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Locum tenens providers have played an indispensable role in 2020 — a year that’s become one of the most turbulent for healthcare in America in over a century. Many locums have joined others on the frontlines fighting a pandemic no one knew how to fight in its earliest stages. Other locums have had contracts canceled, assignments withdrawn, income curtailed, and lives and plans put on hold until the dust settles. Its overall toll physically, mentally, and financially on locums providers is incalculable.
At CompHealth, we express our deepest appreciation to all our locums, and we salute you during National Locum Tenens Week 2020 (Aug. 10–14). Here are a just few of the thoughts and stories we’ve heard from locums who’ve been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
One doctor’s thank you to her fellow superheroes
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sonya Sloan expresses the nearly inexpressible — the gratitude all Americans have felt towards healthcare providers during the pandemic. Driven by unselfishness and passionate hearts to help, essential medical professionals keep going, “through our fatigue, our anger, and our tears, so we can help the sick and perhaps save another life.” Read more
How the coronavirus affected three locums
Three locums physicians share how the pandemic has disrupted their lives and practices, from worrying about where to eat during stay-in-place orders — to transitioning patient treatment to telemedicine — to the need for doctors to register themselves to provide patient care. Dr. Andrew Wilner sums it up, “Everything was completely ad hoc.” Read more
NP fighting COVID-19 in the New York hot zone
With a shortage of PPE and supplies like nasal cannulas and IV catheters, the first days of the coronavirus in Brooklyn, New York, were anxious and often downright frightening, as related by locum tenens nurse practitioner Kelly Lueck. At one point, she says, patients were going from “coming in, to coding, to passing” with alarming frequency. Read more
A satisfying discovery in the COVID-19 fight
35-year veteran critical care physician, Dr. Paul Langevin, worked locums at a New Jersey hospital that got it right and had a plan to meet the crisis with the right personnel in place. “The healthcare facility treated their locums physicians like members of the team and were thoughtful about how they integrated them into their system.” Read more
Happy National Locum Tenens Week 2020!
CompHealth sends a big thank you to all the exceptional locum tenens physicians, PAs, NPs, and CRNAs, whose dedication and self-sacrifice has changed not only the lives of your patients, but the lives of everyone at CompHealth who are fortunate enough to work with you.
For more provider stories or to learn about the history of locum tenens visit locumstory.com.