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At a very fundamental level, locum tenens work is about options and variety.
The obvious benefits of a traveling lifestyle are easy to see outside the hospital. Who wouldn't want to visit new places, spending days filled with once-in-a-lifetime experiences? But locum tenens assignments can fulfill multiple goals, creating opportunities for the workplace, the community, family and off-the-clock adventure.
Striking a balance
A recent article in the Society of Hospital Medicine's online publication The Hospitalist follows the post-residency path of Geeta Arora, a young internist. Workers around the globe acknowledge that work-life balance is increasingly difficult to manage, and Arora chose to leave the medical world rather than commit to contract employment as a hospitalist.
It may seem odd for a publication dedicated to the promotion and advancement of hospital medicine to publish a piece about the dangers of hospitalist burnout. However, willingness to do so is a compelling affirmation that locum tenens work can be the correct and healthy choice for many doctors.
The locum tenens lifestyle may provide obvious appeal for doctors interested in adventures around the globe, but it can also provide opportunities for volunteerism and relief work. It can allow working parents to choose how they split their time caring for patients and their families. It's a chance to commit to medicine and patient care while protecting personal choices about how to live your life.
Serve on your own schedule
For some, work-life balance is a bright-line distinction between hours on the job and time at home. But for others, it means building a career that settles professional development, family, pubic service, recreation and more into a comfortable equilibrium.
The Hospitalist's article illustrates the power of locum tenens work as a career choice that protects physicians from burnout in hospital medicine. If that message rings true, perhaps the locum tenens lifestyle is for you.