Zoë A. Lewis, MD, FACP
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Finding time for personal interests can be a challenge when you are bogged down with the restraints of a full-time, permanent
position. The same holds true for professional aspirations that go above and beyond the scope of your specific position. Those
eager to explore varied interests, pursue ambitious projects, or venture to places unknown may first need to reclaim control
of their time and schedule by adopting a locum tenens lifestyle. That is what Zoë A. Lewis, MD, FACP, chose to do about three
years ago, and the results have been impressive.
"After holding permanent positions in internal medicine, and hospice and palliative care for more than 15 years, I felt the
need to do something personal that would grant me a great sense of accomplishment," Dr. Lewis says. "At the time I was providing
primary care and internal medicine services at a hospital in New England, and also acting as corporate medical director for
a nearby hospice. Although I enjoyed that work, I really wanted to write a book on Alzheimer's disease. And I knew that to
do it right, and to enjoy the process, I would need to free up a great deal of my time."
So in 2006, Dr. Lewis resigned her positions and dedicated a year to the project. By allowing herself the personal freedom
she needed, she was able to produce the book she had envisioned—a resource for the friends and families of Alzheimer's patients
that offers both holistic and traditional care solutions to preserve and protect the best quality of life for the longest
period.
Once the book was completed, Dr. Lewis got busy working on a Spanish translation and dealing with the consequent publicity.
"Even after I finished my writing, I did not feel ready to go back into a full-time position," she says. "It was wonderful
to control my own time, and I was able to carve out space for my many passions, which include traveling, scuba diving, photography,
and yoga, which I take very seriously. I have been to more than 30 different countries, including extensive trips throughout
India, Europe, and Africa. In fact, I recently went to South Africa to visit some friends and wound up tiger shark diving
in Umkomaas, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. It was exhilarating, to say the least, to be right next to 14-foot sharks with
very scary, very impressive teeth. I also got to visit a nature preserve called Hluhluwe-Umfolozi, which is the largest safari
park in Africa." FINDING THE ANSWER
The reason Dr. Lewis was able to take that trip this year is that she decided to adopt the locum tenens lifestyle indefinitely.
"Once I saw all of the benefits that go along with this practice alternative, I saw no reason to go back to my previous situation,"
she says. "And since I had done some temporary contracts earlier in my career—while moving between states and waiting for
my credentials to clear—I knew that I would be comfortable walking into new places whenever necessary."
It is not necessary very often, however, because for the past two years Dr. Lewis has continued on and off at the same contract
she found through Alpharetta, Georgia-based Locum Leaders. "This company has been a joy to work with," she says. "They set
me up with a great opportunity at the other end of my home state down South, and I just keep going back there again and again
whenever I have the time."
Through the Locum Leaders contract, Dr. Lewis sees patients at a 150-bed facility approximately 700 miles from her home. "Since
I need a full travel day to get there and another to get home, I normally limit my stints to four or five days at a time,"
she says. "And while I am there, I take 12-hour shifts every day. It works out that I am there between 10 and 15 days each
month, which leaves me ample time for everything else I want to get done."
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