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Has the prospect of being distant from your family kept you from venturing forth on your first locum tenens assignment? Are
you concerned that you won't be able to return home for emergencies? Worried that your children may grow apart from you, one
text message at a time?
If so, don't postpone your dream of practicing in a new location any longer. Locum tenens agencies have a wealth of experience
in helping providers to arrange their home lives and embrace technology to deepen, rather than diminish, their family ties.
Read on to learn how recruiters prepare their clients to discuss their aspirations with family, lay the groundwork for their
first departure, and reduce the effect of emergencies on their remote practice.
BEGIN WITH A FAMILY MEETING
Dena Sween, a recruiter and team leader with Global Medical Staffing in Murray, Utah, has placed doctors as far away as Australia
and New Zealand. She suggests you discuss leaving home for your career with the whole family first. Use this chat to gauge
whether everyone's ready for the separation, and engage your recruiter to help your family understand the experience. "Discuss
those concerns, not only with family, but with the company that you're working with," she says. Keep the length and duration of a potential contract in mind, both when broaching the topic and starting your pre-trip preparation.
"Heading out for a couple of weeks is different from heading out on a yearlong assignment in, say, Australia," Sween says.
"International physicians are preparing months in advance. They have plenty of time to let their family and friends know they
will be out of the country."
Robert Harrington Jr., MD, FHM, chief medical officer at Locum Leaders in Alpharetta, Ga., and a locum tenens physician, suggests
sharing as much information as possible once you've committed.
"It's best to let your family know where you're working, your contact information, hours that you're working, and good and
bad times to get in touch with you," he says. And take particular care to explain to younger children why you need to leave
home. "I think it needs to be portrayed in a positive light. It's a tough world out there right now, and people need to do
what they need to do to stay gainfully employed," he advises.
Be sure to account for upcoming family events, and share these dates with your recruiter. "Before we start scheduling, I always
ask them to double-check with their home base for any conflicting things that may come up," says Kristine Hlavacka, senior
consultant to the OB/GYN team at Weatherby Locums in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "If they say, 'Oh, I think my daughter is graduating
in May,' go back, check with your wife, check with your daughter, see when those dates are, and we can work around them."
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