The physician assistant's locum tenens guide: What is locums and how do I get started?

If you’re a physician assistant who’s heard the term locum tenens but never fully understood what it means, you’re not alone. Many PAs first hear about locums through colleagues, recruiters, or online job searches, and assume it’s only for physicians or for people who want to travel nonstop. But it’s more than that.

Locum tenens means working temporary assignments to fill a patient care need. For physician assistants, that can mean stepping into a hospital, clinic, surgical practice, emergency department, rural facility, or specialty practice for a defined period of time while the organization covers a leave, fills a vacancy, manages seasonal demand, or adds support during a staffing shortage.

Assignments can be short or long; local or far from home; full time or occasional. Some PAs take just one assignment a year to supplement their income. Others build an entire career around locums. Some use it to travel. Others use it to stay close to home while gaining more control over their schedule.

That kind of flexibility makes it easier to shape locums around your lifestyle, priorities, and career goals.

How do I get started?

For a PA, locums usually starts with a conversation with a recruiter about your specialty, assignment preferences, schedule, and where you’re licensed or willing to work. From there, a recruiter helps match you with assignments that fit you best. Once you accept a role, there’s credentialing, licensing support if needed, travel planning, housing coordination, and onboarding before your start date. On assignment, you do the clinical work you were hired to do, then decide whether you want to extend, take time off, or move on to something new.

That balance of flexibility and support is one reason locums appeals to so many PAs.

Factors to consider when working locums

For PAs exploring locums, the scope of practice and onboarding can vary depending on specialty, setting, and state requirements. A PA considering locums needs to think not just about the job itself, but about supervision requirements in different states, team dynamics, onboarding expectations, and how quickly they can adapt to a new workflow.

Agencies play an especially helpful role because they often step in to support credentialing, licensing, paperwork, and logistics that can otherwise eat up a lot of time. That support matters when you’re juggling multiple licenses, multiple facilities, and different documentation standards.

Why physician assistants choose locums

There isn’t one single reason PAs choose locums. For some, it’s about flexibility. For others, it’s a break from burnout. Some want to earn more. Others want a change of scenery or the chance to test out different practice settings before committing long-term.

For Catie Hauck, PA in cardiovascular/cardiothoracic surgery, locums made it possible to keep doing the work she cared about most while opening up new options.

That kind of motivation comes up often among PAs. Locums can create room to keep practicing in a preferred specialty while exploring different regions, facilities, and ways of working.

How the process works

For someone new to locums, one of the biggest barriers is not knowing what happens next.

The process usually looks something like this:

You speak with a recruiter about your specialty, experience, schedule, and preferences

Your recruiter shares assignments that align with your background

You review details like setting, scope, schedule, patient volume, and location

If you’re interested, the facility may interview you

Travel and housing are arranged if needed

You receive onboarding information before your first day

You arrive, complete orientation, and begin the assignment

Some of these steps move quickly. Others take time, especially if a new license or extensive credentialing is required.

What kinds of settings can PAs work in?

One of the most appealing parts of locums is the range of settings available. Depending on your experience and interests, locum tenens PA jobs can include:

That range can be especially valuable if you want to deepen your experience, stay in a specialty you love, or figure out which environment fits you best.

Who locums tends to work well for

Locums can work well for a lot of different PAs, but it tends to be an especially good fit for people who:

Want more schedule flexibility

Are open to new environments

Can adapt quickly to different workflows

Want to earn more or be paid more directly for the hours they work

Are exploring a career transition

Want variety without leaving patient care

It can also work well for PAs who are looking for a reset. Sometimes the appeal isn’t adventure. Sometimes it’s simply breathing room.

When locum tenens may not be the best fit

Locums isn’t a bad fit if you value stability. But if you strongly prefer predictability, a deeply established team routine, or a long ramp-up period before starting somewhere new, it may feel more challenging at first.

That doesn’t mean you should rule it out. It just means you should go into it with a clear understanding of your own working style and what kind of support you may need to succeed.

Frequently asked questions about PA locums

Do I have to travel far to work locums?

Not always. Some PAs take assignments in entirely different states. Others work within driving distance. Locums can involve major travel, but it doesn’t have to.

Do I need years of experience first?

That depends on the role, specialty, and facility. Some assignments require a clinician who can step in with minimal ramp-up. Others may be more open. In general, the more independently you can practice within your role and specialty, the more options you may have.

Is locums only for people who don’t want a permanent job?

No. Some PAs use locums for a short period. Others use it to explore future permanent opportunities. And some stick with it because they genuinely prefer the flexibility.

Locums vs. a permanent PA role

A permanent PA role can offer consistency, a familiar team, and a long-term home base. For many people, that’s exactly the right fit.

Locums offers something different. It can give you more control over your schedule, lets you work in new settings, helps you avoid feeling stuck, and creates breathing room between assignments. It can also help you answer questions you may not be able to answer otherwise:

Do I prefer to practice in a rural or an urban setting?

Do I want full-time work year-round, or time off built into my schedule?

Am I in the right specialty, or do I want more variety?

That doesn’t mean one path is better than the other. It means locums gives physician assistants another option, and for the right person, it can be a very good one.

Why these PAs made the switch: Read the benefits of locum tenens

Questions to ask yourself before exploring locums

Before you start applying, it helps to be honest about what you want. Ask yourself:

Those answers can help guide the kind of assignments you explore and the kind of recruiter relationship that’ll serve you best.

Why locums is worth considering

Locum tenens isn’t just a backup plan or a short-term stopgap. Locums for physician assistants can be a practical, flexible way to build a career that better fits real life. Whether you want travel PA jobs, more control over your time, or a way to stay in a specialty you love, locums is worth understanding.

Interested in learning more about locum tenens opportunities? We can help you find your first assignment. Give us a call at 800.453.3030 or view today’s locum tenens job openings.