There are many benefits to becoming a locum doctor, whatever stage you’re at in your career. Whether you are looking for a better work/life balance, to advance your career, or boost your earnings – locum work could be just the answer.
1. Greater flexibility
Many doctors find their personal circumstances change at some point in their career, which can mean that a full-time permanent doctor job is no longer practical. In this situation, locum doctor work provides a great amount of flexibility allowing doctors to tailor their working hours to other commitments.
At RIG Locums, we help many doctors that have decided to become a locum for a wide variety of reasons. These include (but aren’t limited to) being able to:
- Take holidays throughout the year or around school holidays
- Work between different countries / locations in the UK
- Balance doctor work with another career or holiday
- Spend more time with family
- Make more time to study for exams
- Ease into semi-retirement
By becoming a locum and taking control of your own career, the possibilities are endless!
2. Financial Benefits
It is no secret that locum doctors can get paid at higher rates, which is why this type of work is a great way to pay off student debt or to contribute towards savings. Often doctors chose to become ‘career locums’ which allows them to provide their services as a full time contractor which again can be lucrative depending on demand.
3. Get a taste of different working environments
There can be a huge disparity between working life in a small community hospital and a large general hospital, just as there can be between different locations. For junior doctors, after many years studying and training, locum jobs can give you the option to take a break from continuous employment to sample different hospitals and environments before you commit to a permanent role.
Similarly, for overseas doctors thinking of making a move to the UK, locum roles are a great way to sample working life before committing to a more permanent move. What’s more, the experience gained from this can be used to help secure subsequent medical positions in the future.
4. Innovation & Expertise
A huge benefit oflocum doctor jobs is that you can see how practices and processes work between different hospitals and departments. This gives locum doctors a unique opportunity to witness new clinical innovations and evaluate what works best. They are then able to make themselves valuable to other practices by passing on their knowledge and insights.
5. Explore career options
After years of medical school and training, it is very easy for doctors to fall into a particular speciality for the rest of their working life without exploring what other specialities have to offer.
However, by taking on a locum vacancy after foundation training, doctors are able to find out what it is like working in a range of different specialities including those that they may not have had exposure to during their training. This enables doctors to get a high level perspective of their career options, before committing to a particular career path in addition to building their CVs.
Locum positions can also lead to specialist training posts, which count towards specialist training for the relevant college or faculty.
6. Fill gaps
If you are in between permanent jobs, or perhaps waiting for the perfect permanent opportunity to arise, locum doctor roles are a great way to fill gaps in your working schedule. Not only will this ensure you have continuous income, but will allow you to carry on building your CV with experience that can be used to help you find that perfect permanent position.
7. Never be short of work
With the NHS under constant pressure to meet demand with a finite amount of resource, there is never a shortage of nhs medical locum jobs. By registering with a doctor recruitment agency such as RIG Locums, you can discuss your requirements with a dedicated consultant who will be able to find you suitable work.
If becoming a locum doctor appeals to you, why not get in touch with RIG Locums today on 0800 690 6044 to discuss your options and our current locum doctor opportunities.