Working as a Locum Tenens Nurse Practitioner: Pros & Cons
Why did you choose to become a nurse practitioner? Did you want to fill a need in your community? Did you want to make a difference in people's lives?
If you are working as a nurse practitioner and you're not satisfied with your current job, maybe you need a change.
If nurse practitioner positions are limited where you live, set your sights on the horizon. Rediscover the sense of joy and purpose that comes with being a nurse practitioner by working as a locum tenens nurse practitioner.
Locum tenens means "to hold a place" in Latin. As a locum tenens nurse practitioner (or locum for short), you would fill temporary vacancies in health care positions. Clinicians, physicians, physician assistants, hospitalists, and other healthcare professionals work on locum tenens appointments every day, all over the world.
Locum tenens recruitment agencies help aspiring locum tenens providers find short-term positions. Health Carousel Locum Tenens is a digitally enabled recruitment agency for locum tenens jobs. We work with every nurse practitioner to find rewarding jobs that match their specialty, giving them the salary and work environment they deserve.
Health Carousel Locum Tenens harnesses the power of modern technology to connect talented nurse practitioners with health care facilities in the greatest need.
Locum tenens nurse practitioners are a special breed of healthcare provider. They are flexible, quick learners with the empathy and dedication to helping strangers in all parts of the country.
Are you ready to rediscover or deepen your passion for nursing? Find out whether work as a locum tenens nurse practitioner is right for you.
The Pros of Working as a Locum Tenens Nurse Practitioner
Earn a Higher Salary
Because healthcare institutions can't afford to leave their facilities understaffed, they will pay a premium to get the dedicated healthcare providers they need.
Locum Nurse Practitioners who work on an hourly basis can expect to make between $60 and $100 per hour, with some NP jobs paying above that rate for NPs with special procedural capabilities or unique training. By comparison, NPs as a whole make between $40 and $75 per hour.
Many locum providers are focused on paying off debts like student loans. Because of these higher hourly pay rates, becoming a locum tenens NP can be an excellent step toward a debt-free life and a rewarding future.
Find the Job That's the Perfect Fit
Finding a job as a nurse practitioner by searching job postings could leave you with a position that doesn't fit your skill set, your career goals, or your personality.
Trust us, the jobs are out there! You just need to find the right position, one that empowers you to make a difference, fits your experience, professional goals, and work preferences.
Health Carousel Locum Tenens uses advanced software to match your profile of you as an individual with the hundreds of available vacancies across the country. When you log into Health Carousel Locum Tenens, you'll see the jobs that suit you best, front and center.
Because locum tenens jobs are short-term, new opportunities open up every day. With Health Carousel Locum Tenens, we'll notify you right when they go live, making sure you're the first in line for the jobs you want.
Certain specialties are more likely to have locum tenens openings for nurse practitioners. Some of our most common requests from clients are NPs familiar with internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, Psychiatric-Mental Health, physical medicine and rehabilitation, surgery, women's health and OB/GYN, and more. Even if you have a different specialty, Health Carousel Locum Tenens strives to match you with opportunities in specialties that are of interest to you so that you can get the experience you need.
Say Goodbye to Office Politics
Do you love practicing medicine but hate the cliques, backbiting, and jockeying for positions that go on in just about any workplace?
As a locum tenens nurse practitioner, you're always a fresh face and you're never in competition for coveted promotions. Working at locum tenens jobs, you can focus on patient care and leave the rest behind.
Gain Valuable Experience
Even if your ultimate career goal is a permanent position, time as a locum tenens nurse practitioner provides the essential experience you need to establish yourself as a competitor for the most promising positions.
As a locum tenens nurse practitioner, you'll work with different cultures and communities. You'll be familiar with different health care practices and regulations across the country and have a proven track record of adapting to new situations.
Because Health Carousel Locum Tenens picks opportunities that suit you, you'll get the ability to find work in your specialty or specialties. Sometimes it is hard to find work in certain specialties locally, but often they are in high demand elsewhere. Locum nurse practitioners have the freedom to pursue those opportunities as they appear.
For some specialties, like hospital medicine or family medicine, it can be an advantage to have experience in more than one specialty rather than focusing too much on a specific one.
A nurse practitioner in a primary care office will encounter different health problems. A nurse practitioner who can draw upon experiences that touch on multiple specialties is often better able to treat the whole patient.
New graduates are especially likely to benefit from locum jobs. Graduates often face high amounts of student debt and could broaden their horizons by taking locum jobs for a year or two. Furthermore, many permanent NP jobs will require a few years of experience to even be considered as a candidate. Locum tenens jobs may be more flexible on years of experience, allowing you to find an easy "on-ramp" to the nurse practitioner career path.
Each of these qualities will present you as a rising star in your profession and a top pick for recruiters and employers.
Discover Endless Opportunities
Sadly, there will always be communities facing shortages of qualified, capable health care workers. That enduring need gives you limitless potential for career growth, adventure, and a meaningful life.
At Health Carousel Locum Tenens, we won't stop searching until we find the right posts for you and we'll always make sure that you have exciting new paths to choose from when your locum tenens assignment ends.
The Cons of Locum Tenens Jobs
Adapting to New Workplaces
Locum nurse practitioners work in many different places, such as primary care physicians' offices, urgent care facilities, and hospitals. Unlike other nurse practitioner jobs, locums might not have the chance to get used to the schedule and learn the ropes.
Locum tenens providers will have to learn the administrative process for the facility, practice, or health care provider that they are working for from the moment they are on the schedule. For some working styles, this can be a big ask.
Many people see these challenges as a disadvantage, but the need for adaptability in locum jobs is an advantage in many ways.
Locum providers get a unique opportunity to see the healthcare field from many perspectives. A locum nurse practitioner who works with primary care physicians one week and clinicians in a hospital setting the next learns how to be "on demand" for every job situation. This makes them an asset in the field.
Work Challenges
Locums serve patients from many backgrounds. Often, the communities that have the greatest staffing needs are in minority or other underserved communities.
While all healthcare jobs are generally demanding jobs, locum jobs can be particularly demanding because they help those with the greatest need. Locums know that if they left, there might be nobody on hand to serve the patient population.
The job carries with it a great deal of responsibility, but that responsibility is exactly what makes it so fulfilling for so many locum tenens providers.
Time Away from Family
Locum assignments may require Nurse Practitioners to travel keeping providers away from family, friends, and loved ones.
A nurse practitioner who gets a permanent job in a distant city might be away from their families, too, but they have a stable set of colleagues they can turn to, and they can make new friends as they settle into their new lives. Locum assignments usually don't have the same stability.
The travel in locum jobs doesn't necessarily mean that locum providers will be isolated. It does mean that anybody looking for travel locum jobs should prepare for physical separation from at least some people they care about.
Keep in mind that not all locum tenens positions require you to travel. There could be open opportunities right down the street.
Leaving Behind the Familiar Routine
If you work in one location, it is easy to get used to the work schedule, the licensing requirements, the patients, the staff, and the community in general. As a locum tenens provider, you would have to leave that familiarity behind, at least for a little while.
How Long Is a Usual Locum Tenens Assignment?
A locum assignment can be set for as long as the employer needs. Locum assignments can range from a couple of days (perhaps to fill in for someone who is sick) to a year or more.
A recruitment agency like Health Carousel Locum Tenens can find jobs that are longer or shorter to suit your preferences. Some providers might want the stability of a year-long assignment, whereas others might prefer the excitement of bouncing from assignment to assignment.
Employment Status
Locums are considered independent contractors for legal and tax purposes. Locums working in the United States should receive a 1099 form after the end of the calendar year that they worked.
Compensation and Benefits
Salary
Most locum Nurse Practitioners make at least $100,000 annually. The salary can be lower or higher depending on how many days a year they choose to work, the specialty, the degree of need to fill the vacancy, and the location of the practice or health care facility.
Health Care
Like many independent contractor positions, locum jobs do not pay health, vision, or dental insurance.
Malpractice Insurance
Employers will typically pay the malpractice insurance costs for locum nurse practitioners, but if not, your locum tenens agency may pick up the tab. This can save locum nurse practitioners hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year.
Licensing Assistance
Locum agencies often provide help and resources for locum tenens providers so they can get the credentials they need to practice in the state where they are providing care. Ask about the cost of credentialing, certifications, or license application fees to make sure you are getting assistance where possible.
Part-time Options
Locum jobs can be full-time or part-time. A part-time locum assignment might be an attractive option for part-time students, parents, retired providers, or others just looking for fewer hours. These locum providers are able to continue earning while they maintain the lifestyle they are looking for; some providers even pick up a part-time locum position in addition to their full-time job.
People Also Ask
Can Nurse Practitioners Be Locum Tenens?
Nurse practitioners and other advanced practitioners in various specialties can become locum tenens NPs. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve throughout the pandemic, we often find clients who are specifically looking for Nurse Practitioner locum providers to maintain their levels of patient care.
Expand Your Career Horizons with Health Carousel Locum Tenens
If you're a nurse practitioner who has looked over the pros and cons and is considering locum jobs, we'd love for you to try working with us at Health Carousel Locum Tenens. We are looking for talented professionals to take locum jobs in all specialties. Start your journey as a locum tenens nurse practitioner with Health Carousel Locum Tenens.
