Working Locum Tenens Jobs during the Holidays

Locum tenens physicians know that a few months prior to any major holiday they will be presented with enticing offers to work the holiday shifts. Emergencies don’t wait for you to finish your Thanksgiving turkey or sing one more Christmas carol to arise. Someone has to tend to shifts that leave most Emergency departments and hospitals short-handed. So how do locum tenens physicians handle spending the holidays away from their families?

Full time locum tenens physicians have the benefit of dictating their schedules months in advance. So when it comes to scheduling around the holidays some have made the best of the situation. Locum tenens can present unique opportunities in areas some typically don’t tend to explore. If you live in a warm climate and miss having a white Christmas, consider taking an assignment where the chances for a wintry holiday season are favorable. In reverse, if you have had enough of the freezing temperatures, jump on the locum tenens opportunity that allows you to work in a warmer climate.

As many locum tenens physicians will tell you, being open minded and flexible to opportunities makes you a favorable candidate for a wealth of opportunities. So when your locum tenens physician recruiter calls with an assignment in an area that you and your family have always wanted to visit, make the best of the situation. Take your family on a much needed vacation during the holidays and work some of the travel and lodging into the locum tenens assignment. In today’s economy saving a few dollars and earning a salary are tough to pass up. Celebrate the holiday with your family the day before or after your shift and enjoy a relaxing family vacation afterwards.

Some locum tenens physicians have made a tradition out of celebrating either before or after the holiday with their family. This gives some family members a chance to slow down their holiday pace and accomplish so many of the tasks we find ourselves overwhelmed with during the holiday season.

If you can’t take advantage of bringing your family with you, consider accepting a locum tenens assignment in a facility you have worked several shifts in. Being familiar with the staff can make working a holiday shift more tolerable. Often times the staff will celebrate in some way during the shift by bringing in food, exchanging gifts and making the day special.

Taking on holiday shifts and developing a reputation for being a flexible locum tenens physician will become valuable assets in your locum tenens career. Not only are there huge financial advantages to working locum tenens holiday shifts, some physicians find it extremely rewarding to offer patients the benefit of having a physician who is focused on their needs as opposed to a physician who is burnt out and overworked. No one wants to find themselves in the Emergency Room on a holiday but it happens, as a locum tenens physician you can make their visit as pleasant as possible.

Amy Cline is the author of this article on physician locum tenens. Find more information, about physician recruitment here