Locumpedia: From Burnout to Balance: Reclaiming Autonomy in Modern Medicine with Locum Tenens

Aya Locums‘ Associate Vice President of Locums Recruitment, Rhianna Watson, discusses how for some doctors and APPs, locum tenens fills a temporary gap between permanent roles, and for others, it becomes a long-term model that combats healthcare provider burnout, restores autonomy, rekindles their passion for patient care and allows providers to practice medicine on their own terms.

I’ve spoken with many clinicians over the years — physicians, CRNAs, nurse practitioners and physician assistants from every corner of the country. No matter their specialty or setting, one theme continues to surface in our conversations: burnout.

It’s a term that has largely been relegated to a buzz word in the wake of the pandemic, having lost a bit of its impact along the way. However, many healthcare providers continue to describe the same pressures now: overwhelming patient loads, administrative complexities and the feeling that they’re giving everything they have, yet never quite catching up. While the pandemic didn’t create healthcare provider burnout, it made what was already simmering impossible to ignore.

Now, these ongoing feelings, coupled with a looming provider shortage, are triggering a turning point for many physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs). It’s forcing a question that’s long been postponed: What does balance actually look like in a career that demands so much of me?

Read her full op-ed here.