From Chaos to Control: 4 Tips on Managing Your Locum Tenens Schedule and Fellowship with Ease
Completing a fellowship is a significant milestone in any physician’s career. This post-residency training program allows you to specialize in a particular field, gain valuable experience, and advance your skills. A fellowship is a gateway to countless prospects and opportunities for career advancement, allowing you to take your career to the next level.
However, these intensive programs are extremely demanding. Fellows are expected to work long hours, often with little time off, and may be required to take on additional responsibilities beyond patient care, such as research or teaching. As a result, balancing the demands of a fellowship with other commitments, like earning a living as a locum tenens clinician, can be challenging.
Fortunately, there are ways to manage your schedule and fellowship without losing sight of either. Here are four tips for managing your locum tenens and fellowship commitments with ease.
1. Embrace the flexibility of your locum tenens schedule
One of the greatest advantages of working locum tenens is the flexibility of your schedule. As a locum, you control when and where you work, allowing you to adjust your hours around your fellowship commitments. It’s important to recognize that you’re not obligated to work locum tenens full-time.
It’s critical to prioritize your fellowship commitments, as they’re critical to your career advancement. As a result, you may need to limit the amount of locum tenens work you take on, especially during particularly demanding periods of your fellowship. While taking on as many locum shifts as possible can be financially rewarding, it’s important to seek balance.
One way to strike a balance between your fellowship and locum tenens work is to be selective about the opportunities you accept. Specifically, look for those closely aligned with your fellowship, as this will help you to build upon the skills and knowledge you’re developing while in training.
2. Schedule your locum tenens shifts ahead of time
As the saying goes, “Fail to plan, and you plan to fail.” Scheduling your locum tenens shifts ahead of time is key to managing both your fellowship commitments and locum assignments and ensuring there are no conflicts between your two roles.
Although you’re busy, taking the time to carefully plan out your schedule for the month or weeks ahead can help maximize your productivity and efficiency. It also provides peace of mind knowing that all your commitments will be met, and you can take on shifts without compromising your fellowship or neglecting any of your other obligations.
To this end, use tools such as a calendar app or a spreadsheet to plan out when you’re working as a locum tenens and times for studying, research projects, preceptorships, and other fellowship activities.
3. Be mindful of burnout
Managing the combined obligations of locum tenens work and your fellowship can feel overwhelming, and it’s important to be mindful of burnout. Burnout can affect physicians at any stage of their career, and it can be particularly prevalent for those juggling multiple commitments.
Prioritizing self-care helps prevent physical and mental exhaustion. So, make time for activities that bring you joy and help you unwind, whether spending time with friends and family, exercising, or simply relaxing with a good book. Getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and taking breaks throughout the day is also crucial.
Communication is also crucial to preventing burnout. Talk to your fellowship program director and locum tenens consultant about your workload and schedule and be honest about your challenges and limitations. By communicating your needs, you can work together to find a schedule that works for you and prevents burnout.
4. Work with an Integrity Locums consultant
Working with an experienced locum tenens staffing consultant at Integrity Locums is invaluable. These consultants have a wealth of experience in the industry and can help you navigate the complex world of locum tenens work.
Your partner consultant can help you identify opportunities that fit your schedule and interests and negotiate contracts on your behalf. They can also help you with the time-consuming administrative tasks of credentialing, licensing, and onboarding, allowing you to focus on your fellowship commitments. Furthermore, they can help you stay up-to-date on industry trends and best practices and provide the support you need to succeed in your locum tenens work.
By working with an experienced locum tenens consultant, you’ll save time, reduce stress, and enjoy the best opportunities available. With their support, you can successfully manage your locum tenens schedule while completing a fellowship and achieving your professional goals.