obi_jon...
I worked in the mental health field in the USA for 20+ years.
In my experience, the use of Locums, short for Locum Tenens,
which is Latin for 'place holder', has been on the rise lately,
especially in the last few years, when managed care has made
sufficient changes, in both the demands placed on prescribers,
and the salaries they are paid, that it is much more difficult
to locate full-time doctors who are willing to commit to full
time positions.
The description you have given is precisely how it works in
the USA, with the following qualifications:
In the USA, the term Locum Tenens is restricted to doctors,
or those who can fill their positions. For example, in the
field of mental health, psychiatrists (doctors), nurse
practitioners and physicians assistants are able to prescribe
medications, which is the key issue in the positions they fill.
So all of these positions can be filled by Locum Tenens,
though the advertised positions are much more likely to
focus on the doctors, since both nurse practitioners and
physicians assistants are required to work under the direct
supervision of an actual doctor, and this is the level of
practice most sought after.
The same parameters apply to these titles in the field of
medicine, as well.
The company I worked for (a mental health company) both
solicited references from agencies specializing in the
placement of Locum Tenens, and advertised in local and
nationwide newspapers and websites for persons to fill
this role in the company.
As for nurses, physiotherapists and other such specialties
(occupational therapist) which do not write prescriptions
or supervise other practitioners, these would not be
listed or solicited by 'locum tenen agencies' in the USA.
Rather, they would be registered with, and solicited from
a 'nursing pool', a 'home health agency' or similar types
of agencies, specializing in these types of services.
There are also agencies which specialize in locating and
hiring other specialties, such as radiologists,
anesthesiologists, cardiologists and pulmonologists.
The fact that the use of Locum Tenens is on the rise is
borne out by this article on the American Mecical News
website, by staff writer Jay Greene:
"With experts now saying the nation is facing a growing
shortage of specialists, locum tenens companies say demand
and pay are increasing for anesthesiologists, radiologists,
cardiologists, pulmonologists, psychiatrists and other
specialists."
...and...
"'We can't find enough psychiatrists to fill the jobs,'
said Scott Webb, vice president of psychiatry for Staff
Care. 'It is an especially hard market for child
psychiatrists.'"
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2001/01/29/prl10129.htm
An excellent dissertation of the experiences of an individual
who has chosen the lifestyle of a Locum Tenens is the following
page from the 'American Academy of Family Physicians' website,
entitled 'A Physician's Guide to Locum Tenens', and written by
William T. Cushing, MD, MBA:
"Physicians are always asking me what the locum tenens
experience is like. Some are simply curious; others
think they may want to try it someday after closing
their practices or as a means of evaluating future
practice opportunities. Very simply, locum tenens
work consists of a physician working temporarily in
another practice, not his or her own. That practice
may be in the physician's hometown or even in another
state. The practice demands may include clinic or
hospital care or a combination of both. Typically
practices using "locums" are in more remote areas
where the local supply of physicians cannot accommodate
a vacancy. Locum tenens work is designed to fill these
vacancies on an interim basis. Assignments can vary in
length from just a few weeks to many months."
Much more on the page:
http://www.aafp.org/fpm/990200fm/41.html
Additional reasons for adventurous doctors to explore a
Locum Tenens practice are discussed on this page from
the StudentDoc site, and include travel and the ability
to experience the ambience of different sorts of medical
practices:
"There are two main reasons for a young physician to practice
medicine this way. First, Locum Tenens gives you the option
of trying out different medical practices. Most medical
students and residents don't learn about different types of
medical practices, so when they finish residency it's hard
to know where to go. With locum tenens you try out different
types of practices - or even the practice you think you want
to join - before committing to a long-term contract."
"The second reason you might take a Locum Tenens position is
that you want to travel. These positions open up anywhere in
the country, and you can get up and go there. This often means
the Locum Tenens spots are filled by young, mobile physicians
who can uproot themselves for a few months or year at a time."
http://www.studentdoc.com/locum-tenens.html
Much of the information above was drawn from my own experience
with the healthcare system in the United States. The rest is
available as a result of searches on Google.
Please do not rate this answer until you are satisfied that
the answer cannot be improved upon by way of a dialog
established through the "Request for Clarification" process.
A user's guide on this topic is on skermit-ga's site, here:
http://www.christopherwu.net/google_answers/answer_guide.html#how_clarify
sublime1-ga
Additional information can be gleaned from further exploration
of the links provided above, as well as those resulting from the
Google searches, outlined below.
Searches done, via Google:
"locum tenens"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22locum+tenens%22 |
