Happy National Locum Tenens Week 2025 from HealthTrust! As one of the nation's leading staffing providers for amazing locum jobs across the United States, we're proud to be at the forefront of this week's locum celebrations. And we invite you to join in the fun with these 15 fun facts about locum tenens jobs!
- Looking for a new locum tenens opportunity? Search open jobs here
Help Us Celebrate Locum Tenens Week 2025!
This year, National Locum Tenens Week runs from August 11 through August 15. And there are many reasons to celebrate it. For starters, physicians and practitioners who work locum jobs are an extremely important part of the American healthcare system, treating thousands of patients each day.
- What is locum tenens, and what are locum jobs? Find out here
That means locums aren't only an occasional resource for healthcare employers, but an essential everyday asset. And to spread the word about these amazing professionals, we've got a new list of 15 fascinating locum tenens facts you can share with your friends, co-workers, and everyone else in your network. Thanks for helping us get the word out, and Happy Locums Week from HealthTrust!
- Looking for more ways to celebrate Locums Week? Get the official toolkit here
Locum Tenens Week 2025: 15 Fascinating Locums Facts
1. According to the National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations (NALTO®), more than 52,000 physicians and advanced practitioners work locum jobs every year, and more than 8 in every 10 facilities use locums to deliver care.
2. The use of locum tenens in the U.S. officially dates back to the 1970s, when the University of Utah College of Medicine launched a program for physicians in rural areas to fill in for one another. Today, locum jobs are available everywhere in the U.S., and also open to advanced practitioners like NPs, PAs, and CRNAs.
3. Locum tenens is a Latin term that translates to "placeholder" or “to hold the place of."
4. Demand for locums has surged since the 1970s, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the pool of workers growing 88% from 2015 to 2023.
5. Demand is driven not only by an ongoing shortage of doctors in many parts of the U.S., but also changes to care delivery models, including the rise of outpatient facilities, urgent care facilities, and stand-alone ER departments.
6. Once thought of as a resource to be used occasionally, today researchers call a "robust workforce" of locum professionals "imperative for health service stability."
7. More professionals are working locums not just to ease into retirement with a more flexible schedule, but also to try different settings or locations and "reduce or ameliorate" burnout.
8. While locum tenens professionals are hired to cover all types of disciplines and specialties in all types of facilities, the most in-demand locum jobs are currently in emergency medicine, hospitalist medicine, and anesthesia/anesthesiology.
9. More than half of physicians working locum jobs are specialists, showing the need for specialized care in many facilities that hire locums.
10. Nine out of 10 doctors who work locums have also worked in permanent placement, showing its appeal as a temporary option for a specific time in one's career.
11. Despite early myths about the quality of care provided by locums professionals, researchers "found no difference" in short-term complications, lengths of stay, or costs between locums and non-locums neurosurgeons, while another study found that patients treated by locum hospitalists "had one-day shorter length-of-stay and $1,339 decreased hospital costs."
12. Locum tenens jobs come in all shapes and sizes, and in every discipline, specialty, and facility type, also ranging from part-time to full-time, and from just a few weeks to months and even a year or more — as long as it takes for the employer to source the full-time professional they need.
13. Some employers will hire physicians for locum positions right after their residency or even before they're finished (usually with the stipulation that they've worked a certain number of clinical work hours).
14. Locum tenens jobs can be found both locally and away from home, with
leading locum agencies arranging travel for those that require it.
15. Locum tenens are technically independent contractors, so it's important for those seeking career stability to partner with a locums placement provider that offers benefits and ensures contractual and regulatory compliance.
Live Your Best Locums Lifestyle with HealthTrust
Here at HealthTrust, the spirit of National Locum Tenens Week lasts all year long! We're proud to connect professionals like you with the opportunities that best meet your needs and preferences, whatever they may be, and wherever you want to work. See what’s available now by searching locum jobs here. And once again, Happy Locum Tenens Week from HealthTrust!
