Survey

Physicians Turning to Locum Tenens to Improve Work Conditions, Relieve Burnout

Many Would Return to Permanent Positions If Conditions Right

DALLAS, April 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Physicians and advanced practice professionals are opting for the flexibility of temporary, “locum tenens” work in order to improve job conditions and address feelings of burnout, according to a new survey by AMN Healthcare, the nation’s leading healthcare workforce solutions company.

Latin for “to hold a place,” locum tenens refers to physicians and other clinicians who work on temporary assignments that can range from a few days to up to a year. The survey asked physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) who recently have worked as locum tenens why they do so. The number one reason, cited by 86% of those surveyed, was to obtain a better work schedule. The second reason, cited by 80%, was to address feelings of burnout.

“During the COVID pandemic, healthcare professionals began to rethink how, when and where they work,” said Jeff Decker, President of AMN Healthcare’s Physician Solutions division. “Locum tenens offer relief from the long, inflexible work hours and onerous bureaucratic duties that often cause dissatisfaction and burnout among physicians and other healthcare providers. Locum tenens providers also offer staffing flexibility for hospitals and other healthcare facilities.”

Close to half of those surveyed (47%) said that locum tenens work is more satisfying than working in a permanent position, while only 12% said that a permanent position is more satisfying than locum tenens. Ninety-five percent rated their morale level working locum tenens is either high or moderate, while only 5% rated their morale level as low.

Schedule Flexibility a Key for Today’s Healthcare Providers

Despite their relatively positive feelings about locum tenens, the survey indicates that many physicians, NPs and PAs would return to permanent positions if conditions were right. Forty-five percent of those surveyed said they would stop working locum tenens and return to a permanent position if schedules, compensation and other practice conditions were favorable, while a similar number (43%) said they would stick to locum tenens.

“Many physicians and other healthcare professionals feel they are being pushed from permanent positions by unsatisfactory work conditions,” Decker said. “To get them back, employers should offer practice conditions that appeal to today’s providers."

Increasingly, this means schedule flexibility, according to Decker. Virtually all of those surveyed (97%) rated “freedom/flexibility” as a most rewarding or moderately rewarding aspect of locum tenens. The survey indicates that 52% of locum tenens physicians, NPs and PAs are women, who often seek schedule flexibility and work/life balance due to their dual roles as professionals and family caregivers.