Dr. Deborah didn’t set out for locum tenens to shape her career. At first, it was a practical way to gain experience and earn extra income through internal medicine weekend call shifts during her oncology fellowship. Years later, it would become something far more significant: a path to balance, a bridge to opportunity, and ultimately, a philosophy for practicing medicine on her terms.
From Fellowship to Flexibility: How Locum Offers Work-Life Balance
After completing her training, Dr. Deborah built a career in oncology and hematology, a specialty that demands both intellectual rigor and emotional resilience. But life, as it does, reshaped her plans.
When she became a single parent her priorities shifted. She relocated closer to family, seeking support and stability. Full-time clinical work, with its long hours and rigid expectations, no longer aligned with the life she was building at home.
But locums did.
Working week-on, week-off schedules allowed her to stay deeply engaged in medicine while being present at home for her young children. She didn’t have to choose between her two passions of raising children and practicing medicine.
“Rather than being unhappy, locum roles are a wonderful opportunity to explore where you want to be in medicine, especially in 2026,” she said.
In an era before “work-life balance” became common language, she had quietly engineered her own.
Returning to Clinical Practice After a Career Gap
Like some physicians navigating a changing and challenging healthcare landscape, Dr. Deborah eventually stepped into a non-clinical consulting role with an insurance company. It was intellectually engaging, allowing her to flex her muscles in something new, but something was missing for her.
When her children left for college, the quiet that followed gave her space to reflect. She missed patient care and all that came with it. She felt it was time to return to the bedside. But, there was just one problem. She had been away from face-to-face clinical practice for more than 24 months.
In today’s credentialing environment, that gap can feel insurmountable. Volunteer work—despite being clinically meaningful—often doesn’t count as “active practice” in the formal sense. There were no case logs, no traditional malpractice documentation, no institutional verification.
Still, she wasn’t ready to give up.
That’s when she reconnected with locums, this time through Barton Associates.
A Bridge Back to the Bedside: How Locum Tenens Helps Physicians Re-Enter the Field
The path back wasn’t automatic, but it was creative. Taylor, her dedicated recruiter at Barton, worked with her to find an assignment in an underserved community with a hospital that valued a capable, committed physician over a resume timeline.
That six-month role became her bridge back.
“Taylor made me feel like I was never on my own,” Dr. Deborah says of the support she received through the credentialing process. Gathering decades of diplomas, certifications, and documentation can take hours.
“She held my hand through everything,” Dr. Deborah reflects. “I felt like I was supported through every step.”
The assignment restored more than her clinical standing. It allowed her to re-enter medicine without having to repeatedly defend her career gap. It reminded her and potential employers that skill and dedication don’t disappear during a detour.
From there, other locum opportunities followed as her life evolved. Today, she practices near her home, a professional chapter that might not have been possible without that initial locum bridge.
Debunking Common Myths About Locum Tenens Physicians
There’s a persistent perception in some corners of medicine that locum physicians are less current, less committed, or less connected.
Dr. Deborah challenges that idea directly.
“For me, locums gave me a boost in confidence,” she said. “You have to be open to changes, because on the other side is a greater opportunity you don’t even know about.”
In fact, she argues that one of the main benefits of locums is the professional growth it brings.
Working across different health systems exposed her to a range of electronic medical records, patient populations, and cultures. In some assignments, she treated large populations of uninsured patients. In others, she navigated entirely new workflows and care models. Each setting required adaptability and uniquely sharpened her skills.
“I think locums makes you more creative,” she reflects.
Along the way, she’s met fellow locum physicians with their own definitions of balance, like the boat-loving doctor who works high-volume assignments to concentrate his income into a short stretch, freeing up months at a time to sail. Or the couple who take on travel assignments together, exploring the country while practicing medicine.
The Pros and Cons of Locum Tenens for Physicians
Like any career, locum work isn’t without tradeoffs.
Early on, returning with a clinical gap meant being open to more varied placements with greater demands. The credentialing process can be time-consuming, but Barton’s industry-leading licensing and credentialing makes the process as fast and easy as possible, with a dedicated talent agent guiding the process.
For Dr. Deborah, the benefits often outweighed the friction.
During government furloughs, when her primary income was cut by 20%, locum assignments helped stabilize her finances. When a parent fell ill, the flexibility gave her time to show up where she was needed most.
Most importantly, it remained an option she could return to when circumstances changed.
Exploring Your Place in Medicine
If there’s a central theme in Dr. Deborah’s story, it’s this: locums gave her room to explore her place in medicine at multiple stages of life.
As a fellow testing her footing.
As a single parent seeking balance.
As a consultant missing patient care.
As an experienced oncologist re-entering the field.
It allowed her to diversify her skills, remain clinically engaged, and navigate an evolving healthcare system without losing herself in it.
For physicians craving more flexibility, autonomy, or simply a change in scenery, Dr. Deborah’s journey offers reassurance that there isn’t only one way to build a medical career.
Sometimes, the path forward isn’t a straight line. Sometimes, it’s a bridge. And sometimes, that bridge is locums.
