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Have you ever considered working a stint in the Pacific Islands? A locum tenens assignment in Guam or Saipan provides physicians with a tropical island adventure, which many doctors use as a stepping stone for vacationing in Asia. In addition, you’ll bring vital care to an underserved population. Here’s what you need to know before embarking on locum tenens in the Pacific Islands.
About the Pacific Island territories
Guam is an unincorporated U.S. territory in the North Pacific Ocean. It is the most extensive, most populous, and southernmost of the Mariana Islands. It lies about 5,800 miles west of San Francisco and 1,600 miles east of Manila.
Located in the Mariana Islands, Saipan is part of the Northern Mariana Islands commonwealth of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. The island spans approximately 14 miles in length and five miles in width, and similar to Guam, features an international airport.
Both use U.S. currency and require no visa or passport to visit.
Locum tenens assignments in the Pacific Islands
If you’re considering taking on locum tenens in the Pacific Islands, you’ll need to know how the healthcare systems function. They use private insurance and cash pay like the continental U.S. A typical structure is that territorial authorities own the hospital, and these hospitals operate like any public hospital on a tight budget.
Doctors in Guam often provide care to the indigenous Chamorro people. In addition, with about 1.5 million visitors a year, Guam healthcare facilities also deal with a large tourist population, including from Korea, Japan, and China.
Because the systems in the Pacific Islands are similar to those in the U.S., licensing and credentialing are similar to those in a U.S. state.
One unique benefit of locums tenens in the Pacific Islands compared to a full-time position is the limited red tape. “My locum assignments in Guam go so smoothly that as a doctor, you just need to write orders and sign something. I feel like I’m being pampered,” says neurologist Dr. Sue Ming.
Dr. Colleen Haynes, a hospitalist who’s worked assignments in Saipan, says. “In Saipan, you’ve got to learn a new computer system and learn what you have and what you don’t have, most importantly. But for the most part, the medicine that you do is similar.”
The Pacific Islands need locums, especially hospitalists to support the growing community. According to Dr. Edward Blounts Jr., chief of internal medicine at Guam Memorial Hospital, many local physicians have only moved to the outpatient setting. Other needs are ER, family medicine, urgent care, radiology, psychiatry, neonatal, and cardiology. This particular hospital is in need of physicians with ICU experience.
“Many people here, including myself, started right out of residency,” says Dr. Paul Coty, director of hematology/oncology at the Guam Regional Medical City.
Assignment lengths in the Pacific Islands are between three and six months, but many physicians extend their assignments. Many assignments are 12-hour shifts, but some are two weeks on and two weeks off, allowing lots of time for exploration.
Guam pays similarly to the U.S., and Saipan pays less than the U.S. The assignment covers airfare, housing, and a vehicle.
What is the draw of taking a locum tenens assignment in the Pacific Islands? “It’s hard to explain how nice the patients are,” says Dr. Coty, an oncologist working on the island. “So you have to come here and experience it to get that.”
Climate while working locum tenens in the Pacific Islands
No matter when you go, you’ll experience a tropical environment.
“It’s America’s other tropical paradise,” says Dr. Kevin Arnold, who took a locum tenens assignment in Guam before he retired. “At 10 p.m., it’s still 80 degrees. It was a delight to experience weather like that.”
The temperature is consistent all year at about 80 degrees — the high around 86F and the low around 77. Saipan has the Guinness World Record for most consistent temperatures of 67F low and 89F. The summer is the wetter season.
Living in the Pacific Islands
Living in Guam or Saipan has perks. Many physicians boast about jogging on the beach, exploring before their shift, and on their days off.
The cost of goods in Guam and Saipan is higher than in many U.S. cities, but our physicians say they often save money while on assignment because housing and transportation are covered.
As for the towns, “Guam is significantly more built up,” says Dr. Bryan Zorko, an emergency and critical care physician. “The downtown area, especially in Tumon, has several large hotels and high-end stores. It struck me that you can get anything from it to go to the Balenciaga and Rolex stores.”
“It’s definitely not this remote, underdeveloped island. I’d say it’s almost exactly like living in the States, with a couple of exceptions. There’s a lot more local influence on the food. You’re living on an island that’s pretty far away from people. So, you’re not going to get milk and cheese.”
What’s the culture like? “Everyone’s very friendly,” says Dr. Zorko. “If it weren’t for the fact that I was working so much, I probably would be going out to many more fiestas.”
Dr. Haynes loved the wide availability of fresh seafood. “Fresh fish was everywhere. Every restaurant had sushi. And there’s literally not one department store, it’s all mom-and-pop shops.”
Hear about her adventure: Dr. Ming’s podcast about her locums assignment in Guam (Locumstory)
What life is like in the Pacific Islands
Guam features beaches, sun, and sea. Visitors enjoy diving, dolphin spotting, swimming with turtles, and snorkeling. Inland attractions include waterfalls, sinkholes, mangroves, rivers, and mountains.
While on assignment, Dr. Zorko enjoyed exploring the tropical forests. “I climbed up Lamlam, and there are some stunning views.”
As for the island and sea, Guam is just 250 miles southwest of the Marianas Trench, so it’s home to dive shops and wrecks, along with vibrant reef systems. One travel site recommends diving among World War II shipwrecks like the German SMS Cormoran and a Japanese cargo ship in Apra Harbor.
Many doctors learn to scuba dive while on assignment in Guam or Saipan since there are plenty of diving schools at reasonable prices. The Pacific Islands are known as one of the world’s best places for diving.
The guides in Saipan say that the diving there is even better and that it’s the world’s best place for diving. There’s also fishing, surfing, boating, hiking on jungle adventures, and parasailing.
In Guam, locals say that Ritidan Point National Wildlife Reserve is the go-to place for pristine white-sand beaches. Check out Valley of the Latte for a river cruise through lush, green mangroves — with cultural opportunities to learn about latte, canoe making, and Chamorro heritage — and the Museum’s extensive collection of WWII relics.
There’s also the Old Japanese Jail from WWII, Bird Island Beach, home to thousands of birds and other marine species, and renowned golf courses in Saipan.
“The color of the water looks like a postcard,” Dr. Ming said. “I keep driving around on the weekends; I just drive, relax, and enjoy it. It’s truly paradise.”
She emphasizes that the Pacific Islands are an excellent destination for physicians who want to work in a tropical setting.
Are you interested in learning more about locum tenens jobs in the Pacific Islands? Give us a call at 866.858.6269 or view today’s job opportunities.