Locum tenens refers to part time health care officers that are asked to hold places for clinicians in case of sudden ailment, vacations or other emergencies. They basically work as impermanent health officers and are cheap to hire. Their tasks can be as short as a day or as long as several months depending on the severity of the situation facing the said facility. Locum tenens physician staffing can be viewed as a simple assignment, which it is, but the hard part is providing a healthy environment for them to adapt in order to give quality services. So the task hiring facilities or hospitals should consider is making the acclimation easier for locum tenens physicians in order to enhance faster transitions.
They include:
1. Giving specific locations
This involves giving information on the bearings of the facility and how to maneuver through the new city. If possible, the hiring physician should send a detailed map to the specific locum tenen which will help him or her get easy access to the facility. He or she should also go to the extent of sending a trusted employee as a tour guide through the facility premises. This will give the temporary health officer a chance to familiarize with his working area, hence avoiding getting lost or parking problems in the future.
2. Provide procedure details
Procedure details include reporting time, laboratory techniques, clinical advances and others. This will avoid screw ups in future conditions. For instance, different hospitals have different ways of handling the admission of patients. When the services provided prove futile, the turn up of patients could be low, leading to fiscal losses within the premises. The same case goes for the discharge of patients, hence a guide is always necessary in order to clear up things.
3. Pair them up with an active employee
Even after tour guides and an orientation process that provides details on how the facility runs, locum tenens may still have questions on what is expected of them. In this case, pairing them up with an existing employee will make them feel relaxed, hence making the acclimation fast. The employee should be active and enthusiastic to help.
4. Invite them for a meal
This should take place before the locums begin their jobs. It helps them feel welcomed and working conditions seem conducive. In this period, the hiring individual should make sure they get to know the locums so that they are able to determine whether they are competent enough, based on their capabilities and objectives.
5. Training practices
This involves going through the required procedures in order to determine the competence and ability levels of the locum. It also gives room for corrections in case of mistakes and boosts the confidence levels of the locum in the absence of the actual physician.
6. Access to an email
This could be official where locum tenens ask questions based on their field of health care services. It helps make sure accurate decisions are made and also quick adaptability of the locum tenens.