Consider Indian Health Service as a Locum Tenens Opportunity
The U.S. government provides medical care to almost 50% of the nation’s 3 million American Indians and native Alaskans through the Indian Health Service (IHS) and they are always in need of locum physicians to fill numerous vacancies across the country. As most of us are aware, the Indian nation struggles with poverty, high rates of alcoholism, diabetes, obesity and depression and their communities struggle to properly teach and communicate health education. The IHS states that at any given time, they have a 20% + vacancy rate for physicians, and the greatest need is for primary care physicians. IHS contracts typically last from two to six months, and many physicians who complete one assignment successfully are welcomed back with open arms. Licensing and credentialing are often straightforward and in most cases, an unrestricted state license will qualify you to practice at IHS facilities.
Upon arrival on the reservation, many physicians are surprised to find new facilities with state-of-the-art conditions and technology. In addition, many reservations are surrounded by incredible natural beauty so for locums who love the outdoors, this type of assignment might be right up your alley. Best of all are the opportunities to serve those in real need and also work in a culture different than your own . If you like the idea of being able to give back and work with an underserved population in a new culture, then an IHS assignment might be just what you are looking for.
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Introducing LocumsPractice – Everything You Need to Work Locums
From time to time, I may reserve the right to shamelessly promote products from the company I work for. This blog post just happens to be one of those times! This week our company is launching LocumsPractice, a new online technology solution that helps physicians manage their locum tenens assignments. For the first time, locum tenens physicians are able to easily manage their assignments from start to finish including the ability to:
- find locum assignments and negotiate contracts online
- manage, maintain and share your credentials
- obtain daily-rate, occurrence-funded malpractice insurance
- create a public profile and post your availability
- manage timesheets, expenses and invoices
- handle travel arrangements
When using the LocumsPractice technology, you can command a higher pay rate, and the LocumsPractice solution makes it easy. Basic Memberships to LocumsPractice are FREE so check out this new solution today by visiting www.locumspractice.com.
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Using Social Networks to Locate Your Next Locum Assignment
Think LinkedIn and Facebook are just for staying in touch with family and friends? Think again! Over 350 hospitals are using these social networking sites and both can help you identify open locum positions in hospitals and practices across the country. LinkedIn not only provides a way to identify open positions, but gives you up-to-date info on a prospective practice, hospital, or recruitment firm which can help you align yourself with an opportunity that matches your training and experience. In addition, there are online groups you can join to help you network with other physicians and healthcare providers.
Facebook is the largest and oldest social network with over 400 million members. You can join networks organized by workplace, school, geography etc. Hospitals are using Facebook to post news, videos and announce events, and both Facebook and LinkedIn allow you to update your status so you can announce that you are looking for a new locum position and where.
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Top 20 Most Beautiful Hospitals
As locum physicians you have the opportunity to travel all over this country (and even the world) and you’ve undoubtedly worked in some really nice facilities along the way. If you are looking for your next locum assignment, you might want to take a look at the list of the top 20 most beautiful hospitals as ranked by Soliant Health. Over 10,000 people voted on the Soliant website for the most aesthetically pleasing hospitals inside and out. Here’s a list of the top 20…maybe your next locum assignment is on the list!
- Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, CA
- Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, Detroit, MI
- Metro Health Hospital, Wyoming, MI
- Union Hospital, Terre Haute, IN
- Sherman Hospital, Elgin, IL
- St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, San Martin Campus, Las Vegas, NV
- Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, Orlando, FL
- Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, Williamsburg, VA
- Providence Alaska Medical Center, Anchorage, AL
- Dixie Regional Medical Center, St. George, UT
- Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
- Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey, CA
- Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Roanoke, VA
- The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
- Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, Springfield, OR
- Woodwinds Health Campus, Woodbury, MN
- Hospital for Special Surgery, NYC, NY
- Medical University of South Carolina, Ashley River Tower, Charleston, SC
- (tie) Clarion North Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN / University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora,CO
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Thinking of Selling Your Practice and Working Locums?
Had thoughts lately of selling your practice and retiring? Or selling your practice and working locums? In Jackson and Coker’s April, 2010 Industry Report, they have a short article on how to prep your practice in order to sell it.If you’re thinking about selling, you need to start the whole process two to three years before your prospective sell date to give yourself time to get financial records in order, plan your transition, and spruce up the place. By giving yourself plenty of time to get organized, think things through and develop a plan, you will have a much better chance of having the sale go smoothly. Once you’ve sold the practice, it’s time to think about all those things you’d like to do in your retirement or all those places you’d like to travel as a locum!
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Healthcare Reform…How Will it Affect You?
It’s been several months now since President Obama signed the historic healthcare reform bill. Within a week of the signing, MedScape posted a poll to see what effect most physicians felt the legislation would have on their practices. Here’s how it came out:
Strongly positive effect – 21%
Somewhat positive effect – 16%
Somewhat negative effect – 8%
Strongly negative effect – 37%
Uncertain – 15%
Now that some time has passed and the political tempest has died down a little, has your opinion changed on how the reform will affect your practice? Are you putting plans into place to position your practice any differently to get ready for healthcare reform in the next few years?
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Making Lemonade Out of Lemons
Seems like this week’s blog posts have been focused on stress. I guess that’s because I’ve talked to several physicians lately who are more than a little disenchanted with the way the world of medicine is headed. Let’s face it, we are looking at the greatest changes and challenges to healthcare in decades, compounded by physician shortages and slow or declining reimbursements. That’s enough to make anyone depressed about the future of medicine. But what if you were to lose your job tomorrow? What would you do? Where would you go? Would you consider a career change? Would you choose to be a physician again or completely change your life? These are the questions a handful of ad agency employees asked themselves when they were suddenly laid off during this current recession and period of high unemployment. The layoffs and subsequent life changes of the laid off workers are beautifully documented in a movie called Lemonade. The movie gives you a chance to share in their lives and the changes they made in order to discover their true passions. Take just 35 minutes to watch this movie and ask yourself how you can incorporate more of what you love every day. It just might make all the difference in how you practice medicine or live your personal life.
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Stressed to the Max? Thinking of Working Locums Instead?
Do physicians have the most stressful job in America? This article on MDSearch.com suggests that “because physicians are often overachievers and perfectionists, their stress stems from the occasional failures that every physician eventually faces. Add to that the increased demand by patients, battles with insurance companies, changing government legislation, malpractice concerns, and the burden of medical school debt – and it’s no wonder today’s physicians are experiencing stress levels unimaginable to most people.” If you are feeling the stress, maybe now is the time to consider the freedom working locum tenens assignments might bring. Have you considered working locums as an antidote to the every day stress you experience?
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When the Economy Goes Down, Demand for Psychiatrists Goes Up
Demand for psychiatrists is growing faster than for other medical specialties, according to Merritt Hawkins, the physician search division of AMN Healthcare Services Inc. The company noted 179 requests for psychiatrists between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2010 — up 47% from the previous year and up 121% from three years ago.
“When the economy goes down, mental health problems tend do go up,” said Merritt Hawkins President Mark Smith. “But there is more to the rising demand for psychiatrists than the recession. A combination of factors is driving a psychiatrist shortage that could soon reach crisis levels. More than half of all psychiatrists are 55 or older and nearing retirement age while fewer medical school graduates are showing an interest in psychiatry. Overall, demand for psychiatric services is expected to increase by 19% from 1995 to 2020.
As we know, a shortage of physicians in a particular specialty usually means the demand for locums in that specialty rises, so all you psychiatrists out there, here’s your chance to take advantage of a trend that could put extra dollars in your wallet.
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Social Media Consults…Helpful or Dangerous?
As locum physicians, traveling to new facilities may leave you feeling like you don’t have an established network of colleagues to consult with on a regular basis. Have you instead reached out to a social media medical network to consult other physicians on diagnoses and treatments for your patients? The rise of social media networking has led to the birth of a number of sites available to physicians to network and lend advice and consultation on cases. But taking patient information to sites such as Sermo, Medscape, Physician Connect, and Ozmosis may put you and your patient’s data at risk.
So, here are some reminders if you are a user of medical social networks:
- Only disclose information on an HIPAA-compliant site
- Make sure that the disclosure is absolutely necessary. In other words, could you get help from those immediately around you instead?
- Ensure that your case descriptions do not contain HIPAA-protected identifiers. In fact, use as little identifying information as possible.
Social networks can be very useful tools for physicians while working on locum assignment or when working in remote areas in particular, but remember, to take care and be responsible in what you post to ensure patient privacy.
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