Locum tenens is no longer just a stopgap but a career path in its own right. Still, outdated myths persist, and providers and facilities are pushing back.
Welcome to Locums CME 63, Locumpedia’s bi-weekly news roundup that helps physicians and APPs maximize their locum tenens lifestyle.
Our lead story: Locum tenens is increasingly no longer seen as a last resort, stopgap, or pseudo-retirement option, and instead is a full-fledged career choice. But old-fashioned stereotypes about the lifestyle remain. To fight back against these misconceptions, LocumTenens.com goes over the five most common myths you hear about locums and busts each one, from the idea that the lifestyle is inherently unstable to the notion that it can stall career growth.
Also in this edition of Locums CME: What providers should look for in a healthcare staffing partner, how to separate AI hype from reality, and why physician well-being creates positive ripple effects throughout healthcare. Plus, we dive into four foundations every clinician needs for a healthy work-life balance and discuss whether HELOCs are a smart financial decision for doctors.
Busting Five Misconceptions About Locums Work
September 10 | LocumTenens.com
Locum tenens work has shed its “last resort” reputation and is increasingly seen as a career move worth making at any stage. While some still think it’s a gig for semi-retired doctors, many new graduates are jumping in to test-drive specialties or practice settings before going permanent. Mid-career clinicians are also finding locums offers something rare in medicine: a chance to hit reset on work-life balance while keeping their skills sharp.
The myth that locums pay is lower than permanent jobs doesn’t hold up either. Facilities under pressure to cover critical staffing needs often offer even higher rates, sweetened with travel and housing stipends.
Another misconception is that locums is unstable. In reality, steady demand driven by physician shortages means many clinicians line up back-to-back assignments or extend existing contracts, especially with the support of experienced agencies.
Far from being a career detour, locums can actually be a growth accelerator. Assignments expose clinicians to new patient populations, electronic health record systems, and care environments, making them stronger candidates for leadership roles. Instead of constantly landing in the deep end, providers get onboarding support and placements that match their skills. For many, locums opens doors not only to financial flexibility and schedule control but also to professional development and meaningful patient care on their own terms.
Your Locums Prescription
Supplementing Clinical Hours with Locum Tenens: A Pediatric Surgeon’s Journey
September 11 | Hayes Locums
Locum tenens gives clinicians a way to sharpen their skills without stepping away from a permanent role. Dr. Mary Arbuthnot, a military pediatric surgeon, built a career that blends stability with variety by using part-time locums to increase case volume, broaden her surgical experience, and strengthen her adaptability. For her, locum tenens is less about leaving one job for another and more about ensuring she continues to grow as a surgeon while balancing work and family.
Her assignments, usually one weekend a month, expose her to complex cases in high-acuity settings like neonatal ICUs and Level One trauma centers. One particularly memorable locum shift involved an emergency ECMO case that ultimately saved a baby’s life, a moment that reinforced for Dr. Arbuthnot the significance of supplemental locum work, even alongside a full-time military career. Beyond the clinical benefits, she emphasizes that part-time locum tenens keeps her professionally relevant, sharpens soft skills, and helps her adapt to different hospital cultures.
Dr. Arbuthnot also challenges the idea that locums must be full-time. She notes it can be tailored to fit goals like increasing income, broadening scope, or building connections. Her advice to physicians: be intentional in choosing assignments, work with consultants who understand your priorities, and use the opportunity to grow your reputation. For women in surgery, she adds that it’s possible to thrive as both a surgeon and a mother with the right balance and support.
What to Look for in a Locum Tenens Agency (and Why It Matters)
September 12 | Medicus Healthcare Solutions
Choosing a locum tenens agency is about finding a partner who gets your goals and makes your career easier, not harder. The right agency secures contracts. But it also advocates for you, handles the logistics, and keeps the process transparent. That kind of support means you can focus on medicine, not paperwork.
A solid agency should check a few key boxes: offering a wide range of job options in your specialty, a strong reputation, personalized placements, and assistance with licensing and credentialing to keep assignments moving smoothly. Add in comprehensive benefits, clear communication, and useful technology, and you’ve got a partner who keeps your career flexible and sustainable. These factors matter because they directly shape your day-to-day experience as a locums clinician.
Ultimately, your choice of agency sets the tone for your locum journey. The right partner offers stability, variety, and support that extends beyond a single assignment, helping you build the career and lifestyle you’re aiming for. Instead of navigating every hurdle alone, you’ll have a team that keeps you informed, organized, and confident every step of the way.
How Locum Tenens Physicians Compare to Staff Physicians in Quality of Care
September 9 | CHG Healthcare
When it comes to patient care, recent research shows there’s no meaningful difference between locum tenens physicians and their staff counterparts. A Harvard Medical School study of nearly two million Medicare patients found mortality rates were nearly identical: nearly 9% for both locums and permanent staff. Readmission rates were slightly lower for locum physicians, though their patients stayed an average of half a day longer. The bottom line is that Locums deliver care on par with employed physicians, offering hospitals reassurance that coverage gaps don’t mean compromised outcomes.
Additional studies confirmed these findings while highlighting financial upsides. Researchers at the University of Toledo also found that Medicare patients treated by locum hospitalists had shorter stays and saved facilities an average of $1,339 per admission, a 23% reduction in hospital costs.
Despite myths suggesting locum tenens physicians provide lower-quality care, the evidence shows otherwise. Locums bring the same expertise and compassion as staff physicians, often with fewer distractions from administrative tasks. Many even report stronger patient connections, since their focus is entirely on bedside care. Locums may be temporary by contract, but their commitment to quality patient care is permanent.
AI On Call
AI Hype Versus Reality in Healthcare Billing
September 10 | Medical Economics
Artificial intelligence has been pitched as a cure-all for healthcare billing, with some even predicting fully automated systems that replace human staff. In reality, AI’s current role in revenue cycle management is more about support than substitution. It excels at denial prediction, anomaly detection, and work prioritization, helping humans handle massive data loads more efficiently. But when it comes to nuanced coding, regulatory complexity, and patient interaction, AI works best as an assistant, not a replacement.
Doug Marcey of Coronis Health emphasizes that automation only succeeds when paired with the right processes. AI requires constant retraining to keep pace with payer rules and clinical changes, which makes it costly and resource-intensive. Data privacy is another sticking point: large language models pose risks for HIPAA compliance and demand strict oversight. Integration with legacy systems and cost overruns from unmonitored usage also remain ongoing challenges for organizations experimenting with AI tools.
The best strategy for now is targeted adoption. Practices will begin to use AI to automate repetitive tasks while reserving complex decision-making for human staff. Marcey argues the future of billing won’t be man or machine. Instead, it will be a hybrid, where intelligent automation supports clinicians and staff in delivering efficient, accurate, and patient-centered care.
Helping Physicians Focus on Patients with Smarter AI
August 14 | athenahealth
AI has already improved efficiency in medicine, but too often physicians are left juggling multiple tools and log-ins. Athenehealth’s approach with its AI-native athenaOne platform aims to change that by embedding AI directly into daily workflows. Instead of adding complexity, the system functions like an invisible assistant by handling repetitive tasks, surfacing insights at the point of care, and cutting through administrative clutter.
At the core of athenaOne is an “intelligence layer” that unifies clinical, operational, and financial data across its network. This foundation powers AI-driven features across four pillars: interoperability, clinical decision support, revenue cycle management, and patient engagement. The goal is to deliver practical, patient-centered benefits, from reducing cognitive load in the exam room to automating documentation, optimizing billing accuracy, and making patient interactions smoother and more personalized.
Because athenaOne is built on a single, cloud-native system, updates roll out seamlessly and scale to fit organizations of any size. Physicians can adopt AI tools at their own pace, turning features on or off as needed. The platform is designed to evolve with continuous feedback from clinicians, keeping solutions relevant and usable. In short, athenahealth’s vision is for AI not to be a flashy add-on, but a trusted digital teammate that reduces complexity and frees doctors to focus on what matters most: patient care.
A Doc in the Trenches Talks About the Latest Trends in AI, VBC, and RPM
September 9 | Healthcare IT News
Cardiologist Dr. Ty Gluckman says artificial intelligence isn’t the future of medicine—it’s already here. From diagnostic imaging in radiology and cardiology to scanning electronic health records for hidden conditions, AI is starting to prove its worth. What excites Gluckman most is its ability to turn complex clinical data into real-time, plain-language insights at the point of care, positioning AI as a true clinical partner rather than just another tool.
The pandemic also accelerated the adoption of digital tools in his practice. Telehealth now allows for flexible, patient-friendly care, especially for those with barriers to in-person visits. Remote patient monitoring adds another dimension, supporting chronic disease management and tailoring follow-ups based on a patient’s status. Gluckman believes these tools are no longer optional, especially with ongoing workforce shortages.
On value-based care, Gluckman acknowledges progress has been slow, with fee-for-service still dominating reimbursement. Still, he argues the system must shift toward quality and sustainability. His work with the Practicing Wisely analytics platform demonstrates how data transparency can empower physicians, providing insights into the underuse or overuse of services and highlighting opportunities to improve care in line with best practices.
Physician Wellness Retreat
The 4 Foundations That Sustain Physicians Through Burnout and Balance
September 7 | KevinMD
For Dr. Ananta Subedi, the journey from medical training in Nepal to running a rheumatology practice in North Carolina revealed that happiness in medicine isn’t automatic. Physicians often neglect their own well-being while focusing on patients, but Dr. Subedi argues that sustainable fulfillment rests on four pillars: faith, family, meaningful work, and friendships. These foundations, he says, allow physicians to navigate both the clinical and personal challenges of practice with resilience and purpose.
Faith provides grounding and perspective, transforming daily patient care into a service that’s larger than oneself. Family, meanwhile, becomes both support system and motivation, extending beyond relatives to include patients and staff who share the mission of healing. For Dr. Subedi, meaningful work has meant moving from employment to entrepreneurship, giving him space to practice medicine in alignment with his values, while also mentoring younger physicians. And friends (particularly colleagues who understand the pressures of practice) serve as vital allies in avoiding professional isolation.
Each pillar reinforces the others: purpose fuels patience, family strengthens resilience, meaningful work sustains motivation, and friendships provide accountability. While imbalance is inevitable at times, Dr. Subedi stresses the importance of ongoing reflection and recalibration. For physicians at any career stage, attending to these four foundations can be the difference between burnout and a career that is both fulfilling and sustainable.
Why Clinician Well-Being Creates Ripple Effects Across Health Care
September 10 | SCP Health
When clinicians thrive, everyone benefits. Joyful physicians listen more closely, build trust, and improve outcomes, while patients share more details, follow treatment plans more reliably, and even fill prescriptions at higher rates. Conversely, burnout shows up in rushed visits, poor communication, and patients who leave feeling unseen. The difference isn’t about technical skill; it’s about whether a clinician finds meaning in their work, and that ripple spreads across patients, families, and entire health systems.
Prioritizing joy in medicine should be a necessity. Clinicians who sustain a sense of purpose tend to stay in practice longer, provide higher-quality care, and inspire others. That’s why talks on well-being should carry the same weight as lectures on new procedures: they shape every patient encounter. A sense of fulfillment helps ensure that care goes beyond checklists, strengthening follow-up, attentiveness, and patient trust.
Momentum is already building. Programs like the AMA’s Joy in Medicine are encouraging organizations to make real commitments to clinician satisfaction. But the responsibility doesn’t fall on institutions alone. Every clinician has a choice: to survive each day, or to cultivate the joy that first drew them to medicine. Those choices create ripples that touch patients, colleagues, and communities alike, reminding us that well-being is foundational to the future of health care.
Care at a Cost: Addressing Physician Burnout and the Emotional Toll of Oncology
September 12 | Medscape
Oncology demands both clinical expertise and emotional resilience. As Dr. David Kerr notes, long-term relationships with patients and the strain of guiding them through treatment or end-of-life care take a heavy toll. A 2024 European Cancer Organization survey found nearly 20% of cancer care providers reported high burnout, 30% frequent anxiety, and 80% regular overtime.
The old “push harder” mindset no longer applies. Kerr argues that physicians need structured, compassionate support and that teams must care for one another as much as for patients. Without systemic change, burnout will continue as a silent threat to both providers and patient care.
Efforts like the UK charity Doctors in Distress offer a model for the US, supporting thousands of clinicians through peer groups and awareness campaigns. Kerr calls for more initiatives like this, early recognition of burnout, and a cultural shift in medicine that prioritizes well-being over relentless productivity. Supporting clinicians, he stresses, is essential for sustaining both careers and care quality.
Doctor’s Notes
Why a HELOC Can Be a Smart Financial Tool for Physicians
September 12 | The White Coat Investor
Physicians often emerge from training with heavy student debt, relocation costs, and ongoing expenses tied to building their careers. While the default advice is to avoid borrowing, not all debt is created equal. A Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) can give doctors financial flexibility, especially during unpredictable stages of their careers. With typically lower rates than unsecured loans, HELOCs allow borrowing as needed during a draw period, followed by structured repayment.
Used strategically, a HELOC can help physicians avoid selling long-term investments, refinance higher-cost debt, or fund large expenses like home renovations, practice buy-ins, or relocation costs. The flexibility of drawing only what’s needed, when it’s needed, makes it useful for phased expenses, while potential tax deductions add another layer of value. For many doctors, it serves as both a financial safety net and a tool for long-term planning.
While a HELOC isn’t the right fit for everyone, when managed responsibly, it can reduce borrowing costs, preserve investment strategies, and provide breathing room. For doctors balancing demanding careers with financial uncertainty, it may be the bridge between stability today and opportunity tomorrow.
Physician Finance: Interview with Dr. Dahle of White Coat Investor
September 11 | Tribal Health
Emergency physician Jim Dahle, founder of White Coat Investor, has spent over a decade teaching doctors how to manage their finances wisely. Common mistakes he sees include not saving enough, buying unnecessary insurance, overpaying for poor advice, and skipping essentials such as disability insurance and a will. His baseline rule: save 20% of gross income for retirement and stick to a written investment plan.
On student loans, Dahle advises favoring federal loans, using income-driven repayment during training, refinancing private loans early, and living like a resident for a few years to pay down balances aggressively. He also links financial literacy to burnout prevention, noting that strong money management gives physicians flexibility and freedom from toxic work environments.
For investing, Dahle recommends low-cost Target Retirement Funds as an easy and effective starting strategy. He also stresses liability coverage, umbrella insurance, and maxing out retirement accounts for both tax and asset protection. While malpractice rarely threatens personal wealth, he quips that “date night” may be the best protection against divorce. His key takeaway: learn to balance spending for today with investing for tomorrow.
Sponsored Content
PTET SALT Workaround for Locum Tenens Physicians: What’s Changing & How to Plan
September 10 | The Doctor’s CPA
High-earning locum physicians in states like California and New York face a double hit from the $10,000 SALT deduction cap introduced by the 2017 tax law. While the 2025 OBBBA legislation raises that cap to $40,000, the benefit phases out once income exceeds $500,000. For many doctors, that means the SALT cap still offers limited relief, keeping PTET a critical planning tool.
PTET allows pass-through entities, such as S corps or LLCs, to pay state taxes at the entity level, thereby bypassing the SALT cap and creating larger federal deductions. Since IRS Notice 2020-75, 34 states have adopted PTET elections, and it’s especially useful for locums juggling multistate tax filings. To benefit, physicians must elect entity status and file for PTET in their practicing states.
While early versions of OBBBA threatened to restrict PTET use for healthcare businesses, those provisions were dropped, leaving the workaround intact for now. The bottom line: locum physicians should coordinate closely with CPAs, monitor income against phase-out thresholds, and plan cash flow for estimated PTET payments. Proactive use of this strategy can still translate into significant tax savings, even as laws evolve.
Highest-Demand Medical Specialties for Locum Tenens in 2025
August 24 | OnCall Solutions
Locum tenens demand in 2025 is being shaped by specialty shortages, pay trends, and the growing need for flexibility. Family medicine, internal medicine, and hospitalist roles continue to dominate, with the AAMC projecting a shortage of nearly 48,000 primary care physicians by 2033. Other specialties seeing high demand include anesthesiology and CRNAs, emergency medicine, OB/GYN, psychiatry, and gastroenterology.
Pay remains a major draw. Anesthesiologists can command up to $400 an hour, CRNAs $200, and gastroenterologists up to $2,100 per day. Even in high-pressure fields like emergency medicine, hourly rates can exceed $245, while psychiatrists benefit from telehealth-driven flexibility with strong compensation. Across the board, locum providers typically earn $30 or more per hour above permanent roles, with rural regions offering especially competitive packages to attract clinicians.
Choosing the right specialty depends on balancing career goals with lifestyle preferences. Providers looking for flexible schedules may gravitate toward psychiatry or urgent care, while those seeking higher earning potential might pursue anesthesiology or gastroenterology. With telehealth expanding, APPs playing a larger role in coverage, and an aging population driving long-term demand, 2025 presents strong opportunities for providers to align locum tenens work with both professional ambitions and personal priorities.
