Content contributed by WMS contractor Ty Flewelling, PA, reporting from a seasonal clinic at a remote Alaska salmon processing operation. There’s a counter on the processing floor that ticks upward all day, every day, all season. On one afternoon at it’s peak, it read 335,933 fish, at a pace of 96 per minute. That number […]
Content contributed by WMS contractor, Nicki Broby, FNP, and our Founder, Mary Ellen Doty, FNP There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles over a small remote community when someone is dying. No transport helicopter on standby. No palliative care team to call. No hand-off to a specialist at the end of a long day. Just […]
If you’ve ever looked into locum tenens work, you’ve probably asked the same question most providers do: “How much does locum tenens actually pay?” The answer is rarely a single number. Unlike traditional full-time roles that come with a fixed salary, locum tenens pay is usually structured around assignments and experience. Providers are typically paid hourly or daily, and the total earnings for an […]
Content provided by our very own contractor, Sarah Kelley, NP. The experiences of our providers continue to inspire our work every day. The photos in this article were also taken by Sarah. When most people picture a nurse practitioner’s day, they imagine a familiar rhythm: a full schedule, a support team down the hall, specialists […]
Content provided by Mary Ellen Doty from her interviews with WMS providers who are doing this remarkable work every day. Mary Ellen’s firsthand experiences continue to inspire our work. There are places in this world where the land teaches you how to listen to it, and to its people. Not the kind of listening you’re trained for in medical school; the clinical kind, where […]
Content provided by Mary Ellen Doty from her interviews with WMS providers who are doing this remarkable work every day. Mary Ellen’s firsthand experiences continue to inspire our work. Rural medicine has a way of stripping care down to its essence. It is rarely predictable, never cushioned by abundance, and often conducted in the spaces […]
When people imagine a medical provider, they often picture a sterile clinician focused solely on diagnosing and treating illness. In large hospitals or urban settings, providers usually stay within narrow lanes, supported by specialists, technicians, and an extensive care team. But in rural communities, the picture looks very different. Here, a locum tenens provider doesn’t […]
So… What IS Rural Healthcare, Really? We’re not just talking about dictionary definitions here. Sure, at its core, rural healthcare means caring for patients in non-metropolitan, often underserved areas. But it’s also so much more than that. Ask ten providers what rural healthcare means, and you’ll get ten different answers — and that’s kind of […]
Whether you’re heating a packet of potatoes or trading a T-shirt for halibut, food on remote assignments becomes part of the story. We asked our providers—many of whom work in some of the most remote regions of Alaska—to share their favorite field-tested meals: what they pack, how they adapt, and the small comforts that make […]
One of the most frequently discussed aspects of locum tenens work is work-life balance. In general, locum providers experience lower rates of burnout and greater job satisfaction than their full-time, permanent counterparts. Studies show that 71% of locum physicians report little to no burnout, compared to 40% of full-time providers, and 95% report moderate to […]
Wilderness Medical Staffing places locum tenens physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs, PMHNPs, optometrists, pharmacists, and dentists in rural, remote, and tribal healthcare facilities across Alaska and the Western and Upper Midwest.
