Getting a contract in place that covers your responsibilities, the host physician’s responsibilities, payment terms and more is critical to ensuring a smooth and satisfying locum experience. This section covers contract basics with links to locum contract samples you can use as a starting point.
3.1 Evaluating a Locum Opportunity
Learn the hard questions you should ask when considering a locum position to ensure a good fit. A few examples are:
- How many patients will I see in a day?
- What is the regular schedule?
- What are my on-call, hospital, outpatient and and other responsibilities beyond regular hours?
A complete list of questions to ask during your consideration phase can be found in the free Ultimate Locum Tenens eBook.
Once you’ve determined an opportunity is a good fit, don’t hold back any deeper, more specific questions about office protocols, workplace culture, support staff experience, the community as a place to live and more.
3.2 Negotiating a Mutually Beneficial Contract
See what your locum contract should cover and learn which points you may be able to negotiate, including compensation and responsibilities.
While you can use a generic locum contract template as a starting point, it is important to customize it at length to ensure the details unique to your locum are covered.
Locum tenens contract examples:
3.3 Before You Start: Your Handover Checklist
In our in-depth eBook, we walk you through the 20+ items from your host physician you should secure first! Don't start your locum work without these!