Healthcare Career Blog, Physician Blogs

Locum Tenens ideal for retired physicians looking to rejoin the workforce

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 10.07.2009 | Category Anesthesiology jobs, CRNA, Colorado Physician Jobs, Emergency jobs, Family Medicine, Healthcare Career Blog, Hospitalist physician, Internal Medicine, Locum Tenens, Medical doctor jobs, OB GYN jobs, OB/GYN physician jobs, Orthopedic Surgery, Physician Career Path, Physician Shortage, Physicians, Pschyriatry Jobs, Retired Physician, Surgery jobs, jobs

Coming out of retirement isn’t easy for anyone. Especially for doctors who haven’t practiced in a while.

Doctors looking to re-enter the workforce after a brief career solstice face a number of challenges. Depending on how many years you’ve been out, you may have to catch up on continuing education credits, learn new technologies and be flexible in your medical setting. Either way, the medical profession beckons your skills, even if just for two to three shifts a week.

What’s the solution for a doctor coming out of retirement?

First thing, says Dennis Urbanski, American Traveler Managing Director, is to find a locum tenens agency experienced in matching older physicians with the medical facilities that need them.

“With the physician shortage the way it is, putting a retired doctor back in the workforce is a godsend.”

Urbanski says locum tenens is ideal both for doctors in search of 20 or 30 hours of practice and for providers looking to supplement quality patient care. Top salaries are available, along with mal practice insurance, housing, paid travel and competitive locum tenens benefits.

Urbanski suggests that older, retired doctors make a realistic assessment of their current skill set prior to calling a locum tenens agency. This helps recruiters determine the most efficient course for re-entry and employment. Typically, physicians out of work for a year or less are easier to employ than those who haven’t practiced for two years and more. This, of course, depends on specialty, said Urbanski.

“Hospitalist jobs, for instance, are ideal for doctors coming out of retirement. For those who possess the needed proficiency in inpatient medicine – and who don’t mind working weekends or night shifts – there are hundreds if not thousands of available jobs.”

Once thing retired doctors must consider prior to re-entering the workforce, say experts, is that things will not be the same as when they left. A doctor may find physician jobs in rural areas easier to get than in big city hospitals and university settings. Conversely, high-need areas of the country, often associated with low-income households, are quicker to employ retired physicians because of needed skills and an increased demand for healthcare.

“There are plenty of jobs out there for doctors, retired or not,” said Urbanski. The challenge is; effectively marketing their skills among locations and medical settings in demand. Hospitalist jobs and primary care jobs are hot right now.”

Last month alone, 20,000 people searched Google for locum tenens and more than 27,000 searched for hospitalist jobs.

Find physician reentry resources

You have updated your Physician CV, now what? Add a great Cover Letter

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 07.07.2009 | Category Anesthesiology jobs, Emergency jobs, Family Medicine, Hospitalist physician, Internal Medicine, Locum Tenens, Medical Student Loans, OB GYN jobs, OB/GYN physician jobs, Orthopedic Surgery, Physician CV, Physician Career Path, Physicians, Pschyriatry Jobs, Retired Physician, Surgery jobs, jobs

Learn the best practices here

The most difficult thing about writing a physician resume is that there is not just one physician CV template that everyone can follow. Because each physician has different types and levels of experience, every physician CV is going to be completely unique. Sample Curriculum Vitae can help, but unfortunately, there is not one easy equation that every doctor can plug his or her information into. To make your resume the most effective it can be, you need to decide how to write a CV that will best sell your unique experiences, and a good place to start marketing yourself is in the physician resume cover letter.

When putting together a resume package, it’s important to remember that the CV itself is only one part of the package; take full advantage of the opportunities that a cover letter gives you. A physician resume cover letter can seem like just one more intimidating task to worry about as you begin your job search, but it is a great chance for you to introduce yourself more fully and more personally to your audience.

Like your resume, your cover letter should be short and to the point; try to limit your cover letter to one side of a page in 11 or 12-point font. Its tone should be formal and professional, but it should also give you a chance to express yourself more personally than the strict CV format allows, so avoid using “one-size-fits-all” cover letter templates that you might see in books and resume software.

What to Include in the Physician Resume Cover Letter:

• Your first paragraph should be a couple of sentences briefly introducing you and your purpose in writing to this employer.
• Your second paragraph should give enough information about your background and skills to interest a potential employer. Be careful, however, not to get repetitive; your resume will also cover your background. This may be a good place to explain your philosophy about caring for patients or why you entered the medical field in the first place.
• Your third, and final, paragraph should relate directly to the organization to which you are applying. Explain why you are looking to relocate and why this particular hospital, practice, etc. appeals to you. What makes you a good fit?
• Close the letter by thanking your potential employer for his or her time and consideration.

Helpful Hints for a Successful Physician Cover Letter:

• Use the same quality paper that you used for your CV itself.
• Address the letter to a specific individual. Show that you have done your homework about the company.
• Avoid generalities. Use specific details that show potential employers why you are particularly interested in their place of employment.
• Keep paragraphs short and clear.
• Be professional, but show some personality – remember this is your chance to distinguish yourself from all other applicants.
• Be confident, but not boastful.

Visit our Physician Resources page for more helpful information about the physician job search.

Smart Physicians Choose Locum Tenens - Even on TV

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 15.05.2009 | Category Healthcare Career Blog, Locum Tenens, Physician Career Path, Retired Physician

Dedicated fans of ABC’s hospital-based comedy series “Scrubs” are still wondering if last week’s episode was a series finale or a season finale. But either way, looks like we’ve seen the last of Dr. Kelso, Scrubs’ Chief of Medicine. As the series wrapped up, Dr. Kelso snatched his last muffin and favorite table from “Coffeebucks” and headed off to do locum tenens work.

While he may not exactly be a fuzzy teddy bear, Dr. Kelso knows a good deal when he sees one. He’s had a long and distinguished career as Chief of Medicine, and even though he could be a retired physician, he wants to remain active in the profession, visit new (mostly tropical island?) locations, and retain more control over his schedule and working life. Plus the money’s not bad either. Guess the series writers know that locum tenens jobs are an ideal option for career physicians of retirement age who still want an active role in the healthcare field.

We wish good luck to Dr. Kelso. (Oh, and aloha!)

2009 H1N1 Influenza Update

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 04.05.2009 | Category 2009 H1N1 influenza, CRNA, Family Medicine, Healthcare Career Blog, Hospitals, Locum Tenens, Physicians, diseases, infectious diseases

Candidate Direct urges our clients and friends to closely monitor the evolving 2009 H1N1 influenza or “Swine Flu” outbreak in the United States. For those in the medical field, it is particularly important to stay informed. The following web sites offer Candidate Direct physicians and locum tenens additional updated information.

• http://www.hhs.gov/ (Federal HHS website for general information on H1N1)
• http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html (International information from the WHO directly related to the swine flu)
• http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ (Federal Centers for Disease Control updates regarding swine flu)
• http://www.medworm.com/rss/ (Medical Newsfeed for H1N1 news from various media outlets)
• http://www.cdc.gov/travel/ (Centers for Disease Control international and national travel advisories)

The CDC, infectious disease specialists and a multitude of health agencies are collecting data, monitoring and reporting on the latest developments with the H1N1 virus. As of today, they are urging healthcare professionals and the population at large to be prudent, but not to panic. Family medicine and emergency medicine physicians have been inundated with inquiries and visits from patients who are concerned about symptoms and learning how to avoid infection. Every inquiry must be evaluated on a case by case basis, and at this point one of the most important steps that anyone can take is to stay on top of the news. It is also imperative to follow these guidelines to avoid infection:

• Physicians and Locum Tenens should monitor the constantly changing flu event by visiting the web sites listed above and/or watching the news
• It goes without saying that medical professionals must follow the strictest hygiene practices while on duty. Just a reminder to also take personal responsibility for hygiene on your own time. Avoid unnecessary contact with obviously ill people, thoroughly covering your mouth and nose with disposable tissues or the inside of your elbow when sneezing or coughing and dispose of the tissue properly. Thorough and frequent hand washing is also key.
• Physicians and Locum Tenens should carry alcohol-based hand sanitizer and use it frequently through out the day.
• If you develop flu-like symptoms, contact your personal physician as soon as possible.

What is the Most Likely Reason Rural Communities have Physician Shortages?

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 13.04.2009 | Category Hospitals, Locum Tenens, Medical doctor jobs, OB GYN jobs, Orthopedic Surgery, Physician Career Path, Physician Shortage, Physicians

If we were on the popular tv game show Family Feud (now hosted by John O’Hurley, of Seinfeld fame), the question might be put to us this way:

Name a reason that big cities tend to have more doctors than rural communities:

Would you name either of these two reasons?

• Affluent areas pay higher salaries than rural areas
• Physicians tend to settle down near the place they were trained

And the Survey Says …

Both! Affluent communities in and around big cities are where the majority of medical schools and teaching hospitals are located. As doctors leave school and move forward with their careers in physician residency jobs, they tend to settle near the large teaching hospitals where they trained.

For example, San Francisco and Washington DC are loaded with medical schools, as well as high-income residents:

• San Francisco, California, had 117 primary care doctors per 100,000 residents.
• Washington, D.C., had 102 primary care doctors per 100,000 residents

Whereas, in these more rural communities with fewer medical schools and lower household income:

• McAllen, Texas, had just 45 primary care doctors per 100,000 residents
• El Paso, Texas, had 47 primary care doctors per 100,000 residents

Who were the researchers that did the study?

The nonprofit group that conducted the survey was The Dartmouth Atlas, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The purpose of this group is to provide research, information and analysis about hospitals, doctors and healthcare markets.

For the research, the nonprofit group evaluated 306 regions nationwide, using data from the government, the American Medical Association, and the American Hospital Association.

The study also found that areas with more doctors tend to have a decreasing amount of hospital beds. But some rural areas have far more beds per capita than more heavily populated areas. For example:

• San Francisco suburb of San Mateo had 1.45 hospital beds per 1,000 residents
• While Mississippi’s Jackson and Gulfport both had 4.44 beds per 1,000 residents

What does this all mean for consumers and registered voters who are looking for healthcare reform?

Dr. David Goodman, a professor of pediatrics and community and family medicine at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice in New Hampshire, which publishes the Atlas had these suggestions:

• Congress should require the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to use its payment policies to try to limit hospital growth in regions that have too many beds.
• National healthcare reform, should it be implemented, should set up a national commission to direct training dollars to high-need specialties such as primary care physicians

And what is the recommendation for communities that need to attract high quality physicians for staff openings? First, they start by attracting locum tenens in hopes that these physicians may choose to settle in their areas permanently. Once a physician has had a chance to live in a new place, and experienced the alternative to the fast-paced, busy metropolitan lifestyle, they may be more inclined to make the move a permanent one.

What else does it take? Great pay and benefits, less stressful work environments, and a desire to try something new are the top motivators to change for medical doctor jobs in specialties like OB/GYN and Orthopedic Surgery.