While there are certainly many benefits of working locum tenens physician jobs, the opportunity to connect with many different doctors is undoubtedly near the top of the list. Regardless of what stage of your career you are in, forging relationships with other physicians is always beneficial. With that said, it is important to know how to develop these relationships in order to get the most out of your experience. For new doctors and seasoned veterans alike, brushing up on physician networking tips is always smart. After all, building your professional network may eventually help you land that next locum tenens job you’re looking for!
Physician Networking Tips
1. Demonstrate Interest
As you travel between jobs, you are sure to run into physicians who are working on unique research projects. You are equally if not more likely to cross paths with doctors who can provide a new perspective on common medical practice. As you encounter these doctors, let them know that you find their work interesting. Make a concerted effort to learn something about it as well. Not only will you likely grow as a doctor, but you will also find that the doctor doing the research appreciates knowing you are impressed by her work.
2. Be Interesting
Along the same theme as the tip above, be an interesting physician. This does not necessarily mean that you must conduct groundbreaking research (though if you do that’s obviously an added bonus!), but physicians will respect peers who can teach them something. Stay up to date with new developments in the medical world and be prepared to share your opinion of them. Of course, not every conversation will be about medicine. It can’t hurt to stay up to date with current events as well. It will be much easier to develop relationships if you have plenty of conversation topics available to you.
3. Be Friendly
Even when you are running on no sleep and have had a rough shift, always be friendly. Of course, this is something that doctors have a lot of practice with when it comes to patient interactions. However, it is equally important to be friendly with your peers as well. Just because you have left the patient’s room does not mean that it is time to turn off the switch. Say hello to your coworkers as you pass them. Offer a word of encouragement when they are having a rough day. Generally, try to treat the doctors and staff you work with as if they are your friends outside of work as well. This will go a long way toward helping build your professional network.
4. Get to Know Physician’s Outside of Work
Building off of the physician networking tips above, take your locum tenens assignment as an opportunity to get to know some physicians outside of work as well. If there is a doctor who you are interested in knowing better, ask them to join you for coffee before work, drinks after work, or something else that works for you. Of course, there will be opportunities for you to develop relationships on the job, but using spending time with someone in a different environment can help you get to know each other better.
Ultimately, developing relationships with doctors as you move from job to job is a great way to make the most of locum tenens assignments. Few other professionals will have the opportunity to be exposed to so many physicians from such diverse backgrounds. From building relationships that can lead to referrals to finding doctors who can connect you with job opportunities, the reasons to develop great networking skills are seemingly endless. Of course, the tips above do not comprehensively cover every way to network effectively, but they are certainly a good place to start.
