Back
Dr. Kay Hooshmand, who works in occupational medicine urgent care and has been practicing for 11 years, took a locums position with Global Medical Staffing last summer in Great Falls, Montana. By working as a locums she was able to spend the summer in Montana and give her daughter a unique experience living in an area that was very different from their home in Los Angeles.
Dr. Hooshmand has found that the first locum tenens assignment may have its ups-and-downs, but with the right recruiter you can have a great experience regardless of where you go. Right now, she’s working in Visalia, California. “We just asked to extend here because my daughter loves her school and the job is a good fit,” she says.
Here’s what Dr. Hooshmand had to say when we asked her about life as a physician and her experience working locum tenens in Montana.
Q: Why did you decide on medicine as your career?
A: I grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania and my dad was a small-town doctor. I really liked the patient-doctor relationship. My dad’s patients were really grateful. I got to see the good side of medicine.
Q: How was working locum tenens in Great Falls?
A: The beginning was a little rough, but it ended up working out.
Q: What did you like about being in Montana?
A: I love the outdoors and nature. In medical school I had a National Parks Pass and set up rotations at different hospitals near a national park. I hiked the Grand Canyon from the top to the bottom, across the base and then up to the other side. I went to Zion and Bryce in December and went camping in the snow with a friend. I really love the outdoors.
Montana is one of those places I had heard talked about in such a reverent way. I knew that my friend living in Montana and her family go to Yellowstone every year — that’s why I picked Montana. I knew that my daughter and I could live out in the country. Where we were living in LA, I was paying $3,000 in rent, and my daughter’s private school was $2,000 a month. I was treading water financially. In Montana on locums, we stayed in a hotel and then moved to a smaller house on a ranch paid for as part of the locums contract. It was the amazing experience that I was hoping for.
Q: How did your daughter enjoy your locum tenens experience in Montana?
A: She loved it. While we were in Great Falls, we would go and wade through this creek all the time. She never would have stepped foot in a creek in L.A. because of pollution. I had a babysitter and she took my daughter to the farmers market and pony riding, and we met a neighbor on a horse ranch. My daughter got to see horses every day. She was 3 years old when we were there and could walk out, play in the neighbor’s yard, and come back, and I didn’t have to worry about her.
Q: How is it different treating people in rural areas compared to L.A.?
A: There’s a huge shortage of physicians here in Visalia and in Montana, so the patients are very appreciative of doctors.
Q: What advice do you have for other physicians thinking about working locums?
A: Traveling is much easier than you think, and people are more accepting of you than you expect. Pick a good company with a good recruiter. I would say nine out of the ten recruiters that contact me are not interested in finding a good fit, so choose your recruiter carefully.
Q: What do you like about Global Medical Staffing?
A: Global has a very good relationship with the employers. They also understand what makes a good fit and only offer me those positions.
Are you ready for a locum tenens adventure? Give us a call at 877.833.0908 or view today’s locum tenens job opportunities.