When it comes to locum tenens, assignments by-and-large run completely smoothly. In fact, so many physicians enjoy working locum tenens that an estimated 40,000 practitioners now work locum tenens, and the numbers continue to grow. Still, mishaps can happen. In the event that not everything goes according to plan, we’ve got 5 potential challenges and what to do about them.

1. Assignment Misrepresentation

Locums assignments are generally “eyes open,” set-ups: you know what your schedule will be, what your position will be and ordinarily what will be expected of you. But in the event you find yourself being asked to work a different schedule, take unexpected on-call hours, extend your position, or work in another capacity, your locum staff recruiter is just a phone call away and ready to help you resolve the situation to everyone’s satisfaction.

2. Workplace Conflict

Most locum practitioners enjoy the variety of practice styles you experience, but occasionally a situation will not suit you. From micromanaging to neglect, personality conflicts to workplace drama, a variety of situations might occur. In any event of workplace conflict, open and honest communication with your locums recruiter will likely resolve the situation or, if need be, lead you to another position.

3. Confusing EMR

It seems everyone has a different computing system, but they do have things in common. Asking questions, being persistent, and having an extra ounce of patience, generally resolve this situation.

4. Personal Emergency

In the event that you will be late (even from something as simple as traffic), have a personal emergency, or had some sort of travel or housing disaster on your way to an assignment, promptly reach out to your locums staffing agency. In general, the sooner an emergency is made known, the easier and smoother the resolution.

5. Malpractice Incident

Most days and most assignments will go off without a hitch, but in the event that anything occurs that you feel could be a potential malpractice incident, it’s important to get in touch with your locums recruiter immediately. Capturing all of the specifics as close to an occurrence as possible, with all of the facts as clear as possible, generally improves outcome. In some cases, our legal team might also get in touch with you, to document needed information. Such an incident is not a cause for panic: you and your locum agency have both ensured that you have the necessary coverage.

If you’ve noticed a theme to these challenging situations it’s this: your MedStaff team is here to back you, on every assignment, whenever needed. Together, we can help you make locums work fulfilling.