Locum tenens vs permanent jobs

[Neurologo]

I started glancing at locum jobs simply because people are telling me they pay a lot more than regular jobs. But after calling around few places, that seems not true at all. The actual earning about the same. Plus lucums do not give any benefits (health, retirement, disability, life) other than mal practice. Plus you have to move around with no root. Am I missing something?

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[gutonc]

You're either looking at the right permanent gigs or the wrong locums ones.

 

[Neurologo]

You're either looking at the right permanent gigs or the wrong locums ones.

It looks like you know of better agencies that offer better locum rates. Could you recommend certain agencies.
I know the agencies take 50% and give out 50% to physicians.
It looks like some of them are taking more %.
This means negotiate more aggressively or directly get hired bypassing the agencies.

 

[ferning]

Go to my locums how to guide in the Family Medicine forum. Locums is a way to make a lot of money (if you put in a lot of hours) very quickly because taxes are not taken out up front. I work locums because I can work as much or as little as I want. Plus, I have not found a permanent job where I could play well with administration ( I have quit 5 jobs in 5 years). Guess, it comes down to what is more important to you?

As far was how much the agency cut is, I don't understand why you would care? That does not affect you. Don't think that if you cut out the middle man you will get a higher rate of pay. NOT. It doesn't work that way. Your contract tells you up front what your pay rate will be and how many guaranteed hours (I require a 60 hours guarantee). You will never know what the locums company bills the site.

Uh I don't think you could be more wrong. The cut the middle man agency takes directly effects your pay rate. Go to the federal contract listings (or state) and search RPS/proposals for physician labor. When the bidding is finished you can see what the winning agency is getting paid to provide x amount of hours a year or x amount of patient services. Then look what that locum job is getting paid. Contracting with private hospitals isn't required by law to be open to the public but government ones are. If the hours in the proposal are something you can work yourself or with a small group of people then you can make the big bucks.

Some contracts are preferred to small businesses as well. A winning contract gets that amount guaranteed for 5 years. You are paid up front without waiting for insurance reimbursement

Of course you need to build a rep as a reliable contractor and start with subcontracting, or at the local and state level. But with a contract you aren't scrambling like a punk to meet your productivity bonus, dealing with insurance BS, or getting your paycheck taxed to pieces. It is at least double the locum rate if not more.

What makes you think you cant find out what the agency gets? fool