Dr Diana on locuming with a medical recruitment agency

Working as a junior doctor presents challenges and decisions that shape the early years of a medical career. Medical recruitment agencies can play a role in ensuring these initial steps are not just professionally rewarding, but also supportive of doctors’ overall wellbeing. Life as a doctor demands you give everything. Dr Sam Hazledine learned this first as an intern. Years later, Medrecruit was his response. He imagined a medical recruitment agency that helped doctors achieve the best in their careers and life. An agency with strong employer relationships and services that supported doctors well beyond a job placement.

Dr Diana Yuen Kwun Ng is a resident doctor in Australia (or house officer in New Zealand. Recently, she has been locuming in Australia. We caught up with her for a chat about her experiences.

"So Medrecruit has been really helpful, I talked to a few other companies, but they just weren’t as personable in terms of trying to find the correct job type for me. Medrecruit was really flexible. They gave me time to decide when I could start work, and when I wanted to finish, so I could do a little bit of travelling in between."

More than ever, there is a need to support healthcare professionals' mental health and wellbeing. Quality recruitment agencies provide ongoing support and resources to ensure that doctors manage the demands of their roles. Agencies often offer guidance on work-life balance, stress management, and professional growth, which are important for maintaining wellbeing in high-pressure environments.

They were good at giving us a few days off at a time during the current job that we have to make sure that we get enough time for work/life balance.

One of the advantages of working with a medical recruitment agency is the personalised job matching process. Agencies take the time to understand each doctor's individual needs, career aspirations, and personal circumstances. This thoughtful placement ensures that positions align with career goals and life goals—whether that involves balancing work with further education, family life, or personal development.

"My goal heading into the New Year is that I am going back to New Zealand to start my radiology training," Diana told Medrecruit.

The transition from medical school to the workforce can be daunting. Medical recruitment agencies can alleviate the stress associated with job hunting by handling the legwork. They sift through numerous opportunities, negotiate contracts, and even assist with the logistics of interviews and relocation if necessary. This allows junior doctors to focus more on their professional development and less on the administrative burdens of job searching.

"Medrecruit has been good for giving us a break from full-time work because we are going into full-time work, so this has given me a couple of months to work a little bit to help fund our travels and give us a bit of flexibility to take some time off and really recharge before I start training. "