National survey of Hospitalists locum tenens trends by Locum Leaders

1. 2012 Hospitalist Locum Tenens Survey

2. Introduction
The past two decades have seen explosive growth in Hospital Medicine. A majority of US
hospitals now have hospital medicine programs and the number of physicians practicing as
Hospitalists has risen from ~7,000 in 2001 to a projected 35,000 this year, according to the
Society of Hospital Medicine.
The growth in the specialty has, in turn, led to increased use of locum tenens hospitalists.
Industry surveys that gauge demand for locum tenens by specialty show Hospital Medicine
ranked number one as the most requested need.
To learn more about the physicians filling the temporary staffing needs of our clients, Locum
Leaders partnered with Today’s Hospitalist magazine. At our request, the magazine inserted
several questions specific to locum tenens in its 2012 Career and Compensation Survey of
the nation’s hospitalists. The results offer a snapshot into the total size and motivations of
the Hospitalist locum tenens workforce.
New to the survey this year are questions regarding social media. The results show strong
interest in social media with Hospitalist usage rivaling general consumer adoption.
As one of the nation’s leading recruitment firms for Hospitalist locum tenens, we pride
ourselves on our in-depth knowledge of the specialty. In sharing our data, we seek to add to
the industry’s body of knowledge regarding Hospitalist employment trends.
Will Drescher, Chief Executive Officer
Locum Leaders
For the second year in a row,
Hospital Medicine remains
the most requested locum
tenens need for hospitals.
Locum Leaders, LLC. | 877-562-8656 (877 LocumJobs) | www.locumleaders.com 2

3. Survey Methodology
The data presented in this report are a subset of a larger, national survey of Hospitalists
independently conducted in the summer of 2012 by Today’s Hospitalist magazine. A total
of 966 responses were tabulated for the survey with a 3% +/- margin of error. Complete
responses will be published in the Today’s Hospitalist Compensation & Career Guide in
October and at www.todayshospitalist.com.
Defining Locum Tenens
From a latin phrase meaning “to substitute or hold the place of,” locum tenens is the
industry term used to describe healthcare providers who take contracted, temporary
positions at healthcare facilities. Hospitals, clinics and physician management groups
typically use locum tenens providers to fill vacation or maternity leaves, open positions,
or part-time positions. The analyst group, Staffing Industry Associates, estimates the
recruitment and placement of locum tenens physicians as a $2B segment of the
staffing industry.
About Locum Leaders
Locum Leaders is a one of the fastest growing locum tenens recruitment firms in the United
States, and was the first to hire a Hospitalist Chief Medical Officer. The company specializes
in consultative Hospital Medicine workforce solutions for Hospitals, Health Systems and
Hospitalist Management Groups. In 2012, the company was named one the Best Places to
Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine and recognized for the third year in a
row as one of Atlanta’s Best Places to Work by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
For more information and to find locum tenens jobs, visit the company’s website at
http://www.locumleaders.com,email info@locumleaders.com or call 877-562-8656
(877-LocumJobs).
Locum Leaders, LLC. | 877-562-8656 (877 LocumJobs) | www.locumleaders.com 3

4. Key Findings
11.6% of the nation’s Hospitalists have worked as locum tenens within the past 12
months, an increase over the 10% reported in the previous year’s survey.
Of Hospitalists who work as locum tenens, 14.5% identify themselves as full-time locum
tenens, meaning they are self-employed. 10.8% claimed full-time locum tenens status
in the previous year’s survey.
Compensation and career flexibility are primary motivators for Hospitalists who work as
locum tenens.
A small percentage of Hospitalists use social media in job searches and find it helpful.
Analysis
As the ranks of Hospital Medicine grow, so does the percentage of Hospitalists working as
locum tenens physicians.
The specialty has grown by almost 5,000 physicians over the past three years, according
to the Society of Hospital Medicine, but the increase in the available physician pool hasn’t
diminished locum tenens opportunities for Hospitalists. To the contrary, more Hospitalists
are working either full-time as locum tenens or supplementing salaried employment with
additional locum shifts.
11.6% of Hospitalists did some sort of locum tenens work during the past year—up from
10% the previous year. Of those who worked as locum tenens, 14.5% said they did so full-
time—a significant increase over the 10.8% who claimed full-time locum tenens status in
the prior survey.
11.6% of Hospitalists said
Increasing pay rates for locum tenens are a key driver, according to Robert Harrington, MD,
they worked as locum SFHM, a practicing Hospitalist and the Chief Medical Officer of Locum Leaders.
tenens, an increase from
“Demand for Hospitalists—part-time and full-time—exceeds supply and that, in turn, has
the previous year. driven up hourly pay for locum tenens over the past several years,” said Dr. Harrington.
This year’s survey asked Hospitalists about social media usage. 60% of respondents said
they used Facebook, 23% reported using LinkedIN, and 7% had used Twitter. The results,
which mirror consumer adoption of these sites, aren’t surprising to Dr. Harrington.
“Ours is a newer specialty that skews toward younger physicians who are open to the use
of social media.” he said.
Another sign of growing social media adoption: 8% of Hospitalists in the survey said they
had used social media in a job search to browse job ads, reply to a recruiter or to network
with others about employment opportunities.
Locum Leaders, LLC. | 877-562-8656 (877 LocumJobs) | www.locumleaders.com 4

5. Survey Results
Have you worked as a locum tenens physician within the past 12 months? (N=770)
No 88.4%
Yes 11.6%
Responses below are from physicians who responded “yes” to working as a
Half of Hospitalists locum tenens within the past 12 months (N= 89)
who work as locum
tenens prefer relatively Which statement below best describes your employment status?
short-term assignments I am employed full-time
and work locum tenens 14.5%
of a month or less. I am employed part-time
and work locum tenens 21.6%
63.9%
I am a full-time locum
tenens (self-employed)
How many assignments have you worked within the past year?
1
2 4.7% 16.5%
3 34.1%
4 9.4%
5 20% 15.3%
6 or more
Less than 1 month 49%
1 to 4 months 26%
5 to 8 months 11%
9 to 12 months 1%
Over 12 months 13%
What is your ideal locum tenens assignment length?
Less than 1 month 8.3%
1 to 4 months
5 to 8 months 10.7%
50%
9 to 12 months
22.6%
Over 12 months
What are the benefits of working as a locum tenens (choose all that apply)?
Compensation 73.5%
Freedom to choose when/where to work 68.7%
Flexibility 66.3%
Varied clinical experiences 36.1%
Travel 32.5%
Exploring new career options 26.5%
Scale down from full-time practice 15.7%
More time for patient care 12%
Other 3.6%
Locum Leaders, LLC. | 877-562-8656 (877 LocumJobs) | www.locumleaders.com 5

6. What are the drawbacks of working as a locum tenens (choose all that apply)?
Time away from home / family 73.7%
Uncertainty about assignments 63.2%
Lack of benefits 57.9%
Lack of prestige 27.6%
Other 7.9%
Locum and non-locum Hospitalists responded to the survey’s social
media questions. (N = 571)
Which of these popular consumer social media sites do you ever use?
Facebook 60.4%
LinkedIN 22.9%
Twitter 7%
None of these 32.2%
Less than 1 month 49%
1 to 4 months 26%
5 to 8 months 11%
9 to 12 months 1%
Over 12 months 13%
Are you using or have you used social media for a job search?
No 8%
Yes
92%
60% of Hospitalists say
they use Facebook.
If using social media in job search, how are you using it?
Search Job Ads 75.9%
Respond to a Job Inquiry or 41.4%
Recruitment Pitch from a
Social Media Source
Research a Prospective Employer 24.1%
or Hiring Manager
Network with a Prospective 10.4%
Employer or others connected to
a Prospective Employer
If using social media in job search, how helpful is it in your search?
Very helpful 37.9%
Somewhat helpful 58.6%
Not helpful 3.4%
Locum Leaders, LLC. | 877-562-8656 (877 LocumJobs) | www.locumleaders.com 6