How to Recruit Locum Tenens Physicians and Keep Them Coming Back
Locum tenens physicians can keep a facility running through vacancies, leaves and growth. The facilities that get the best locums, and see them return, make the experience easy and respectful.
To recruit locum tenens physicians and keep them coming back, be clear about schedule, call expectations, patient volume and compensation up front, make credentialing and onboarding fast and organized, have logins, workspace and support ready on day one, introduce them to the team, communicate respectfully and ask for feedback at the end of each assignment. A smooth, welcoming experience is what brings good physicians back.
Our company family includes a locum tenens division, and in healthcare staffing I have seen how much the experience on site affects whether a physician returns. Locum physicians often have choices. The facilities they come back to are not always the ones paying the most. They are the ones that make the assignment easy, respectful and well organized.
Many of the same principles that help integrate travel nurses apply here. See How to Integrate Travel Nurses With Your Staff.
Six ways to attract and keep locum physicians
- Be clear up front. Schedule, call, volume and pay.
- Move credentialing quickly. Organized and responsive.
- Be ready on day one. Logins, workspace and a contact.
- Introduce them to the team. As a colleague.
- Communicate respectfully. And promptly.
- Ask for feedback. And invite them back.
Be clear and organized
Physicians want to know exactly what an assignment involves: schedule, call expectations, patient volume, support staff and compensation. Clear information up front reduces surprises and builds trust. Credentialing delays are one of the biggest frustrations, so organized, responsive coordination matters.
Make day one easy
Have logins, EHR access, workspace and a named point of contact ready before the physician arrives. Nothing signals disorganization faster than spending the first morning waiting for access.
Treat them as part of the team
Introduce the physician to nurses and staff, include them in huddles where appropriate and thank them for their work. At the end of the assignment, ask what would make the next one better and whether they would consider returning.
Recruiting and retention are part of You Are Capable of a Better Culture. See also How to Lead a Team of Employees and Contractors.
Locum physicians return to facilities that make assignments easy and respectful. Be clear about expectations and pay, move credentialing quickly, be ready on day one, treat them as part of the team and ask for feedback.
Frequently asked questions
How do you recruit locum tenens physicians?
Why do locum physicians return to some facilities?
What frustrates locum tenens physicians most?
How can facilities improve locum assignments?
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