Sorry I didn't see this thread when it was first posted. I've been doing locum tenens since last August.
What can people tell me about it? It's not something I ever considered. But now I'm wondering if it might not be a bad thing to do while I'm figuring the rest of it out. What are assignments like? Is the pay decent? Have people liked it, found it worthwhile, not hated it?
Curious. And trying to figure things out.
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I know you've already decided on your next move, but for posterity: it isn't bad thing to do while you're figuring the rest of it out. There is a wide variety of assignments. The pay is good--the lowest hourly rate I've made was $130, and I'm currently getting $168. I've had an offer for $200 (but never looked into that particular job.) I've been laughed at for accepting a rate of $160 in California (one of the permanent psychiatrists there told me he won't work for less than $200.)
I'm working with locums people at my job, and it's not bad. I think they make a lot more money than me, actually, which is sad. Inpatient job with a reasonable census (9 to 10 patients/day). Desirable location for lots of people, and they still are looking. Want to do inpatient in the Pacific NW? 🙂
9-10 per day is great for inpatient. I had a max of 14 at my last assignment, and it was grueling. I've seen jobs listing a max of 16, 18, or even 20. I have no idea how that's possible.
I'm licensed in two states, but none there unfortunately. And yeah. I was crunching numbers and I think I'd make more. $150/hour seems typical and I know a guy who negotiated $200. No paid time off. Lots of weekends and holidays, probably. Need to buy your own health insurance. All that needs to be factored in. Definitely something to consider. I'm not ready to jump ship yet, but it's nice knowing there are options.
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It doesn't matter where you're licensed. You can talk to an agency about what state you want to go to, and as long as you accept an assignment far enough out in advance, they will pay for your license.
I think that if you're single, you still come out ahead financially, even with no benefits. I'd also recommend getting a good tax accountant. I did my own taxes and am sure I missed deductions, since there are all kinds of tricks you can pull when you're self-employed.
Keep in mind that when you're self-employed, there's no tax withholding, but you have to pay quarterly estimates to the IRS. You can't wait until April 16th the next year and send them 1 big check. And in addition to income taxes, you have to pay your own payroll taxes.
I've been having pipe dreams of something similar, though I always worry that after 2 weeks at a Days Inn, I would grow to regret my decision. Does he work for an agency or the VA?
That's kinda what I wonder. I love staying in hotels. Feels like an adventure. But living out of one for an extended period? That's gotta get old.
You'll never be at a Days Inn unless you want to be. For a longer-term assignment, they'll put you up in a furnished apartment or something on that level. (In my shortest assignment, which was only 4 weeks, I was in one of those extended-stay hotels, but at least that had a kitchenette.) I currently have log cabin to myself, complete with its own hot tub.
So you do locums for weekend on call work? Do you think that works better than contracting directly with the hospital?
You're always going to make more money going directly to the hospital, because you're cutting out the middleman. The advantage of the agencies is that they can find you the jobs. The only way you're going to know about independent contracting opportunities yourself is by word of mouth, which comes through networking, getting to know people in the area. At my last assignment, the same permanent doc mentioned above told me of another hospital in the general region which he claimed would pay $250 an hour if you negotiated with them directly. But once you have let an agency present your CV to an organization, you can't then negotiate with them directly. It would violate their agreement with the agency. Locums agencies will never tell you the exact location of the job until you've agreed to let them present your CV, precisely because of this.
