Physician Suggests Entering The Job Market Through Locum Tenens

Online, June 6, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Dr. Bassam Rimawi is a practicing OB/GYN who comes from New York City and a family of practicing doctors. As a physician who works Locum Tenens with CompHealth, Dr. Rimawi bucked the trend of becoming a permanent staff hospital physician or opening a private practice. Instead, he chose to work as a locum tenens physician, providing OB/GYN services to help cover the staffing of healthcare facilities in need.

It is a career path Dr. Rimawi chose after a decade of education and practice under some of the nation's leading obstetrics professionals. His forward-looking career path is something he's very proud of and more than willing to recommend to colleagues.

Test the Waters before Plunging In

According to Dr. Rimawi, opening a private practice is not as easy as it's perceived to be among med students and residents. He recommends new doctors consider working as locum tenens physicians just to see what's out there before deciding on a permanent career path.

"Coming out of residency and opening up your own office is the hardest thing that any doctor can do because it's the one thing they don't really teach you," said Dr. Rimawi. "When you go into practice you're on your own, including liability; you're not a student anymore."

Starting out as a locum tenens physician allows new doctors to test the waters before deciding if permanent practice is the right path for them. Those who decide they enjoy locum tenens work and want to continue it as part of their career choice have the freedom to do so as well. Regardless of the path chosen, starting with locum tenens work offers significant benefits, including:

• Gaining valuable experience working in varied environments from private practice, rural clinics, rehab centers and large hospital systems that will help fill out a doctor's curriculum vitae
• Gaining additional knowledge and experience through observing the "business" end of medicine; this is invaluable when opening your own practice
• Learning to work with different types of professionals in a variety of settings
• Learning how to be flexible and adaptable to a variety of situations

Working as a locum tenens physician also gives new physicians the opportunity to travel, live and practice in different areas before settling down. Locum tenens physicians can take assignments in specific areas of the country they're interested in, take assignments near friends and family and take full advantage of overhead-free income to get student loans paid off.

A Legitimate Career Choice

Locum tenens work has come a long way over the years to the extent that most doctors are familiar with the option, even though they may not have explored it themselves. In order to see just what the perception of locum tenens work was among doctors, CompHealth commissioned a study through a third-party research firm in 2012. The survey of 1,000 physicians from around the country revealed some interesting results:

• 92percent of respondents had a positive view of locum tenens practice
• 43percent of the respondents had direct experience working alongside a locum tenens doctor
• Of those doctors, 95percent said they were satisfied with the services rendered by the locum
• 22percent of the respondents had actually worked as locum tenens physicians themselves
• Of those doctors, 97percent claim to have had a positive locum experience

Survey respondents also indicated a preference for taking locum tenens work based on the compensation, the ability to manage work simultaneously with something in their personal lives, and the chance to broaden their professional horizons through new cases and work environments. The survey shows that physicians feel locum tenens work is a legitimate career choice for doctors who choose it.

"Locum tenens is a well-established and esteemed practice option for physicians that offers the chance to gain experience and a competitive edge," offers CompHealth president Melissa Byington. "As a graduating resident or fellow, it's a great opportunity to identify exactly where you want to be."

As for Dr. Rimawi, he recently landed an OB/GYN fellowship in North Carolina, a prestigious position he fought hard to get. He credits his experience as a locum tenens physician as the one factor that set him ahead of the rest of the candidates. Though that fellowship will become a full-time job for him, he plans to continue working as a locum tenens physician in his spare time.

About the CompHealth Physician Survey

Wakefield Research was commissioned by CompHealth to conduct its 2012 physician survey between February 3 -17. Wakefield surveyed 1,000 U.S.-based physicians using an online survey and an e-mail invitation to participate. The margin of error is 3.1percent based on the sampling and what the likely results would have been had the samples been collected from a worldwide audience.