How Do Hospital Executives Feel About Locum Tenens Agencies And Traveling Physicians?

I recently wrote about my experiences as a traveling physician and how to navigate locum tenens work. Today I want to talk about the client (in this case, hospital) side of the equation. I’ve had the chance to speak with several executives (some were physicians themselves) about the overall process of hiring and managing temporary physicians. What I heard wasn’t pretty. I thought I’d summarize their opinions in the form of a mock composite interview to protect their anonymity – I’m hoping that locum MDs and agencies alike can learn from this very candid discussion. Dr. Val: How do you feel about Locum Tenens agencies? Executive: They’re a necessary evil. We are desperate to fill vacancies and they find doctors for us. But they know we are desperate and they take full advantage of that. Dr. Val: What do you mean? Executive: They charge very high hourly rates, and they don’t care about finding the right fit for the job. They seem to have no interest in matching physician temperament with hospital culture. They are only interested in billable hours and warm bodies, unfortunately. But we know this going in. Dr. Val: Do you try to screen the candidates yourself before they begin work at your hospital? Executive: Yes, we carefully review all their CVs and we interview them over the phone. Dr. Val: So does that help with finding better matches? Executive: Not really. Everyone looks good on paper and they sound competent on the phone. You onl...
Source: Better Health - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Tags: Expert Interviews Advice Healthcare Policy Hospital Executives Hospital Staffing Locum Tenens Locum Tenens Agency Poor Matches Problems Retired Physicians Salary Seekers Traveling Physicians Trends Unhappy Vacation Money Source Type: blogs