This year’s report highlights locum tenens helping to bridge coverage gaps, ease burnout, and build revenue for healthcare organizations

CHG Healthcare published the 2024 State of Locum Tenens Report, tracking the emerging and continuing trends in the temporary-physician staffing industry. CHG is the nation’s largest provider of locum tenens — or temporary, traveling healthcare provider — services. Highlights of the 2024 report include:

• The growing healthcare provider shortage has made hiring full-time staff much more difficult for healthcare organizations, and more and more are utilizing locum tenens to bridge coverage gaps
• Burnout remains a challenge across the healthcare industry, and many organizations are leaning on locum tenens to relieve pressure and provide respite for full-time staff
• Many organizations have realized they are leaving money on the table by not properly billing for locum tenens services and are finding that locums can generate revenue for their organization when billed correctly
• Organizations that hesitate to use locum tenens are often suffering from lack of coverage and lost revenue
• The number of physicians working locum tenens continues to increase year over year

“Healthcare organizations continue to face a challenging environment with a physician marketplace that is tighter than ever as physicians look for new career solutions that work for them,” said Leslie Snavely, CHG President. “Our job as an industry is to help our clients deliver high-quality patient care, closing coverage gaps in a way that delivers for both physicians and healthcare organizations. As you will see in this report, these care gaps in the market would be even greater if not for locum tenens.”

Supplementing core income, work/life balance, and career transitions were the most commonly cited reasons for physicians choosing to work locum tenens. Nearly half of physicians (46%) choose to work locum tenens to supplement their core income, while 29% say it was because the salary was appealing. Locum tenens is also frequently used to fill a career gap, whether it is between phases of training (13%), searching for a new job (24%), or transitioning to retirement (13%). Another top reason is to have more control over their schedule for a better work/life balance (27%).

“Having the ability to decide how much or how often I work rejuvenates me and prevents the burnout I see in my colleagues,” said hospitalist Dr. Tammy Allen.

“The theme that keeps recurring to me is balance,” said Scott Beck, CHG CEO. “Hospital staff are looking for a better work/life balance that will allow them to provide the best patient care while being present with their families, hobbies, and life outside of work. Healthcare organizations are struggling to balance coverage gaps with the growing burnout crisis and provide the highest-quality patient care in a timely manner. And everyone is looking to balance their books.”

View the full report here.

About CHG Healthcare: Since founding the locum tenens industry in 1979, CHG Healthcare has been powerfully serving the healthcare workforce to make a difference in human lives. Through our trusted brands — CompHealth, Weatherby Healthcare, RNnetwork, Global Medical Staffing, Locumsmart, and Modio — we provide temporary and permanent placement of physicians, allied health professionals, and nurses to healthcare facilities across America (and even in international destinations). Thanks to dynamic partnerships, we’re helping clients build a more sustainable healthcare workforce. Our unique culture of caring and purpose benefits the lives of our people, while also extending to the communities where we live. Learn more at chghealthcare.com.

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