Nearly 10 percent of hospitalists surveyed in the Today’s Hospitalist 2012 Compensation & Career Survey said they worked as a locum tenens physician in the last 12 months.
The percentage of locum tenens hospitalists was relatively unchanged when compared to the 2011 results, which also showed that one in 10 hospitalists had taken a locum tenens assignment in the last 12 months.
Of the hospitalists who worked as a locum in 2012, 64 percent were also employed full time, 22 percent were also employed part time, and 14 percent were full time locums. The percentages differ a bit from the 2011 results which were 75 percent, 9 percent, and 16 percent respectively.
It’s good to see that a fair amount of hospitalists continue to take advantage of locum tenens opportunities. They are one of them most sought after specialties here at Barton Associates and we are happy to provide quality locum tenens hospitalists to clients nationwide.
Here are some other results that stood out with regards to hospitalist career and job satisfaction:
- The hospitalists surveyed are happy with their career. The majority, 58 percent of respondents, said they are very or extremely satisfied with their career, while only 9 percent are unsatisfied.
- Hospitalists are most satisfied with aspects of their job that are directly related to the core job functions such as clinical autonomy, current duties, work schedules, and schedule flexibility.
- They feel unsatisfied when it comes to environmental factors such as hospital and group management, lack of opportunity for promotion and career growth, pay structure (fewer opportunities for bonus pay), and lack of respect from those around them.
As more hospitalists realize that locum tenens opportunities allow them to continue to perform the duties that give them career satisfaction with less of the environmental challenges, perhaps we will see the percentage of locum tenens hospitalists grow in future reports. We’ll stay tuned.
