News and briefs: Full-time hospitalists double as locum tenens

Many hospitalists are working as locum tenens in addition to being employed full time, according to a survey conducted by Locum Leaders. Ten percent of hospitalists surveyed said they worked as locum tenens in the past year, and of that 10%, the majority was also employed. The percentage of respondents working full time and as locums was 82%; working part time was 7%. The remaining 11% said they worked exclusively as locum tenens hospitalists.

In an interview with Yahoo, Robert Harrington, MD, SFHM, chief medical officer of Locum Leaders, said the reason full-time hospitalists seek additional work is because of age, income, and unique work schedules.

"Since most hospitalist programs rely on a seven-on, seven-off schedule, you end up with a large population of doctors who have a lot of time off. They want to use that time productively and so they come to agencies like Locum Leaders for additional work," said Harrington.