant on a different path. Every PA has individual circumstances, and what works for someone else may not be the best fit for you.

If you’re on the fence regarding a PA locum career, contact us at Physicians Thrive so we can create a tailor-made solution for you. Our team of physicians has years worth of experience in whatever career path you take in medicine.

We’ll provide you with clear steps you need to take in your chosen medical career path, so you can financially thrive and save for a comfortable retirement.