Survey: COVID-19 Pandemic Influenced 33% of Healthcare Providers to Consider Locum Tenens Work

It’s been more than four years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic—an event that changed the world and put immense strain on the United States’ healthcare system. While people continue to become infected with COVID-19 across the globe, a combination of vaccines and preventative measures have loosened the disease’s grip on society, reducing disease incidence and symptom severity. 

With almost half a decade passed since the world shut down in March 2020, we were interested in seeing whether the COVID-19 pandemic had any influence on healthcare providers’ decision to consider taking locum tenens assignments. We asked 390 physicians, physician assistants (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), dentists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) in our network this very question—continue reading to hear what they had to say.

One-Third of Healthcare Providers Say Pandemic Had an Impact on Locum Tenens Interest

Of the 390 doctors, NPs, PAs, dentists, and CRNAs surveyed, 33% of them attributed their consideration of locum tenens assignments at least in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

More specifically, 9% (35 providers) said the COVID-19 pandemic was directly responsible for why they consider locum tenens assignments, while an additional 24% (93 providers) said the pandemic increased their willingness to consider locum work. 

The Most Motivating Factor Among All Providers? Location Flexibility 

To dig deeper into the reasons why the COVID-19 pandemic was such a watershed moment for these providers, we asked those who said the pandemic influenced their interest in going locum tenens the factors behind their answer. 

Over half (55%) of these providers (68 in total) cited “flexibility to work in different locations” as a main motivator for their decision. Other reasons for an increased willingness to consider locum tenens assignments included:

• Higher compensation rates during the pandemic — 49%
• Increased demand for healthcare professionals — 48% 
• Ability to choose assignments and control schedule — 46%

Healthcare Providers to Take Locum Tenens Jobs

We asked all of the providers, regardless of whether or not the pandemic influenced their decision to go locum tenens, if they plan on taking a locum job in the future. 

Of those respondents with an opinion, we discovered that 68% (244 respondents) said they plan on taking locum tenens assignments in the future. 

What About Those Who Weren’t Taking Locum Tenens Assignments Before the Pandemic?

A total of 270 respondents indicated that they were not taking locum tenens assignments before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since they were not living the locum life before the pandemic struck, we were interested to hear whether or not the event impacted their decision to go locum. 

Of these providers, 34% (90 respondents) said the pandemic is directly responsible for why they considered locum work, or it increased their willingness to consider locum tenens assignments.

In addition, 64% of respondents who were not taking locum tenens assignments before the pandemic and had an opinion (160 respondents) said they plan on taking locum assignments in the future.

What Do Nurse Practitioners (NPs) Think?

Among the 144 NPs we surveyed, we found that nearly four in every 10 (39%, or 56 respondents) said the COVID-19 pandemic influenced their interest in taking locum tenens assignments.

To break it down even further, 13% (18 respondents) said the COVID-19 pandemic is directly responsible for why they consider locum tenens, while over one-quarter (26%, or 38 respondents) said it increased their willingness to consider going locum. 

Only 10% (15 respondents) of NPs surveyed said the COVID-19 pandemic decreased their willingness to consider locum tenens assignments, while 2% (3 respondents) indicated that the pandemic is directly responsible for why they no longer consider locum tenens assignments. 

Reasons to Go Locum Tenens 

Like we did for all providers, we also asked NPs who said yes to whether the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their willingness to consider locum tenens assignments exactly why they responded the way they did.

Of these two groups of NPs, the vast majority (62%, or 33 respondents) cited “flexibility to work in different locations” as the main reason why the pandemic increased their willingness to consider locum tenens assignments. 

Other reasons included:

• Higher compensation rates during the pandemic — 55% (29 respondents)
• Increased demand for healthcare professionals — 51% (27 respondents)
• Ability to choose assignments and control schedule — 51% (27 respondents)
• Desire to help in areas with critical staffing shortages — 28% (15 respondents)
• Opportunity to gain diverse clinical experience —23% (12 respondents)
• Desire to travel and see different parts of the country — 23% (12 respondents)

NPs to Go Locum Tenens

Of the NPs with an opinion, 70% (95 respondents) said they plan on taking locum tenens assignments in the future. 

What Do Doctors Think?

Of the 166 physicians we surveyed, 6% (10 respondents) said the COVID-19 pandemic is directly responsible for why they consider locum tenens, while 18% (30 respondents) said it increased their willingness to consider going locum.

Conversely, only 9% of physicians surveyed (15 respondents) said the COVID-19 pandemic decreased their willingness to consider locum tenens assignments, while 2% (four respondents) indicated that the pandemic is directly responsible for why they no longer consider locum tenens assignments. 

Reasons for Doctors to Go Locum 

Physicians who said the COVID-19 pandemic was either directly responsible for why they consider locum tenens assignments or that it increased their willingness to consider locum tenens had varying reasons as to why they made this choice.

These two groups of physicians gave differing reasons for why the pandemic increased their willingness to consider locum tenens:

• 43% cited flexibility to work in different locations (17 respondents)
• 43% cited ability to choose assignments and control schedule (17 respondents)
• 40% cited increased demand for healthcare professionals (16 respondents)
• 33% cited higher compensation rates during the pandemic (13 respondents)
• 23% cited burnout from permanent position, seeking change (9 respondents)
• 23% cited desire to travel and see different parts of the country (9 respondents)

Doctors to Go Locum

Of the physicians with an opinion, 58% (86 respondents) said they plan on taking locum tenens assignments in the future. 

Survey Methodology

The survey, which was conducted on SurveyMonkey from July 28 to August 5, 2024, received responses from 390 physicians, PAs, NPs, dentists, and CRNAs in Barton Associates’ network. This included providers who currently work in permanent positions, locum tenens positions, per-diem providers, and those who are retired and unemployed.