Part 2: Searching Locum Jobs for Doctors in India

Summary:

Locum jobs for doctors need a streamlined hiring and application process. With Anastomos, we can now re-imagine the locum landscape of Indian healthcare.

Table Of Contents:

• What are LOCUM Jobs?
• How is the LOCUM Job Market in the West - US/UK?
• The Locum Landscape in India
• Our Vision at AnastomosTo Revolutionize Locum Jobs for Doctors
• Is Anastomos Only For Doctors?
• Takeaway

What are LOCUM Jobs?

Often described as medical nomads, locum doctors are an essential ad hoc to healthcare systems. As a locum professional in medicine, you are expected to fill in big shoes and make the most of it. 

A fairly popular career option for healthcare professionals in the West, locum jobs for doctors are still a skyscraper with mismatched Legos in India. With the younger generation of medics and paramedics searching to blaze a new trail of work-life balance and early financial stability, GP locum jobs, or for that matter, any locum jobs in healthcare, could be a great option! Hop on to our next section as we discuss locum concepts in the West and how Anastomos is envisioning a locum makeover in the country.

Understanding LOCUM

The full phrase is 'locum tenens,' which translates from Latin to 'hold the position of.'

These are typically temporary medical roles filled by skilled healthcare practitioners. Locum tenens work in the medical field entails filling in or taking over at a healthcare facility when there is a temporary shortage of staff.

However, in common parlance, jobs that require shifts, to cover a maximum number of work hours, such as those in a hospital, may also be referred to as locum (1).

How is the LOCUM Job Market in the West - US/UK?

For doctors, locum jobs were always a popular option in the West. If you are narrowing down the occupational spectrum in healthcare, the locum job market in the UK and the USA can be a motivating role model.  

Locum Jobs in UK

The locum job market has become essential to the functioning of the NHS (National Health Service) in the UK. There was a 20% annual growth in the number of locum positions between 2015 and 2021 due to the rising demand for interim professionals across a range of medical specialties.

The need for flexible workforce alternatives, continuous NHS personnel shortages, and medical leaves are some of the catalysts for this growth. To be honest, the ongoing challenges associated with the UK's exit from the European Union have complicated the availability of healthcare professionals from the EU, potentially influencing demand for locum workers. The year 2020 witnessed a pronounced surge in locum demand, likely shaped by the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Locum work can offer work-life balance and diverse clinical opportunities to work and network. These doctors often earn between £50,000 and £100,000 per year, while locum nurses typically earn between £30,000 and £45,000 per year. These figures differ depending on specialty, experience, and geographic region (2),(3),(4).

Locum Jobs in the USA

The locum shifts are fairly recent in the US as compared to the UK and have gained significant popularity in recent times. These locum jobs span various specialties, catering to roles such as physicians, nurses, physician assistants, dentists, and pharmacists. The appeal of locum work is its flexibility, which allows healthcare professionals to choose assignments that fit their preferences and schedules.

Salaries for locum tenens roles can vary greatly depending on factors such as specialization, location, and experience, with some having competitive pay grades or exceeding those of their permanent counterparts.

Approximate statistics show that a locum physician's compensation ranges from $71,624 to $114,290 per year. For most specialties, locum pay trends show a positive hike, as per 2023 reports (5).

The Locum Landscape in India

Picking the right thread from the career tapestry in Indian healthcare could be challenging. Especially with the younger generation looking for early personal and financial stability, the brick-and-mortar rules of medicine need some real tectonic shifts. Though locum jobs for doctors are a lucrative choice, the concept is still in its early stages.

Possible Challenges for Locum Practice in India:

• Lack of awareness and infrastructure:

Many healthcare organizations are flying blind regarding the hiring process and seamless workflow. They are clueless about the concept of ‘filling-in™ amongst medics. Furthermore, the prospect of increased costs in the recruitment process and having to pay additional salaries to ‘temporary doctors™, do not sit well with many. As a result, patient care is disrupted, and the required specialists are scarce.

We have relied on word-of-mouth recommendations and our personal network for years to locate healthcare professionals to cover locum tasks. While this has worked so far, with increased demand, it is critical that we become more organized in this area.

• You are not my doctor the stigma:

We understand patient-doctor trust and comfort. Patients may not like a change in their medical team. However, awareness and proactive intervention by the hiring institution can help address these concerns. If you are aiming for a career in locum jobs for doctors near me, it's time you work on your PR skills, transparency of communication, and effective clinical knowledge. You™ve got to prove your credentials in no time to your patients!

As for the organization, it is best practice to prepare an SOP for the hired professional to smoothen the initial work days and patient care.

The job landscape in Indian healthcare needs many modifications, and integrating locum jobs is one of them. Anastomos is by far the only authenticated online platform in India that not only connects locum employees to hirers but also counsels and educates you along the way.

Our Vision at AnastomosTo Revolutionize Locum Jobs for Doctors

As the name says, we connect. The X-factor of Anastomos lies in its structure it is by the doctors and for the doctors. Let me correct that for healthcare™ in its entirety.

Our Vision and Mission

Our vision is to bring sophistication and significance to healthcare practices, while our mission is to establish an organization that enriches all dimensions of healthcare delivery through a purposeful amalgamation of technology and a compassionate human touch.

Locum Jobs Meaning with Anastomos

Why Does India Need Locum Jobs For Doctors?

• Healthcare services are required round the clock, every day of the year, and the challenge of maintaining this workflow with adequate resources is monumental for any organization.

• Conversely, many healthcare professionals (doctors, dentists, nurses, and paramedical staff) are unable to commit to full-time positions as they strive to balance work and family and also devote hours to upskilling and side gigs.

The Present Practice Of Locum Jobs In India

Currently, locum positions are mostly filled through verbal recommendations within a tight network via informal messaging. The process has its share of drawbacks:

• It restricts your access to competent professionals or attractive job offers.

• Hiring professionals and applicants miss out on options and opportunities that suit them the best.

• The haphazard hiring process and disorganized paperwork result in poor candidate evaluation and credential registration. It also prevents the applicant from learning about the hospital's protocols and job description before joining.

• Institutes struggle with last-minute onboarding, particularly in ERs and OPDs, resulting in mismatched and under-assessed recruitment.

The Role of Anastomos in Locum Jobs

Anastomos streamlines locum jobs in a transparent, authentic, and user-friendly way. Our brainchild,  is here to help you:

• Anastomos presents "Locum," an innovative technology-driven solution that effectively bridges hiring gaps in Indian healthcare.
• Acknowledging the challenges arising from sudden staff shortages of doctors, nurses, and technicians, as well as the difficulty in finding appropriate temporary replacements 
• Anastomos has curated an extensive database featuring well-trained professionals available for locum positions.
• Anastomos is proactively collaborating with hospitals to identify such requirements while acting as the supervisor, coordinator, and moderator between the employer and the applicant.
• Our career assistants hold your hand right from the day of registration until the completion of the hiring process. Whether you are a healthcare professional looking for a locum job or a facility looking for medics and paramedics, we apply to both.

For more details, feel free to reach out to us at 9538101023 or through email at [email protected] or simply visit: https://anastomos.com/locum

Is Anastomos Only For Doctors?

A valid query with a simple answer NO!

Anastomos is an online platform for GP doctors, specialists, dentists, physiotherapists, nurses, technicians, alternative medicine medics, ayurvedic practitioners, and paramedics.

As a platform owned and run by doctors, we have a bird™s eye view of the nitty-gritty of healthcare. We took a step forward from any other patient-driven platform and decided to shape a better future for our healthcare workers first. So, if you are wondering if you will find dental locum jobs on our portal, feel free to read up on us or call us for help.

Takeaway

Say goodbye to recommendation-driven haphazard hiring and welcome an honest, transparent, and regulated onboarding of locum positions. We are ahead of the curve when it comes to locum jobs for doctors. In contrast to other recruitment websites, Anastomos first understands your requirements as an employer or an applicant. We then appoint a personal guide to educate and connect you to the best matches that we have in store. And all this, with zero paperwork hassles, from the comfort of your home! As doctors, our staff empathizes with each of our registered members and will cater to your unique needs at the earliest.