Should you become a locum doctor right out of residency? These questions can help you decide whether the locum life is ideal for you.

<p>
  Should you become a locum doctor right out of residency? It depends. Take 
  a moment to consider your career goals, personal priorities, personality,
   and disposition. If you value freedom, flexibility, adventure, novelty, 
   and independence, locum tenens might be right for you. However, if you 
   treasure comfort, security, routine, closeness and familiarity, a permanent 
   position might be your best bet. Of course, knowing whether the locum lifestyle 
   is the best fit is impossible until you try. The good news is if you change 
   your mind, it’s temporary! You’ve got nothing to lose. You can add your 
   locum tenens assignments to your resume as valuable experience. 
  And you might even find your dream job through locum-to-perm work.
</p>

<h2>Becoming a Locum Doctor Right After Residency</h2>
<p> These questions can help you decide whether becoming a locum tenens doctor 
  right after you finish your residency is ideal for you. 
</p>

<h3>Do you want to maximize your earnings?</h3>
<p> Want to pay down your medical school loans aggressively, save up to open a private 
  practice, build a home, or buy a new car? Would you like to put money toward 
  retirement now so you can put your dollars to work early and grow your wealth 
  exponentially over time? As a locum doctor, you can maximize your earning potential 
  and get more value for your work. Locum tenens positions pay exceptionally well, 
  and physicians who make a career out of locums make an outstanding living. 
  <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/locum-tenens-salary-and-pay?" target="_blank">
  Locum jobs pay more</a> because, as independent contractors, locum doctors don’t receive many 
  of the traditional benefits associated with permanent, salaried positions. Further, 
  facilities are willing to pay even more for high-demand specialties and providers 
  who can rapidly mobilize to cover patient surges or provider shortages.
</p>

<h3>Are you interested in traveling?</h3>
<p>Are you yearning for a vacation after the stress of completing med school and 
  your residency? If you’re like most young professionals, you’ve likely got a 
  case of wanderlust. The locum lifestyle allows you to BOTH fulfill these 
  desires AND get started on your career. While the rest of your colleagues 
  dive into a demanding permanent position and settle into the daily grind, 
  you can enjoy the luxury of pairing work and travel. If you partner with 
  an experienced, well-established locum tenens agency, they will have 
  opportunities in exciting locations across the country. Plus, your 
  locum tenens agency will cover your travel and housing costs and make 
  the arrangements for you! Additionally, travel is now easier than ever 
  for doctors through the 
  <a href="https://www.imlcc.org/" target="_blank">Interstate Medical Licensure</a> 
  Compact. This agreement makes the locum lifestyle much more accessible for new 
  physicians. Nearly 75% of states currently participate in the 
  <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/interstate-medical-licensure-compact-updates-for-2024" target="_blank">compact</a>. 
  It gives you a faster 
  pathway to licensure, allowing you to practice in multiple states more easily. 

</p>

<h3>Is personal wellness a priority for you?</h3>
<p>Gen X and Gen Z doctors have watched older doctors struggle through COVID 
  stress and physician burnout. Perhaps that’s why Gen X “culture is more supportive 
  of physician wellness … Practicing at a facility with a culture that encourages 
  taking time off for family leave, personal renewal, or compassionate leave helps 
  keep physicians’ wellness in check. The older, more traditional ways of working 
  haven’t always been healthy for providers” (<a href="https://www.healthecareers.com/career-resources/on-the-job/millennial-physicians-setting-healthier-work-life-balance" target="_blank">Health eCareers</a>).
  As for Gen Z, these individuals are also “dedicated to overall personal wellness—but 
  everything it encompasses, including economic security, nutrition, fitness, 
  sleep and stress management 
  (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9868762/" target="_blank">Frontiers in Public Health</a>). 
  The locum lifestyle can help new Gen 
  X and Z doctors check all these boxes and tap into a healthy balance of career 
  and personal time.
</p>

<h3>Do you place a high value on independence?</h3>
<p> Nearly all locum tenens physicians are self-employed. Rather than being 
  considered W-2 employees, they are classified as 1099 independent contractors 
  by the IRS. This means they enjoy the autonomy of being unattached to an 
  employer. This independence may appeal to the unconventional nature of Gen 
  X and Y professionals who value their freedom and individuality. Being an 
  independent contractor, however, does come with a caveat: you must pay 
  <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/2024-tax-guide-for-locum-tenens-providers?" target="_blank">quarterly 
  estimated taxes</a> and ensure you have health insurance coverage. On the other hand, 
  one of the perks of being self-employed is that you can deduct certain expenses, 
  like your health insurance payments, home office, cell phone use, scrubs, 
  licensing fees, and more. 
</p>

<h3>Do you want to learn from various care teams and facilities?</h3>
<p> As a locum doctor, each team and facility you work with will have its own 
  treatment protocols and methodologies. This can help you expand your knowledge 
  base and experience immediately after residency. Instead of working for the same 
  organization, you’ll be able to learn various approaches. You’ll also be able to 
  adapt to new settings quickly, so if and when you decide to settle down, 
  getting used to your permanent position will be a piece of cake. As a locum 
  doctor, you’ll build collaborative skills, expand your professional network, 
  and broaden your clinical experience. As you grow in your locum career, you 
  can develop cultural competence and collect best practices that will inform 
  your practice standards, morals and ethics for a lifetime.
</p>

<h3>Is a flexible schedule at the top of your wish list?</h3>
<p> According to our recent survey, nearly 70% of providers choose to work locum 
  tenens for the flexible scheduling the arrangement affords. As a locum doctor, 
  you can work nights only, no nights at all, weekends only, no weekends at all. 
  You can take holidays off and schedule time for yourself, your friends and 
  your family. You can select locum tenens assignments of any length, 
  whether that’s days, weeks or even months. You will be able to 
  <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/7-steps-to-building-a-locums-schedule-that-fits-your-lifestyle" target="_blank">
  set up a calendar</a> in advance, communicate your needs with your recruiter and pick 
  and choose assignments that work best for you.
</p>

<h3>Do you want to make a difference by caring for patients who need you most?</h3>
<p>Facilities in low-density rural and high-density urban areas often need locum 
  tenens support. It’s the same with 
  <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/top-10-ways-you-can-make-a-difference-as-a-locum-tenens-provider" target="_blank">underserved patient populations</a> 
  like Veterans, 
  Indigenous communities, and unhoused children and families. If you got into healthcare 
  to improve the lives of others, consider how locum tenens work can expand your reach 
  and ability to provide care for these patients. You might consider caring for 
  patients in mental health facilities, community clinics, government health, 
  and academic centers. Chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, 
  depression, hypertension, and kidney disease are higher among many underserved 
  patients. Imagine the difference you could make caring for these individuals 
  as a locum. 
</p>

<h2>What Providers Have to Say About Working Locum Tenens</h2>
<p> Seeing what other clinicians say may be helpful in deciding whether to 
  embark on a locum tenens adventure. Here’s what anonymous respondents to our 
 <a href="https://cdn.builder.io/o/assets/ec23c65f480b4f8699dc832816bf2973/878b4d0221974c06be99c8dca9381269?alt=media&&token=0cbc12e6-8b9a-45f1-b99a-a1d691a6cb7f&&apiKey=ec23c65f480b4f8699dc832816bf2973" target="_blank"> 
 Cross Country Locums survey</a> of physicians and advanced practice providers had 
  to say about working locum tenens:
</p>

<p><i>“The regular staff knows all the common pathways to get things done, but locums, after a few years, have a much broader level of experience and are frequently better trained.”</i></p>
<p><i>“Locums must be flexible and at the top of their game to drop into a practice and fill the need present. They also provide valuable insights gleaned from other practices.”</i></p>
<p><i>“[Locum tenens] allows me to stay in touch with changes in medicine.”</i></p>
<p><i>“Hospitals see our value as traveling providers.”</i></p>
<p><i>“My scope of  practice became broader due to the hospital needs and amounted to more breadth  of experience.”</i></p>

<h2>The Many Benefits of Working Locum Tenens</h2>
<p>There are countless benefits of being a locum doctor. Locum tenens work can help 
  you learn where you fit into the vast healthcare landscape. You can try different 
  settings and see whether you prefer practicing in hospitals, ambulatory surgery 
  centers, private practices, clinics, nursing facilities, home health, telehealth, 
  government health, etc. You can learn whether you’d like to care for infants, 
  children, young adults, seniors, or patients of all ages. As you practice 
  alongside other providers in different facilities across the country you can 
  learn treatments and procedures you might not have been exposed to otherwise. 
  You won’t have to deal with the administrative burdens and workplace politics 
  of being in a permanent position. You’ll also be less likely to burn out because 
  you’ll enjoy plenty of variety in new locations, patients, and colleagues.
</p>

<p> Best of all, if you work with a trusted locum tenens agency, you’ll have a 
  team of experts on your side to help. Your recruiter can access various opportunities 
  and line up your next assignment before you even finish your current one. 
</p>

<p>Ready to dive in? <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/locums" target="_blank">Start now</a>. 
</p>

Locum Doctor Post-Residency

Cross Country

locums

Locum Life Right Out of Residency

/travel

Locums

Investors

per-diem

home health

executive

Permanent

clients

Disclosure

travel

investors

education

Corporate Careers

home-health

News + Insights

permanent

Clients

Disclosures 

CC-Footer

NURSING + ALLIED

PHYSICIANS + APPs

NON-CLINICAL

MORE JOBS

CORPORATE JOBS

MORE PROFESSIONALS

CONTACT US

SOLUTIONS

TECHNOLOGY

ABOUT

FAQs

RESOURCES

Main Navigation

Nav V2

Social-Icons