Locum tenens is a way for a physician to provide temporary, defined clinical coverage where a hospital or practice has a gap. It can be used for one season or as part of a long-term career, and it does not mean the physician failed in permanent practice.
The phrase describes the temporary nature of the coverage need. It does not decide whether the physician’s broader career is temporary, independent, employed, or mixed.
What the term actually describes
Locum tenens decisions become clearer when the physician separates the clinical work from the employment, staffing, and operating structures around it. The model deserves neither automatic suspicion nor automatic enthusiasm. It deserves a careful look at the problem being solved.
Temporary coverage is an assignment structure—not a measure of professional seriousness.Editorial principle drawn from Out of the Shadows
Four practice models physicians confuse
The practical questions come next: what the facility needs, what the physician wants, what responsibilities move with the model, and which claims require current legal, clinical, licensing, insurance, or tax guidance. Education should happen before urgency narrows the decision.
Original LTA comparison
Four ways physicians provide care
Start by separating the assignment model from the employment and business arrangements around it.
One organization is the physician’s ongoing employer and primary practice home.
The physician works selected shifts, often within a familiar local system.
A staffing firm helps connect the physician with a defined temporary coverage need.
The physician’s business contracts more directly with a facility or group.
What changes for the physician
This framework is a starting point for reflection—not medical, legal, tax, financial, licensing, credentialing, or insurance advice. Before a real assignment or business decision, physicians should verify current facts and consult the professionals appropriate to their circumstances.
Frequently asked questions
Is locum tenens the same as being an independent contractor?
No. Temporary coverage describes the assignment. Employment classification and the business arrangement are separate questions that must be confirmed for the actual role.
Does temporary work mean a temporary career?
Not necessarily. A physician can use one assignment during a transition or build a series of assignments into a longer practice model. The relevant question is what purpose the work serves in the physician’s plan.
About the editorial author
The Locum Tenens Academy editorial team prepares physician-career education from the Academy’s source materials. This article was adapted with AI assistance from Out of the Shadows by William A. Cooper, MD, MBA. The questions and framework are editorial additions, not a quotation or a claim of clinical review.
Sources
About the source author
William A. Cooper, MD, MBA
Cardiothoracic surgeon, healthcare leader, and founder of Locum Tenens Academy. The article series translates the perspective in Out of the Shadows into practical questions for physicians considering locums.