Living the locums life involves a lot of planning to minimize unnecessary or undesired gaps in working. One of the more common questions I get asked is when to start hunting for opportunities.

"What agency should I work with? What recruiter do you recommend?" These are questions I’ve been asked by other BCDs looking to do locums. Many dermatologists start their locum search by reaching out to a staffing agency. Recruiters are the standard entry point for these positions. But I don’t feel this should be the default route for a BCD considering locum work.

A reader recently reached out with a concern that I hear from time to time from other dermatologists: will a stint in locums look like a red flag on a CV when it’s finally time to land a permanent role?

When you’re a locum, you don't have the luxury of growing with your staff over several years. Everyone around you, including your MAs, will be new faces. There might be some initial awkwardness, and that’s okay.

You’ve found your first locums derm gig and agreed to the basic terms with the clinic. Now the contract is sitting in your inbox. What do you do from here?

As a locums dermatologist, you’ll eventually hear about the Q6 modifier. It’s a billing shorthand used for Medicare patients that allows a clinic to bill for your services under a permanent doctor’s NPI.

Credentialing and tax prep are easily some of the most tedious parts of working locums. Between the constant requests for paperwork and the need to track every single travel expense, it's easy to get buried in files. If you're mucking through a messy "Downloads" folder every time someone requests a document, you're wasting your time.

If you’re looking to pick up assignments in multiple states quickly, you need to know about the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC). I’ve personally never used it because only one of the three states where I practice participates, but it's useful to know about for any locums derm.

Whether you’re going through an agency or contracting directly with a derm clinic, remember: everything is negotiable. If it’s not in writing, it doesn’t exist. Here is a baseline of what you should consider.

When you work at the same practice for years, you develop deep roots. At my last job, I knew the staff’s kids’ names and which administrators to avoid. I also knew exactly where the bathrooms were. Moving into locums means giving that up. Suddenly, you’re "The Outsider" over and over again.

This post is geared towards locums derms who have decided to set up their business as a sole proprietorship. Getting the foundation right early on saves you from a massive headache during tax season.

Tracking mileage is boring to do and boring to write about. But you can save money by doing so.

If your locums roadmap involves a lot of flying, TSA PreCheck is worth your while. You’ll save time and skip the hassle of taking off your shoes or pulling out your laptop at security. The more interesting part is how you should go about getting it.

I find this to be a really complicated topic. I’m going to cover the basics and try to give you a high-level overview of the Solo 401(k): what it is, why it’s useful for locums physicians, and the three ways to set one up.

Leaving a financially stable job for the unknown is scary. Right out of residency, I had exactly what I was "supposed" to want: a generous salary, great benefits, and patients I loved.

On paper, my full-time W2 job was the definition of stability. In reality, I was unhappy

EMRs suck. And there are a lot of them. When you start at a new clinic, the EMR is often the most immediate obstacle to your efficiency.

When you look at a locums contract, it’s easy to get fixated on the daily rate as if it’s a simple trade for your time. That number is only a fraction of what you actually provide to a practice.

I’ll start by saying what is probably obvious to a lot of you: there is no "one-size-fits-all" health insurance plan for a locums physician. Your optimal choice likely depends on your budget, your health status, your family’s needs, and your travel schedule.

Finding locums work in dermatology takes effort but is overall fairly straightforward.

When I tell people I’m a locum tenens dermatologist, they usually envision a nomad moving across the country every three to six months. While that’s a viable path for some, I wanted something different. I needed a schedule that fit my specific lifestyle, not the other way around.