Survey: 10% of Hospitalists Work as Locum Tenens

A new national survey of Hospitalists shows one in ten working as locum tenens and doing so, for the most part, in addition to full-time employment.

The findings come from a first-ever survey of Hospitalists regarding their locum tenens work patterns. The survey was conducted for Locum Leaders, a national locum tenens company specializing in hospitalist jobs, in conjunction with Today’s Hospitalist magazine.

The survey found that 10% of respondents worked as locum tenens in the past 12 months. Of those Hospitalist locum tenens, 82% said they were employed full-time and also working as a locum. 11% said they were self-employed?working exclusively as a locum tenens hospitalist, while 7% said they were employed part-time and also working locum tenens assignments.

It is common for locum tenens physicians to be drawn from the ranks of salaried doctors. But employed hospitalists, even more than other specialists, may be more inclined to take on locum work, according to Robert Harrington, MD, SFHM, Chief Medical Officer of Locum Leaders.

“Hospital Medicine shift patterns are the biggest reason,” said Dr. Harrington. “Since most hospitalist programs rely on a 7-on, 7-off schedule, you end up with a large population of doctors who have a lot of time-off. They want to use that time productively and so they come to agencies, like Locum Leaders, for additional work.”

Age and financial goals may also play a role, according to Dr. Harrington. As a relatively new specialty, Hospital Medicine skews toward younger practitioners. Because younger doctors have a larger student debt burden, they are more likely to seek supplemental income sources.

The survey supports Dr. Harrington’s contention. Of the Hospitalists who had worked as a locum within the past year, 77% cited “compensation” as a primary motivation.

Hospital Medicine is the nation’s fastest growing medical specialty, and Hospitalists are the number one locum tenens hiring need at U.S. hospitals. A total of 750 Hospitalists responded to the survey.

Click here to download complete survey results.