2009 May | Vista Blog

Laurie Peterson recruits physicians for VISTA family medicine team. She has more than 26 years of experience in both the US and international locum tenens industries and is a wonderful coach, mentor, and problem-solver for recruiters and physicians alike. Laurie is widely recognized for her color-coordinated clothing and mind-boggling shoe collection. Her only wish is to meet more of you in person at medical conferences instead of solely by phone, where the shoe issue is somewhat moot.

Archive for May, 2009

Why locum tenens is a good bet in an unstable economy

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

I’ve had several conversations recently with physicians who were considering locum tenens work, but were a little concerned about earning an adequate income given the current economic situation. I thought I’d offer some insight into the dynamics of the locum tenens industry, which I hope will increase your comfort level if you happen to be in the same boat.

First, as I am sure you are aware, there is a growing physician shortage across the globe. We did experience a small dip in demand and/or slower commitments from clients at the end of last year as healthcare organizations braced for declining census and health plan enrollment. These organizations quickly realized that the need for physicians was not really reduced, and came back to us asking for help in arranging locum tenens coverage. The days of physician coverage we are providing have remained steady.

In addition, history has shown that the temporary staffing industry recovers before full-time employment in times like this. It makes sense when you think about it—if an organization is concerned about making full-time hiring commitments but still needs physicians, a temporary contract is a safe, logical bridge until the situation improves.

From a personal perspective, the best way you can ensure access to locum tenens opportunities is to 1) be as flexible as possible and willing to consider wide range of locations and practice settings, and 2) work with us to create a proactive licensing plan so we can get you ready to work in areas where we consistently have openings in your specialty, 3) keep your CV current, and 4) keep your certificates up to date.

I’ve have worked with hundreds of physicians and have seen how rewarding locum tenens work can be. If the time is right for you, I encourage you to jump in and explore your options.

Posted in Industry Updates |

Do you Twitter?

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Greetings to physicians and clients working with VISTA and those we hope to work with in the future. At VISTA we work hard to set the standard for professionalism and responsiveness in the locum tenens, extended placements, international locums, and physician search and consulting industries. We try to stay ahead of the curve and anticipate the ways you prefer to communication with your physician staffing partners, from introduction of the service to firming up the final details of a placement.

I would very much appreciate hearing your views on social networking.

Which sites / vehicles do you use (for example – blogs, discussion groups, Twitter, Facebook, etc)?
What type of communication would you like/expect to receive through these vehicles?
Is there a particular social networking function that you think would dramatically improve the process of coordinating assignments/placements?

Please send me an email including a little background on yourself, so I can understand what part of our audience you represent, and your thoughts on the following:

LinkedIn
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter
Others you rely on

Thank you very much for your time and insight.

Rekha Dhanraj

Marketing Communications Manager

VISTA Staffing Solutions

Rekha.dhanraj@vistastaff.com

Posted in Industry Updates |

VISTA Staffing Solutions | Locum Tenens

Archive for May, 2009

Why locum tenens is a good bet in an unstable economy

Do you Twitter?

Blog

Subscribe

Categories

+ Physican Authors

+ VISTA Authors

+ Archives

+ Jobs by Specialty