Around five and a half years ago, Dr. Ron Ungerer, a pulmonary doctor from California, was entrenched with work, calls, and overhead costs at his small critical care practice. After being there for 35 years, he was ready to move on.
“The demands were increasing in pulmonary critical care, the hospital kept adding more and more neuro intensive care and trauma services while I was trying to step back.”
However, according to Ungerer, shortly after making the decision to retire, he discovered he wasn’t ready to fully leave the field.
“I realized I missed medicine, missed seeing my patients, missed pulmonary medicine, I missed dealing with colleagues,” he said. “Having done medicine for so long… your identity and all is tied up in medicine, and I wanted to continue in some way if I could.”
Ungerer said he had been reached out to by several recruiters in years prior about potentially switching to locum tenens, so he was aware of the option as he wrapped up his career as a permanent pulmonary care provider.
“Once I retired, within a short time, I sort of reached out to some of the recruiters to see about what was available for locums work,” he said.
After making several calls, Ungerer landed with Barton Associates, and worked with his recruiter Danny to start finding assignments. “The recruiter has been very friendly, very open with me, very supportive, very encouraging… I feel that he has my interests in mind, he understands what kind of work, and hours particularly that I’m interested in, and he’s gone to bat for me when there have been some issues… the recruiter really is the crucial part.”
“Danny from Barton is usually calling me weekly, even when I’m not working, just to see how things are going… he’s always on the lookout for additional jobs or practice opportunities,” said Ungerer. “I feel like I’ve got a friend there that’s on my side, who’s interested in making it work for me… they’re there to support you and have your back.”
When it came down to the logistics of landing his assignments, Ungerer said the licensing and credentialing went very smoothly. “The licensing group was able to get me a license within probably four weeks or so, which I thought was quite surprising,” he said. “They made it all very clear to me what I needed, and responded quickly… the same with credentialing… that’s a fairly complex requirement and they made that very easy.”
Ungerer is now on his third assignment in four years, working one week a month in the pulmonary office of a multi-specialty clinic in Michigan. “I started out not thinking I would work very long,’ said Ungerer. “I had anticipated originally it was going to be up to four weeks, maybe six weeks of work. I’m now going on starting my second year with this current position.”
“It worked out,” said Ungerer. “I was able to sort of control my hours, work a lot less, and I was ready to step back and not work in the ICU, and this allowed me to do that.”
Ungerer says his locum role is perfect for him. “I was set financially, I didn’t really need to make significant income,” he said. “I just enjoy being able to work and keep up my skills, and I enjoy the travel as well… My wife will come out periodically after I finish an assignment, and we’ll spend some time traveling in that area.”
Although he was never overly concerned about the money, Ungerer says “locums have paid well,” and he has appreciated the elimination of overhead fees through travel and housing stipends.
According to Ungerer, a general commonality among recent retirees is adjusting to the lack of paychecks coming in, but Barton has helped alleviate that stress. “Suddenly, you’re a little more concerned about your finances, and do you really have the money to take the long trips that you’ve been planning?” he said. “I think with that little bit of extra income there, it sort of acts as insurance that you have something else coming in, and it’s made me feel much freer about my finances.”
Ungerer said that one year, “I was working about half-time in locums, and I actually was making more than I was probably in my last year at work, simply because of the overhead from the office.”
Due to this extra time and income, Ungerer said he and his wife were able to take a two-week trip to Europe when his assignment ended. While on assignment though, Ungerer said he’s made memories by spending time with a pharmaceutical representative he befriended there.
Bonding over their love of sports, Ungerer said adventures with his colleague included a trip to his first ever Big 10 football game, and lessons at the local curling club. Ungerer also said he’s an avid hiker, and scopes out the trails wherever he goes– “Right now I’m around lake Michigan, and there’s wonderful hiking in the dunes there,” he said.
Aside from his increased financial freedom and extended time-off, Ungerer says his favorite of the locum experience has been “continuing to see patients.”
According to Ungerer, being in the Midwest has led him to encounter lung conditions he never would have in California, such as indigenous infections from environmental issues, or labor that’s done in the area.
“I’m seeing a lot of new patients, which is what I particularly enjoy in terms of the diagnostic parts, and I’m traveling in different areas seeing different types of patients, different types of diseases and so on,” he said.
All in all, Ungerer says switching from permanent to locum tenens work has “been very helpful” and “provided a lot of satisfaction” to him. “I think a lot of [retired] doctors in particular will feel that they’re missing their work with staff, patients, colleagues, and to me this provided the ideal way of continuing that,” he said.
“Now, I feel that I’m in control, and I’ve been able to decide when and where I work, how long I work, and in what type of situation,” said Ungerer.
Ungerer advises those considering locum tenens work to “be comfortable looking for the right job. You can decide what works for you, and if it’s not the right job, typically there are a lot of locum opportunities out there.”
He also says to “be flexible, be open to new work situations,” and to “make a point of getting out and exploring the areas, maybe getting to know some of the people there.” According to Ungerer, taking this approach to your assignment, “makes it much more rewarding and fun.”
Inspired by Dr. Ungerer’s story? Whether you’re coming out of residency, retirement, or somewhere in between, locum tenens could be right for you. Get in touch with one of our recruiters today!
Watch our interview with Dr. Ungerer below or on our YouTube Channel
