Editor’s Note
How clinicians are evaluating long-term career sustainability from multiple angles, including financial planning and personal well-being, is the focus of this issue. The lead story examines where locum tenens coverage needs remain strongest as facilities continue navigating staffing shortages, longer recruitment cycles, and growing pressure across several specialties. Providers considering locum work may find that understanding how assignments are structured and where demand is building can help support better long-term career decisions.
Several stories also focus on the importance of evaluating opportunities more closely before making a commitment. Questions around scheduling expectations, staffing support, workplace culture, and communication standards all play a role in shaping the day-to-day experience of locum practice. The more clearly physicians, PAs, NPs, and CRNAs define their priorities, boundaries, and long-term goals, the easier it becomes to recognize assignments that align with them.
There’s also a consistent focus throughout this edition on flexibility, stability, and adapting to change across healthcare. Conversations around burnout, physician retention, evolving APP practice laws, and healthcare technology all point to the same reality: career satisfaction is rarely shaped by compensation alone. The advantage often goes to clinicians who stay intentional about how they work, what they prioritize, and where they want their careers to head next.
– The Locumpedia Editorial Team
Lead Story
Best Specialties for Locum Tenens in 2026: Where Demand Is Highest
April 24, 2026 | AMN Healthcare
Locum tenens demand continues to climb this year as facilities face ongoing staffing shortages and longer recruitment cycles. More than one in five active physicians is already 65 or older, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 23,600 physician openings annually through 2034. Many facilities are increasingly relying on locum coverage to maintain access to care and stabilize scheduling gaps.
Burnout remains another major factor shaping the market. According to the AMA, nearly half of physicians reported symptoms in 2024, and AMN Healthcare’s physician survey found work conditions and burnout were among the top reasons clinicians pursued locum work. At the same time, 80% of healthcare organizations said they plan to maintain or increase their use of locums, while permanent recruitment timelines now average 300 days.
Several specialties continue to see particularly strong demand. Psychiatry remains strained as more than 160 million Americans live in mental health shortage areas, while anesthesiology faces growing pressure tied to increasing need for services. Emergency medicine, hospital medicine, and family medicine also remain heavily relied upon for locum coverage as facilities work to maintain consistent patient access and staffing stability.
Your Locums Prescription
How Locums Can Help Keep Women in Medicine Longer
May 7, 2026 | Hayes Locums
A recent study from the Journal of General Internal Medicine highlighted growing retention challenges for women in medicine. It revealed female physicians were significantly more likely than men to leave clinical practice early. The gap was especially pronounced in psychiatry and primary care, though the trend extended across every specialty category included in the research. Findings also pointed to factors such as administrative workload and limited schedule flexibility as contributors to earlier exits from practice.
The article explores how locum tenens may help address some of those pressures by offering greater control over workplace demands. Higher pay rates and improved work-life balance were just two factors cited as potential advantages for physicians seeking a more sustainable career structure. Several clinicians interviewed also described locums as a way to continue practicing medicine while creating more time for family, recovery, and outside interests.
How Locum Tenens OBGYNs Structure Their Week
May 6, 2026 | Era Locums
OBGYN locum schedules can vary widely depending on the opportunity and practice setting. Some roles follow a more traditional Monday through Friday clinic structure, often with rotating call coverage, while others are built around seven-on, seven-off blocks or 24-hour call shifts. Schedules may also include onsite requirements or response-time expectations during call periods.
Clinicians are encouraged to look beyond the schedule title when evaluating opportunities. Patient volume, call frequency, recovery time, and distance requirements during coverage periods can all shape the experience of an assignment. For OBGYN locums, understanding those details upfront may help avoid scheduling surprises and support better work-life balance.
What Sets the Right Locum Tenens Partner Apart
April 28, 2026 | Jackson and Coker
Selecting a locum tenens staffing firm can shape everything from scheduling and compensation to credentialing support. The importance of transparency around contract terms, travel arrangements, malpractice coverage, and call expectations before accepting a locum job can’t be overstated. Consistent communication and timely updates are often early indicators of a strong relationship with your chosen company.
Clinicians should evaluate whether a locum agency understands their long-term goals instead of simply pushing the fastest placement. Recruiter responsiveness, written clarity, and support during licensing and privileging can all affect how smoothly an opportunity comes together. Those operational details can play a significant role in reducing stress and sidestepping avoidable surprises during an assignment.
AI on Call
- Google DeepMind is testing its “AI co-clinician,” which is designed to support physicians with evidence synthesis, medication questions, and telemedicine interactions while keeping providers in control of patient care.
- Philips says “agentic AI” systems can help clinicians coordinate workflows, summarize patient information, and identify missing details while physicians remain responsible for patient care.
- Locumpedia’s “AI Guide for Locum Providers” explains how AI can help clinicians organize onboarding materials, manage administrative tasks, and prepare for assignments more efficiently.
Wellness Retreat
7 Hobbies Physicians Swear By
April 28, 2026 | Medical Economics
Physicians report a wide range of hobbies that help support happiness and mental well-being outside clinical work. Medical Economics highlights activities such as running, reading, and gardening as some of the most common interests physicians report across age groups. Medscape survey data cited in the slideshow found nearly 71% of physicians said hobbies help support their well-being.
Several of the activities highlighted share common themes, including structure, creativity, community, and time away from constant digital communication. Playing music and cooking were described as ways to engage different parts of the brain, while outdoor activities like hiking and cycling may help physicians disconnect from work-related demands. Flexible schedules and lighter stretches between assignments can also create more room to maintain those routines consistently.
10 Well-Being Questions to Ask in Your Next Job Interview
May 5, 2026 | American Medical Association
The AMA encourages physicians to treat well-being as an important part of evaluating a potential employer rather than simply accepting recruitment messaging at face value. Dr. Heather Farley said clinicians should look for organizations where clinician well-being is reflected in culture, workflows, staffing support, and leadership decisions. The suggested interview questions focus on areas such as peer support, physician feedback, and operational follow-through.
Many of the same considerations can apply to locum assignments, even when coverage is temporary. Questions about turnover, onboarding, communication, and team structure may offer a clearer picture of how a facility functions daily. Consistent staffing challenges and vague answers during recruitment conversations can also signal broader operational issues within the care environment.
The Toxic Link Between Physician Identity, Income, and Burnout
April 7, 2026 | MDLinx
Providers can become closely tied to professional identity, productivity, and income, especially in high-pressure practice environments. About four in 10 US physicians report at least one burnout symptom, according to figures cited by MDLinx, while productivity-based compensation models may further reinforce pressure tied to output and performance. Workload and work conditions may also play a larger role in physician well-being than compensation alone.
It’s a topic that likely resonates with locum clinicians. Greater schedule control and flexibility can help providers evaluate what types of assignments best match their priorities and workload preferences. Autonomy and stronger alignment with personal values were also identified as important contributors to long-term career satisfaction.
Doctors’ Notes
States Modernize PA Practice Laws to Expand Healthcare Workforces
April 30, 2026 | Healthcare IT News
Several states are continuing efforts to modernize physician assistant practice laws as part of broader workforce expansion strategies. Seven have removed requirements for PAs to maintain a supervisory or collaborative relationship with physicians, while Kentucky, South Dakota, and Iowa are among those advancing additional reforms tied to rural healthcare access. Some physician groups still have concerns about patient safety, oversight, and scope-of-practice expansion.
The changes could influence how facilities structure care teams and address staffing shortages, particularly in rural and underserved communities. Evolving supervision requirements and expanded autonomy for APPs may also reshape assignment expectations and team dynamics for locum providers in some settings. Staffing models and coverage structures could keep shifting as additional states consider similar legislation.
Real Estate Investing Mistakes Doctors Should Avoid
April 30, 2026 | White Coat Investor
Strategies such as real estate investment trusts, syndications, and leveraged investments each come with different tradeoffs tied to diversification, liquidity, and risk. Private deals, for instance, may lock up capital for years and can still underperform or lose money entirely depending on execution and market conditions. Diversified index funds are also presented as a simpler long-term approach for many investors.
Locum clinicians with fluctuating income or changing assignment schedules may find those considerations especially relevant when evaluating larger investments. Access to liquid savings can become important during licensing delays, contract changes, or slower hiring periods between assignments. Balancing long-term growth goals with flexibility and stability may also help reduce financial strain during career transitions.
Unlocking the Potential of the Clinical Conversation
May 5, 2026 | YouTube
Dr. Nisha Mehta speaks with Dr. Shiv Rao about how providers can help shape healthcare technology by identifying problems firsthand through the patient care experience. The conversation explores how AI tools are evolving beyond documentation support into systems designed to assist before, during, and after patient interactions. It also examines the challenge of building healthcare tech responsibly as adoption accelerates across clinical settings.
The episode highlights how AI may help reduce administrative burden while improving communication between providers, patients, and payers. Dr. Rao also discusses the importance of maintaining a long-term vision when building AI tools in a rapidly changing environment. Physicians interested in innovation, entrepreneurship, or nonclinical opportunities may also gain insight into how clinical experience can translate into healthcare leadership and product development.
