Rhianna Watson is Associate Vice President, Locums Recruitment at Aya Locums
I’ve spoken with many clinicians over the years — physicians, CRNAs, nurse practitioners and physician assistants from every corner of the country. No matter their specialty or setting, one theme continues to surface in our conversations: burnout.
It’s a term that has largely been relegated to a buzz word in the wake of the pandemic, having lost a bit of its impact along the way. However, many healthcare providers continue to describe the same pressures now: overwhelming patient loads, administrative complexities and the feeling that they’re giving everything they have, yet never quite catching up. While the pandemic didn’t create burnout, it made what was already simmering impossible to ignore.
Now, these ongoing feelings, coupled with a looming provider shortage, are triggering a turning point for many physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs). It’s forcing a question that’s long been postponed: What does balance actually look like in a career that demands so much of me?
While the pandemic didn’t create burnout, it made what was already simmering impossible to ignore.
A Shifting Perspective on Work and Well-Being
The pandemic was a reckoning, magnifying the pressure clinicians had carried for years and underscoring the urgent need for balance. With it, the idea of “work-life balance” evolved into something more holistic — work-life integration — where professional fulfillment and personal well-being coexist rather than compete.
Now, in our current environment, many clinicians have started reimagining what their careers could look like. And for an increasing number of them, locum tenens practice has emerged as a meaningful alternative — a career centered around the flexibility to choose when and where to work, align assignments with personal and professional goals, and take intentional breaks to rest and recharge.
For some, locum tenens fills a temporary gap between permanent roles. For others, it becomes a long-term model that restores autonomy, rekindles their passion for patient care and allows providers to practice medicine on their own terms.
Aya Locums CRNA Sherri Hayes shared that when her recruiter first reached out, she was immediately impressed, “He always spoke to me as a friend who was looking out for my best interest.” A seasoned CRNA who just recently began locum work, Sherri described her travels across the country on assignment as both energizing and empowering, “I’ve challenged my skills, met some wonderful people, and seen new and exciting places!”
Her reflections show that for many, locums isn’t just a different way to work — it’s a different way to live.
For some, locum tenens fills a temporary gap between permanent roles. For others, it becomes a long-term model that restores autonomy, rekindles their passion for patient care and allows providers to practice medicine on their own terms.
A Changing Landscape, Full of Possibility
The broader healthcare landscape is evolving quickly because it has to. Demand for locum tenens providers continues to rise, driven by an aging population, a growing prevalence of chronic conditions and an anticipated shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. While these issues present a staffing challenge, within them also lies a breadth of opportunity.
Clinicians now have more freedom than ever to shape their careers around their lives, rather than the other way around. Some take on locum tenens work to supplement income or explore new specialties. Others use it as a bridge toward retirement or to spend more time with family.
For Sherri, locums became a pathway toward financial security and personal fulfillment. “Working locums has allowed me to save money for retirement, pay off my car and fund some big projects on my home,” she shared. But just as meaningful are the relationships she’s built along the way. “More importantly, I met some of the most talented and amazing people that I now call my friends!”
Her story echoes what we hear so often, how flexibility and autonomy open doors not only to new places, but to new possibilities.
Reframing the Conversation
The concept of burnout is too often linked to the idea of weakness or something that can be solved with quick fixes. But it isn’t an individual failure, it’s a systemic issue. What clinicians need are real options and structures that empower them to navigate the pressures of modern medicine differently.
Locum tenens work isn’t a cure-all, but it offers something deeply valuable: control. Control over your schedule, where you work and how you choose to pace your professional life. And in a system that often feels unyielding, that kind of control can make all the difference.
At its core, balance isn’t about working less, it’s about working well. It’s about creating the space to be both an excellent clinician and a whole person outside of work.
Locum tenens work isn’t a cure-all, but it offers something deeply valuable: control. Control over your schedule, where you work and how you choose to pace your professional life. And in a system that often feels unyielding, that kind of control can make all the difference.
A Better Way Forward
The time has come to start rethinking what it means to thrive in this profession. We must make room for fulfillment, flexibility and well-being, not as luxuries, but as necessities.
The clinicians I meet who have embraced new models of work, like locum tenens, remind me that joy in medicine isn’t lost…it just needs room to breathe. When providers are given the chance to practice on their own terms, everyone benefits: patients, health systems and the providers themselves.
Because when those who care for others are supported in finding balance, the entire system becomes stronger.
Rhianna Watson is Associate Vice President of Locums Recruitment at Aya Locums. With more than a decade of experience in the locum tenens industry, she specializes in developing and leading high-impact recruitment strategies for physicians and advanced practice providers. Driven by her commitment to empower clinicians, Rhianna partners with healthcare organizations nationwide to create tailored staffing models that align with clinical expertise, institutional goals and long-term clinician satisfaction.
