Natasha Lee, CEO and co-founder of Floyd Lee Locums, is dedicated to revolutionizing healthcare staffing and connecting clinicians to purposeful work. With more than 20 years of industry experience, Natasha fosters an inclusive culture for employees, partners, and clients, while her dedication extends to DEI&B and corporate volunteerism.
She has been recognized on SIA’s Global Power 150 Women in Staffing List and awarded the "Women in Business Award" by Charleston Business Magazine. Balancing her professional responsibilities and family life, she cherishes time with her husband, three children, and dogs in Charleston, SC.
For many physicians and clinicians, locum tenens is often viewed as a temporary career option––a bridge into retirement or a way to supplement income. But after 20+ years in this industry and countless conversations with providers across the country, I’ve come to believe locums can be something much more profound: a way to reinvent your career and, in many cases, your life.
I’ve had the privilege of hearing deeply personal stories from clinicians who found flexibility after burnout, created space for family, or simply learned how to enjoy medicine again. What continues to inspire me is that locum tenens doesn’t offer just one path. It gives providers the ability to build a career around what matters most to them.
And what I hear over and over again is the same sentiment: I wish I had done this sooner.
After 20+ years in this industry and countless conversations with providers across the country, I’ve come to believe locums can be something much more profound: a way to reinvent your career and, in many cases, your life.
Supporting Chronic Illness and Well-Being
One story that deeply impacted me was from Dr. A, a pediatrician who turned to locum tenens after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Like many physicians, she had spent years operating within the rigid expectations of permanent practice. Her diagnosis forced her to reevaluate what a sustainable career looked like professionally and personally. She said, “I recognized that I needed more flexibility in my life, not just to take care of myself, but also have the ability to spend more time with my parents, with my siblings, and other family members.”
But Dr. A still loved patient care. What she needed was a structure that allowed her to listen to her body and prioritize her health without sacrificing her career.
Through locums, she found exactly that.
She described how the ability to control her own schedule changed everything for her. “I’ve had the flexibility to listen to my body,” she shared. “I couldn’t do that if I was in a permanent job. There’s no way.”
She also discovered something unexpected: joy and curiosity in medicine again. She talked about the connections she made at different hospitals, the new cultures she experienced, and the opportunity to see different parts of the country. “It’s given me a lot of different experiences. Had I known I could have the flexibility to take care of myself, spend more time with my parents who are getting older, spend time doing things I’m passionate about, I would have done it earlier.”
I think many clinicians need to hear that. Prioritizing your health is not stepping away from medicine––it may actually be what allows you to continue practicing it for years to come.
Prioritizing your health is not stepping away from medicine––it may actually be what allows you to continue practicing it for years to come.
Giving Back to Those Who Helped Them
Another unforgettable story is Dr. K’s.
Dr. K arrived in America as a refugee from Afghanistan. To practice medicine again, he had to rebuild his career from the ground up. He worked odd jobs while studying for medical exams in English and eventually passed all three licensing exams and his boards.
He served in the National Guard, worked within the VA system, and eventually became a physician in the US Air Force. He wanted to give back to the country that gave him a second chance and helped him achieve the American Dream.
Through locum tenens, he found an opportunity to serve in a deeply meaningful way. During the evacuation of Afghan refugees into the United States, Dr. K worked with refugee populations arriving at field hospitals on the East Coast.
The experience was personal.
When patients realized their physician spoke their language, there was immediate comfort and trust. He provided medical care while helping patients navigate fear and uncertainty, drawing on his own experience of having walked that road himself.
Delivering Care to Underserved Communities
One of the most meaningful aspects of locum tenens is the ability to serve communities that otherwise struggle to access healthcare.
Dr. M’s journey is a perfect example of this.
A decorated Navy veteran awarded multiple Commendation Medals and a Meritorious Service Medal, Dr. M built his civilian career serving patients in rural Virginia. Over time, he grew his surgery office into a thriving multispecialty group that cared for thousands of patients across remote communities.
When he decided to transition to locum tenens, he viewed it as a continuation of the service he’d been providing for years, choosing to work in tribal healthcare facilities and underserved communities across Oklahoma and New Mexico. He described the experience as feeling “like being back in the Navy.” People were united around a common purpose and deeply committed to serving the community.
That perspective resonates with me because I think many physicians entered medicine with a genuine desire to help people, only to find themselves overwhelmed by administrative burdens, productivity pressures, and bureaucracy. Locum tenens can offer a path back to mission-driven medicine.
I think many physicians entered medicine with a genuine desire to help people, only to find themselves overwhelmed by administrative burdens, productivity pressures, and bureaucracy. Locum tenens can offer a path back to mission-driven medicine.
Reclaiming Family Time
For many physicians, career reinvention ultimately comes down to one thing: being present for the people they love.
Dr. S shared something with me recently that I think many clinicians can relate to. He reached a point in his life where a friend told him, “You know, these kids are not going to live with you forever,” and it completely changed his perspective.
For years, he had practiced in a traditional model that demanded 24/7 availability. He remembers missing important milestones like his daughter’s first communion because he was always on call.
That’s the reality many physicians and their families quietly carry.
Through a combination of in-person and telehealth medicine, Dr. S was able to create a career that allowed him to remain deeply engaged in oncology while also being present for his family.
He told me he wished he had started sooner because he could have still built a successful career while missing fewer moments that mattered most.
I think that realization is powerful. Success in medicine should not require sacrificing your entire family life.
A Different Vision for Healthcare Careers
The common thread in all of these stories is freedom. Freedom to prioritize health. Freedom to spend time with family. Freedom to practice medicine with intention again.
Locum tenens is no longer just about filling shifts or covering staffing shortages. For many physicians and advanced practice providers, it has become a way to build a career that aligns with who they are, what they value, and how they want to live.
That’s the future of healthcare careers I believe in––careers designed around purpose, flexibility, and humanity.
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