Can hiring locum tenens providers solve the physician burnout issue in your healthcare facility?

Did you know? According to Medscape’s 2021 National Physician Burnout & Suicide Report, 42% of U.S. physicians have experienced burnout issues during their careers. On top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this issue.


It’s high time that healthcare facilities should consider this issue seriously. Or else, they could experience a miserable future with lesser physicians, low-quality outcomes, and an increase in medical errors.


How did it worsen?


Physicians choose a medical career to make a significant impact by taking care of people with injuries and diseases. However, they have to face additional stress apart from patient care.


A 2018 study reported that 70% of physicians consume more than 10 hours on administrative tasks and paperwork, while some of them reported more than 20 hours.


According to Medscape’s 2021 National Physician Burnout & Suicide Survey Report, critical care physicians topped the list with a 51% burnout rate followed by rheumatologists (50%). Other specialties in trouble include infectious disease specialists (49%), urology (49%), pulmonary medicine (48%), neurology (47%), family medicine (47%), and internal medicine (46%).


Burnout issues cause significant complications such as a lesser patient satisfaction rate and an increased risk of medical errors. Personally, physicians end up becoming alcoholics or committing suicide. The major reason is nearly 75% of primary care, as well as emergency care providers, reported that their healthcare facilities are not doing enough to put an end to burnout issues, according to an InCrowd Survey.


How can you solve the burnout problem?


The hiring of locum tenens professionals can solve burnout issues among providers in a permanent position. 


Locum tenens means, “to substitute for.” In healthcare, locum tenens refer to medical professionals who are hired by care facilities in need of temporary staff on a contract basis. They usually work for a minimum of 60 days per assignment or longer.


Here is the list of varied scenarios where locum tenens providers can offer support to combat burnout:




Thus, locum tenens will be the backup of your organization and you are not left with staffing shortages or burnout issues.


What are the benefits of hiring a locum tenens?




Final Thoughts


Thus, it is highly recommended to do enough research before proceeding with locum tenens staffing solutions. There are many locum tenens staffing agencies like ProLocums that offer a customizable solution to meet the needs of your facility. Just sign up ProLocums, do a quick search, and find the right fit for your organization.


Though physician burnout is a complicated issue, hiring locum tenens can bring significant improvement in delivering quality care. Having happy providers can lead to healthy patients.


Are you interested to hire locum tenens and alleviate burnout issues? Visit ProLocums right away.


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