By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN
Hospitals and clinics across the country, especially in rural, inner city and other underserved areas, are already hurting for primary care physicians, especially in general and family practice roles. Now, inject approximately 46 million more patients into the health care system and watch that hurt become a serious pain. Thankfully, Locum Tenens jobs are multiplying and Locum Tenens Physicians are finding a wide variety of physician travel jobs across the country in a variety of disciplines and specialties. But the need for more and more primary care doctors continues to increase, leaving many to wonder how any type of universal health care system will be able to provide enough doctors to serve the growing population of patients needing care and the newly insured.
As Congress works to agree on a solution for health care reform, lawmakers are also working to direct stimulus money solutions to the growing physician shortage. President Obama is expanding the National Health Service Corps, which assists medical students in paying off tuition in exchange for service in underserved communities. The government is also working on incentives for new residents who promise to work in primary care, versus specializing. Specialty medicine can be a big general practice drain, due to higher Medicare compensation rates and thus higher salaries for physician specialists. For Locum Tenens Physicians, assignment salaries are higher for locum physician jobs than average across the board, including in general and family medicine. The administration is also working to throw some of that stimulus money toward community health centers, also experiencing the physician shortage pinch, as patient need grows stronger.
The future of health care is definitely in flux right now. Fortunately for physicians wishing for flexibility and attractive compensation, locum tenens jobs continue to be a source of stability. Locum physicians provide confidence that the newly insured will be cared for.
Source: Washington Post
Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.