Six perks to locuming as a Junior Doctor
The end of the medical year is among us and this may mean it's your first opportunity to locum.
There's so many benefits to locuming and it's a great way to figure out the path you want to take. Whether you're looking to earn a bit of extra money or hoping to discover your calling, we've pulled together six perks of locuming as a Junior Doctor.
1/ Travel
One of the best and most well-known perks of locuming is the ability to travel around the country and see areas you may not normally have the opportunity to. With opportunities all over New Zealand, you can scratch your travel itch and turn locum work into a working holiday for yourself and your family. Locums in New Zealand can choose between stunning mountain scenery, cosmo-cool cities, or laid-back white-sand beach towns. Locums are needed all over the country, so the choice is yours.
2/ Opportunity
You'll have lots of opportunities to work alongside a range of different experts and specialists. You'll be able to see how practices and processes work at different hospitals or clinics. You could work in a state-of-the-art practice where you'll witness the latest medical technology one day, to a rural hospital that is innovative and forward-thinking in its approach the next. Discover new career paths and try different working environments and locations.
3/ Flexibility
Locum placements can last anywhere from a few hours to a year, allowing you to take control of where and when you work for a better work/life balance. Locuming can be a great side hustle, too - Dr Ash Bowden locums with Medrecruit whilst also organising the #MoveAgainstCancer Step Challenge on the Central Coast of Australia.
"I have one more night shift tonight and then I’ve got four days off and this is the perfect time to just be hitting all the socials and all the other stuff, so yeah, that flexibility means I’m not going to burn myself out and I can put the most into this which is my other passion," said Dr Bowden.
4/ Diversity
Learn more at work each day and in different environments. It can be easy after years of medical school and training to fall into a particular specialty, but variety is the spice of life! Why not check out what other specialties have to offer? Locum work gives you the control to decide what kind of role you want to work in. It enables you to explore diverse and interesting areas of medicine and allows you to gain specific experience and skills in the placements you want.
5/ Money
When you locum you'll be getting paid higher rates. Most locums can earn more per day than some salaried positions and as a self-employed contractor rather than an employee, you are your own boss. You can set your own rates, and you are also able to claim many more expenses against your tax bill, further increasing your take-home per annum. Use the extra money to pay off that pesky student loan or just treat yourself to something nice.
6/ Help out
Locuming is beneficial to you, but also to your fellow doctors - you can help prevent stress and burnout. Take on a locum role and relieve stress on the medical system by filling short- and long-term opportunities. Additionally, you'll be helping out a local community.
Sophie Steenberg, Executive Solutions Specialist for the Junior & Registrar Division, talks about the benefits of locuming, and how to find out a bout locum opportunities:
