Is a career on the road beneficial for a clinician with a family? The answer may surprise you. Keep reading to find out how locums work affects your family.
4 Ways Locums Work Affects Your Family
1. Better Work-Life Balance
It’s no secret that healthcare worker burnout is on the rise among America’s clinicians. A 2019 report from the National Academy of Medicine, one of the country’s most prestigious medical institutions, found that as many as half of the country’s doctors and nurses experience substantial symptoms of burnout (e.g., recurring sickness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, cynicism). With mounting pressure to see more patients, increased government interference and more non-patient centered duties, it is little wonder that healthcare workers are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the profession.
Nonetheless, innumerable studies have found that clinicians who maintain a work-life balance are physically, mentally and emotionally healthier. In other words, they are more immune to the effects of healthcare worker burnout. Locums work provides an ideal way to achieve the desired balance between professional and personal obligations. Since locum clinicians choose when and where they will work, they are able to schedule their professional life around important family events and commitments. Furthermore, the reduction in work-related stress means a happier, more engaged clinician at home.
Locums Work Benefit: Locum clinicians advance their careers while having more time and energy to devote to their families.
2. Additional Income
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Expenditures on Children by Families, 2015, “middle-income, married-couple parents of a child born in 2015 may expect to spend $233,610 ($284,570 if projected inflation costs are factored in) for food, shelter, and other necessities to raise a child through age 17. This does not include the cost of a college education.” While overwhelming when viewed as one lump sum, this statistic confirms what most parents already know. Having a family is a substantial financial commitment.
Clinicians contemplating locums work often assume that the “non-traditional” nature of this employment model means low pay, a strong deterrent for anyone with a family to support. However, nothing could be further from the truth. While total compensation will vary based on specialty and location, locum clinicians can expect to earn a higher hourly rate than their full-time, permanently-placed counterparts. Furthermore, since locum clinicians work in a variety of practice settings, they quickly acquire the skills and experiences that merit higher compensation in the job market. In essence, it is a career choice that pays dividends now and in the future.
Locums Work Benefit: Locum clinicians earn a competitive salary that helps them financially support their family.
3. Cultural Exploration
Let’s face it. One of the biggest allures of locums work is the opportunity to work where you want to vacation. Whether you’re dreaming of visiting a warm, sunny, beach-adjacent city or a secluded town surrounded by Mother Nature’s wonders, your career as a locum tenens can take you and your family there. While the opportunity to have more rest and relaxation time with family is an undeniable perk of the job, what other benefits can locum clinicians and their families expect?
Those clinicians that value exposing their family to different cultures and ways of living will find that a career on the road provides ample opportunities to do that. For instance, local art and history museums, community festivals and events and local restaurants are just a few ways that families on the road can explore and learn more about our country’s rich cultural heritage. Furthermore, these shared experiences provide the perfect platform to have engaging family discussions about history, current events and much more. Locums work really is the ideal way to combine work, play and learning.
Locums Work Benefit: Locum clinicians have ample opportunities to rest, relax and explore new cultures with their family.
4. Try Before You Buy
Do you and your family want to relocate to some place new? Not sure where the “right” location is? Locums contracts can range in duration from a few weeks to a year or more depending upon the healthcare facility’s needs. Furthermore, many of these contract positions can turn into permanent positions if the healthcare facility and clinician are both amenable. This means you and your family can try a place on “for size” before making any permanent decisions. Imagine knowing that your family was excited and looking forward to relocating because they loved and were already familiar with their new town or city.
In addition to helping your family adjust to a move, locums work can help you take the guess work out of finding a positions that you like. Since you will have spent a significant amount of time working at the facility before you become a permanent employee, you will already know what your co-workers and the company culture are like. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that you’re going to love your new position the first day on the job? Locums work can give you the peace of mind that you’re making the right decision for you and your family.
Locums Work Benefit: Locum clinicians and their families can try a new location out before making any permanent decisions.
Are you interested in learning more about the benefits of locums work for you and your family? Complete our short contact form below and one of our placement experts will reach out to you with more information.
Explore additional resources from Premier Physician Services LLC:
5 Benefits of a Locum Tenens Agency
7 Benefits of Locum Tenens Work
The Future of Behavioral Health
The Growing Need for APRNs
Navigating the Time Between Locum Tenens Contracts