4 Reasons Why Rural America is Good for Locum Tenens
Rural Areas are Full of Success for Locum Tenens
There is a running assumption when it comes to dream jobs: work in a big city and make the big bucks, go big or go home, and the list continues. It’s safe to say that big success is possible in the US, especially in the Medical Industry. With a growing need for physicians and medical treatment, medical professionals have big opportunities waiting for them, but these opportunities are not where you’d first expect. As large cities overflow with competition and limited job availability, it’s the rural parts of the US that hold the greatest opportunity for aspiring medical professionals and locum tenens.
As read from the article by Locum Tenens Daily, here are four reasons why a physician should consider locum tenens assignments in rural areas.
1) Cost of Living
When it comes down to it, Higher Salary + Lower Cost of Living = More Money. Living in a big city can come at a high price. These days, Cost of Living in the bigger cities of the US is double or triple that of rural areas. Another thing to note is demand and availability. There may be an equal demand of physicians around the US, but when comparing available positions, rural areas offer a higher chance of hire with a better offer of payment.
2) Providing Care Where it’s Needed Most
More than 50 million people live in rural areas with usually only one healthcare facility within 100 miles of their home. With limited available physicians even the most minimal illnesses can become emergencies quickly. Providing medical care in a rural area will not only help millions of US citizens, but it’ll also give locum tenens providers an opportunity to care for their patients in an intimate setting, usually getting to know each of them on a first-name basis.
3) Further Medical Skills and Experience
Hospitals and Clinics in rural areas often need fewer doctors to provide multiple forms of patient care, giving aspiring medical professionals with the opportunity to expand their experience with medical procedures and tactics. While it enhances the efficiency of the rural clinic or hospital in question, it also helps differentiate medical professionals in the application process. Gaining experience in multiple fields and procedures is a win-win situation all around.
4) Maintain a Healthy Work/Life Balance
It’s true. Working in a rural area is a lot more easy going than in the big cities. When you join a practice in a rural area, you can usually work at a slower pace than if you worked in a bustling big city hospital. This relaxed lifestyle gives medical providers the opportunity to have more personal time, and a better balance of work to be done and life to be lived.