Locum tenens jobs for physicians

Compare the assignment, not just the location

Match the work to your specialty, recent clinical experience and privileges. Ask which board certification, procedure experience and call responsibilities the hiring team requires. A physician title alone does not define the job.

• Clinical duties: patient population, procedures and coverage responsibilities.
• Assignment dates: required shifts, call and the process for schedule changes.
• Readiness: licenses, privileges, orientation and system access.
• Travel and housing: who arranges them and what the written agreement covers.
• Changes and cancellation: notice, payment terms and any repayment obligations.

How to get started, step by step

Start with a concrete plan you can take to a hiring team. List your specialty, active licenses, board-certification status, recent clinical work and the procedures you are prepared to cover. For trainees, get program clearance before accepting outside clinical work.

1. Define an assignment brief: clinical scope, eligible states, dates, travel limits and call you are willing to cover.
2. Compare the facility, patient mix and actual duties. Ask whether nights, procedures or independent coverage are part of the assignment.
3. Ask for a readiness checklist with an owner for licenses, privileges, credential verification, orientation and system access. A proposed start date is not cleared readiness.
4. Review the written offer and cancellation terms before booking travel or blocking your main schedule. Ask who pays expenses and what happens if clearance is delayed.

Where to look and how to search

JAMA Career Center is a professional job-search resource, not Saile inventory or an endorsement of any posting. Check dates and requirements in the actual listing.

• Search the professional career resource below for locum tenens, temporary coverage and your specialty or population focus. Read the assignment description for dates and setting.
• Check hospital and clinic career pages for temporary or fixed-term coverage. A role advertised as temporary may still have a substantial minimum commitment.
• Ask the medical-staff or clinical hiring team how they recruit short-term coverage. Share a concise assignment brief, not an open-ended promise to cover anything.

JAMA Career Center
Check current opportunities in Saile

Licensing and credentialing: make a first-shift checklist

Confirm privileges for the actual procedures and patient setting; ask who provides clinical backup and what happens when a case exceeds your scope. Keep a checklist of what is already current, what the organization must verify and who owns each remaining step. Ask for an actual clearance decision before promising a first session or shift.

• Active professional licenses and the patient/facility states covered.
• Relevant certification, recent experience and required privileges.
• Coverage arrangements, orientation, clinical-system access and escalation contacts.
• An owner and next step for every unfinished requirement.

HHS: Licensing across state lines

Scheduling realities to put in writing

Count travel days, orientation, call, recovery time and any documentation left after the shift. Ask whether offered dates are guaranteed, provisional or dependent on credentialing. Compare the whole assignment to your protected availability.

Compare the whole offer, not just a rate

Keep hourly, per-visit, per-shift and project payments separate. An annual employee wage benchmark is not a guaranteed gig rate. Ask the hiring team to fill these gaps in a written offer.

• Which paid hours are guaranteed and which depend on the schedule?
• How are call, overtime, travel and lodging handled?
• Who pays for malpractice coverage, and does the policy require tail coverage when the work ends?
• Which expenses are mine, when will payment arrive and what remains owed if the work ends?

1099 and tax basics before you accept

For federal employment taxes, the IRS considers behavioral control, financial control and the relationship between the parties; a contract label alone does not settle classification. Self-employed people generally pay income tax and self-employment tax and may need estimated payments. Ask a tax professional to review your actual arrangement. Do not subtract a generic percentage and call it take-home pay.

• Keep a record of gross payments, invoices and relevant expenses.
• Ask whether the engagement is employee or contractor work and what benefits are included.
• Plan for tax payments with an adviser before spending gross receipts.

IRS: Independent contractor or employee
IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center

A common pitfall to avoid

Do not commit to travel on a verbal expectation of clearance. Get the remaining readiness steps and delay/cancellation process in writing. Ask how an assignment extension would be agreed rather than assuming it is optional.

Before you accept: the final check

Leave unknowns visible until the hiring team answers them. This checklist is preparation, not legal, tax or clinical clearance.

• Scope fits my experience and authorizations.
• Time, pay unit, expenses and cancellation terms are written.
• Clinical backup or project review responsibilities are clear.
• Main-job approval and conflicts have been checked.
• Remaining onboarding steps have an owner; my start is not assumed.

One profile. A clearer next step.

Saile is built by physicians for clinicians. Keep licenses, credentials and work preferences in one profile, then check the app for relevant opportunities. The next question is practical: who owns the remaining steps between your interest and your first shift?

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Source checked October 12, 2026.

• HHS: Licensing across state lines
• IRS: Independent contractor or employee
• IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center
• JAMA Career Center