subject: Locum Doctor Integral To Medical Fraternity [print this page] Healthcare sector always has a great demand of skilful resources or qualified doctors throughout the year due to its nature of business. Locum doctors are like freelancers who hop around from one hospital or health care unit to another depending on personal requirements. In fact, the term locum tenens doctor is Latin in origin and it means to stand-in or substitute. Locum work is inseparable from the healthcare world given the fact that mortality and morbidity rates have drastically dropped in the last few decades. It is also believed that about 50-80% of the average total health workforces in hospitals are locum doctors. And majority of these doctors are hired through locum recruitment agencies specializing in locum placement in various positions. Fresh medical graduates who are in the lookout for a medical career are the most locum doctors because these temporary experiences in different hospitals and areas of medicine allow them the opportunity to learn and choose the right career path. Therefore, a locum doctor is an indispensable part of the medical community because they act as temporary substitutes for understaffed hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Hospitals and other private healthcare facility work under pressure all the time and devoid of holidays or working hours especially emergency. On the other hand, regular doctors or senior residents may need to go on leave, vacation or possibly suffer from some illnesses. In these situations locum doctors are roped in to fill-in the vacancy temporarily and hence it works as a win-win situation for both the parties. Interestingly, nearly 40% of the locum doctors are seasoned doctors who chose the work purely due to its flexibility. As a matter of fact, almost all the hospitals, nursing homes, HMOs, physician practice management companies and solo practitioners need the help of locum doctors to meet their medical demands. The rapid increase in the number of locum recruitment agencies across the globe is a clear indication of the thriving demands for locum doctors.
The shortage of medical staff in the health care sector in the UK has opened doors to locum doctors searching for careers in medicine. First Call Medical, a leading recruitment agency specializes in short term and permanent locum recruitment in the UK. Most of these locum doctor agencies offers employment opportunities in a wide range of positions namely- Locum fy2 positions, consultants, senior house officers, registrar jobs and/or surgical jobs. The job of a locum doctor is full of challenges given the fact that he/she often put to work with unfamiliar doctors, different practice styles, expectations and ethical cultures. At times, the locum doctor may also face bear the brunt of being one-the job at hand may fail to fulfil the promises made through the recruitment agencies like expecting more than what was agreed during the hiring process. So, a locum work is an interesting and learning yet challenging one. Why wait, start now. Search your web browser for the best Locum Agencies and live up your medical career.
