In 2012, 74 percent of healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, medical groups, community health centers and government health facilities, used some type of locum tenens coverage, according to the "2013 Survey of Temporary Physician Staffing Trends" conducted by Staff Care, an AMN Healthcare company.
Primary care physicians were in greatest demand as locum tenens, with 35 percent of facilities reporting they used family medicine, internal medicine or pediatric temporary physicians last year.
The following are the other locum tenens specialties facilities reported using in 2012, listed in descending order of use.
• Behavioral health: 31 percent
• Hospitalist: 19 percent
• Surgery: 12 percent
• Oncology: 11 percent
• Emergency medicine: 10 percent
• Anesthesiology: 8 percent
• Internal medicine sub-specialties: 7 percent
• Radiology: 5 percent
• Nurse practitioner: 5 percent
• Physician assistant: 5 percent
• Certified registered nurse anesthetist: 3 percent
Survey data is based on 205 responses.
More Articles on Locum Tenens:
Coming Soon: 32M New Patients — Now is the Time to Assess Your Affordable Care Act Staffing Needs
How Has the Rise of Physician Employment Changed Hospitals' Recruitment Strategies?
Using Locum Tenens to Lower Physician Attrition Rates