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Alaska is unique in many ways. It’s called “the last frontier” for good reason, and if you practice medicine in the state, especially if you’re working as a locum tenens provider, you’ll want to be prepared for unusual circumstances, delays, weather, and all things unexpected. This is all part of the Alaska lifestyle. In this article, we’ll break down what working as an Alaska locum tenens is really like.

While WMS does place locum providers in some larger cities and clinics in Alaska, most of our opportunities are in remote locations. We’ve made these sites a priority, recognizing that the populations in rural and remote settings are generally underserved and struggle to access good continuity of care.

What Rural Alaskan Communities are Like

Most communities are small; many have just a few hundred residents. Amenities and conveniences that you would expect to find even in small towns in the lower 48 may be non-existent in “the bush” of Alaska.

When WMS places a provider in a rural medical facility, we know we’re sending that person to a unique place. The population in the community may be mostly Alaska Natives with a heritage based on hundreds of years of living in that location.

Life in these settings is reduced to fundamentals: shelter, food, appropriate clothing and gear for the climate, and the local population.

You’ll see traditional customs, native art, and native methods of food preparation on display. Racks of drying fish, collection of local foods harvested from the land, and hunting of caribou, moose, bear, and other big game are all part of everyday life in Alaskan bush communities.

There may be a small market for essential groceries, or you may be sent to a location where the recommendation is to bring your food with you. You may have your own housing, or you may have a private room within the clinic walls.

Travel for Alaska Locum Tenens Assignments

Travel is different in Alaska too. The commercial carriers that are familiar (Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and United) service larger communities, but to get to your final destination, if you’re going more than one stop in, you’ll almost certainly have to take a ferry, bush plane, or seaplane. That’s because so much of the state is off of the road system. Whether a community is on a far-flung island or surrounded by hundreds of miles of Arctic tundra, outside of the state’s central region, topography rules and roads are rare. It can be difficult to comprehend this until you begin to travel the state and gain first-hand knowledge of the size and challenging locations.

Climate & Weather in Rural Alaska

The climate will almost certainly be extreme in some way, either Arctic or rainforest (although Alaska does have summer weather too). The impact of weather on life in remote locations can’t be overstated. Weather controls the ability to transport people, supplies, labs, medevacs, and any other commodity you can imagine.

Weather can also disrupt communication due to outages. You may have very limited ability to call, communicate via the internet, or pull up medical records. You certainly have to dress for the climate, and you don’t want to use discount store gloves, boots, or other inexpensive gear in Arctic temperatures. If you accept an assignment in the Far North, talk to knowledgeable people about the kind of clothing and gear you’ll need. Be prepared. These can literally be life-and-death decisions.

Entertainment & Technology in Rural Alaska

Entertainment will likely be what you choose to experience in the local community: high school basketball games or wrestling (both very big sports in the state), local festivals, or other community events; hiking, fishing, or exploring the area; and any media you bring yourself such as digital books, movies you’ve downloaded, or hobbies that can be included with your luggage. While some locations may have cable or satellite TV options, it’s best to have low expectations and be prepared to entertain yourself.

Although some modern conveniences exist, even in tiny towns, some level of internet service, phones, and transportation are pretty much everywhere. It’s safe to say that the smaller and more remote the location, the more you’ll be stepping back in time.

At the same time, you’ll see people walking around with cell phones, riding on ATVs, and hearing locals discussing events from around the world just as you would anywhere. The juxtaposition of traditional lifestyle and modern culture and technology is everywhere and can feel surreal when you experience it.

What Providing Healthcare is Like in Rural Alaska

Healthcare will likely be a one-stop shopping opportunity for primary care, dental, and behavioral health (if that’s offered), with all specialty care or hospital-based care requiring patient travel to a larger facility.

As a provider injected into a remote Alaskan medical field, you may be on your own at the community clinic. Or you may have administrative support, medical assistants, and even nursing or other providers on site. We’ll make sure you know the type of medical environment you’ll be in before you commit to an assignment.

One of our priorities at WMS is matching providers to assignments. We wouldn’t ask someone without ER skills to be a solo provider. We always want to ensure that the providers we send are up to the challenge with both training and experience to manage the demands of the practice.

The Basics of Providing Healthcare as an Alaska Locum Tenens

When you’re in remote locations, you want to know what you have to work with, where your next point of care is, and the process for initiating and launching a medevac. Clinics in remote locations should have all this information in place. Usually, at a minimum, you would have an orientation and handoff from the outgoing provider to guide you on the protocols in place for the location. (Although, full disclosure, it can happen that the outgoing provider is leaving on the plane you arrive on, and you get clinic and vehicle keys and a brief run-down as you pass each other at the airstrip.)

The rural clinics have basic equipment and supplies, but for providers coming from the lower 48, especially if you’re coming from an ER setting, you’ll find your resources are much more limited in these settings than what you’re used to. The most important skill to have is the ability to triage, stabilize, and medevac to a higher level of care. Clinics are generally not set up to keep patients overnight (unless you’re holding a patient due to a weather delay in transporting and have no choice).

Keeping a sharp eye on the weather if you have a questionable patient situation may lead to transporting the patient early to avoid complications if the weather closes in. You always have to be thinking ahead of the weather and your resources; what will you do if conditions deteriorate? If you know you can’t manage the next level of care, you don’t want to find yourself confronting that when your opportunity to medevac has passed.

The Three Things You Must Keep in Mind in Remote Medical Settings

There are three paramount things to keep in mind in these remote settings:

1. First, if a patient is coming into the ER, they already have a health issue or have had an accident or traumatic event of some kind. You being there to see them and care for them is a good thing; certainly better than if there was no care available at all. Doing what you can is always going to be better than nothing, even if you feel what you can do is limited by the resources you have available.
2. Second, the standard of care in remote locations is not a lower standard, it’s a different standard. It’s not possible to keep a fully supplied and staffed ER in small, isolated communities. The clinics that offer basic care and the fundamental necessities to transport a patient out to a higher-level facility are providing lifesaving services, even if the care seems primitive by big-city ER standards.You won’t have all the labs and imaging available to you in a remote clinic that you would have in a larger facility. You won’t have a wide variety of medications to choose from. You certainly won’t have surgical options available. But you will make a positive difference, just by being there and using the resources you have.
3. Third, when you work in a remote location, respect the protocols and processes that are in place when you arrive. The people who live and work in the community most likely have reasons for the processes they use and may be aware of factors that aren’t obvious to someone new to the clinic or the area. Be humble and respectful and ask before you assume that your way of doing something is better.

Your technique or process may, in fact, be better, or more cutting-edge. You may have the opportunity to teach a new skill or refine a process. But be thoughtful and diplomatic as you integrate into the existing staff and routines.

Remember, you’re a guest in the community and the clinic, and you’ll be more effective if you keep that in mind. Part of being a successful locum provider is having the ability to be adaptable and likable. You may not always agree with the way things are done, but your task is to do the best you can and treat the patients in your care.

WMS staff will always do what we can to make sure you’re well informed. If you’re considering working in a remote area, like Alaska, we can connect you with a provider who has recently been on-site so you can ask questions, clinician to clinician, without the filter of anyone between.

The Reality of the Rural Alaskan Medical Field

We don’t want to scare anyone away but we do want to make this point: Alaska is for people who like adventure, who can roll with uncertainty and unknowns, and who value experience over comfort and predictability. Make no mistake, remote location healthcare work is not for the faint of heart.

If you’re not comfortable making a diagnosis unless you can run every test possible (remote clinics will have limited lab and imaging capabilities); if you’re not comfortable taking your own vitals and rooming patients (you don’t always have to do this, but in some settings, you may be doing everything); if you’re easily rattled in emergencies (you’ll see everything from sore throats to traumatic injuries and life-threatening acute and chronic conditions), bush communities in Alaska are not going to be a good fit for you.

In some clinics, you might find yourself going at a fast pace all day every day. In others, you might get bored due to low patient volume and low acuity of patient complaints. It’s all part of the variety and the element of “you never know what you’ll get” in rural medical settings. You have to be ready for the Alaska lifestyle to flourish and enjoy being on assignment.

How to Know if Practicing Rural Medicine in Alaska is Right for You

Providers who combine excellent medical skills with the enjoyment of adventure, exploration, and new experiences will do well.

If you’re confident of your medical skills and yet know your limitations, enjoy meeting people and exploring new locations and cultures, like to travel, and can be flexible when weather or some unexpected event derails your schedule, you’ll fit right in as a provider in remote Alaska!

At WMS, we’re looking for the best of the best. We work with well-rounded providers who are up for a challenge. We get excited when we connect with people who share our love for serving in remote locations. When providers come back from assignments with amazing stories and photos, and are asking when they can go again, we know we’ve found a kindred spirit.

We hope you’ll join us if that sounds like an invitation too good to miss, and let us introduce you to experiences that will give you memories and connections for a lifetime!

If you’re considering working locum tenens assignments in Alaska, get excited to embark on one of the biggest adventures of your life! Alaska is known for its splendor of sights, an abundance of animals, and wide-open spaces. For healthcare providers who truly want to experience some of Alaska’s most beautiful landscapes, rural Alaska locum tenens positions can be an opportunity not to be missed. Providers who take on the challenge of working in the last frontier state may find that one of their biggest challenges is a lack of technology. In this article, we’ll cover our top suggestions for how to stay connected as a locum tenens in Alaska.

Alaska – What to Know

You may not be able to appropriately gauge the size of Alaska from a map, but Alaska is a huge state. The largest state in the United States, Alaska is larger than California, Montana, and Texas combined. The sheer size of Alaska makes telecommunication infrastructure difficult to build and maintain.

The majority of Alaska is also non-inhabited by people, often hundreds of miles from one populated area to another. When it comes to the comforts of technology, adapting to what’s available in Alaska may be part of the adventure for healthcare providers.

WiFi Access

While healthcare facilities should have internet, it may be slower than what you’re used to. Many areas are limited to having one internet provider available. Reliable, high-speed internet in Alaska may remind you of the preschool adage, “You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit.” Internet may be on-site but you could be greeted with the reality of slower load times and less trusted coverage than what you’re used to in the lower 48.

You may find that your housing has limited or no internet access. If you’re working with Wilderness Medical Staffing, we’ll provide you with as much information as we can about internet expectations while on assignment.

Additional WiFi

If your assignment takes you to a slightly more populated region, you may be able to join public WiFi via libraries or spaces with shared internet access. If you’re working in a small village, accessing the internet may prove to be difficult.

Mobile Phones

While you likely have a phone plan through AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile in the contiguous United States, those providers are less popular in Alaska, and most of the time you won’t be able to get coverage using them. If you can get coverage, it’ll sometimes be considered roaming, so be careful and do some research with your mobile provider before heading out on assignment.

Instead, you’ll likely want to get a GCI phone or GCI SIM card while working in Alaska. GCI provides the most coverage in Alaska and offers pre-paid phone plans so you can have access to make calls for a reasonable amount.

The pre-paid plans also come with mobile hotspot access, but you’ll want to understand your plan details so you know what the parameters of usage are.

Prep Your Devices Before Traveling

If you know you’ll be in an area with spotty or limited access to the internet, you can prep your devices ahead of time. First, be sure to pack charging cables, so you can still utilize electronics sans internet. Even without internet access, you can still do plenty of things on computers, tablets, and phones.

• Download playlists of your favorite songs and podcasts so you’re able to play them offline.
• Download shows and movies from video streaming services so you can watch them during travel and when you arrive at your destination.
• Install games you like to play on your devices. Many games do not require online access, but can still be entertaining to play. Your devices may come equipped with some, but making sure you have a few favorites will help you to occupy your time while off of work shifts.
• Use additional programs that you typically don’t use. For instance, test out photo or video programs that come with your devices to keep memories of your time on assignment.
• Use your computer for writing. If you enjoy writing, being disconnected from the internet can be a great time to sit down and spend some time writing. Whether you decide to keep diary entries of your days while on assignment or start writing that novel you’ve had on your bucket list for a while, getting use out of your electronics without the internet can have its advantages.

What To Do Without the Internet

Believe it or not, you may enjoy the break from the web and might take it as an opportunity to disconnect and tap into more of the adventure during your assignment. Especially in Alaska, outdoor activities are plentiful! You’ll need to plan ahead since the weather in Alaska can change on a dime and can be much colder than what you’re used to in the rest of the United States.

Get to Know the Community

Many rural areas in Alaska are home to the small communities you’ll be serving as a medical provider. These communities often have rich histories going back generations living in these areas.

We get feedback often from providers sharing about their experience working with the communities and becoming part of the community while they are a visitor to the area. Our providers have enjoyed outdoor activities, ceremonies, celebrating holiday festivities, and being welcomed into the homes and lives of community members.

Community members are often more than temporary neighbors of tourists; providers sometimes become more like “chosen family” within the villages and rural areas of Alaska.

Explore the Outdoors

The great outdoors of Alaska is vast and often stunning. Many healthcare providers take advantage of the locations where they are working to get outside. Hiking, fishing, and hunting are favorite pastimes of many providers, but you’ll want to learn about the area before you head out.

Be sure you have bear spray! Wildlife is abundant in Alaska and providers commonly send us photos of bears, moose, foxes, and other wildlife. Some healthcare facilities even keep bear spray on-site, to keep people safe when leaving the facilities!

Enjoy Your Breaks

While your primary reason for visiting Alaska is providing medical care to communities, you’ll still get time to rest during your assignment (dependent upon your contracted schedule), just like you would any other job. Settle into the area and enjoy a slower pace during your breaks watching the scenery or slowly enjoying a cup of coffee.

Since your house likely has a TV and a way to play movies, you can also relax by watching movies the old-fashioned way, by putting them into a DVD or VHS player!

Experiencing the wonders of Alaska is often the reason why healthcare providers return to Alaska over and over again for their locum tenens assignments. With a little bit of knowledge and preparation, you can stay connected, but still enjoy the splendor of the state without being online 24/7.

Are you ready to get started working in Alaska? Contact our team to learn more!

If you’re considering working as a locum tenens healthcare provider, you may have questions about travel. From how it gets booked to who pays for it and what happens if something goes wrong, travel could be a make-or-break consideration for which staffing agency you work with or which assignments you take. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about rural locum tenens travel with Wilderness Medical Staffing.

About Traveling as a Locum Tenens

One of the main reasons people get into locum tenens work is because they crave a different lifestyle and want to have opportunities to travel. Different staffing agencies will staff assignments in different areas, so as a healthcare provider, you’ll want to work with an agency that staffs locations you’d like to travel to.

At Wilderness Medical Staffing, we specialize in staffing rural and remote facilities in the Northwest United States and Alaska. For healthcare providers that want real adventures, these types of locations are full of them! Many times, travel is where the adventure begins!

Rural locum tenens travel can often be a more intricate feat than traveling to urban areas. There aren’t straight flights to many of the islands in Alaska, for starters. Sometimes getting to your assignment takes a bit of creativity and patience, but it’ll be worth it when you are able to help these communities in need!

Who Pays for Travel?

Healthcare professionals often want to know who pays for your travel. Ultimately, the client will pay for your travel. However, it will likely be paid for initially by the staffing agency that is booking it.

If you’re not working with Wilderness Medical Staffing, you’ll want to talk with your staffing agency (or if you’re not using an agency, the healthcare facility) about who foots the bill for travel expenses and what’s included.

Who Reserves the Travel Reservations?

While this may differ from agency to agency, at Wilderness Medical Staffing, we’ll take care of all your travel arrangements. We work with a travel agency to book your specific travel needs after collecting all relevant information from you. We’ll coordinate with you on approving the specific travel suggested, including airfare, car rentals, and hotels (when needed).

Clients will typically not book travel for providers (although there are exceptions), but they may supply you with additional modes of transportation upon arrival to an assignment. We’ll talk more about that later in this article.

What Airline Class Will I Travel?

We can’t speak for every staffing agency, but our providers will travel economy class. If you would prefer to travel business or first class, we will deposit the price of the economy ticket into your account, so you can book your upgraded flight. This may be a circumstance where you, as the provider, will pay a portion of the travel expenses.

What About Car Rentals?

We will also book your car rental for you through a reputable car rental company under your name. Rental car travel will be reimbursed by us when working with Wilderness Medical Staffing. This may differ from other staffing agencies.

Not every rural locum tenens travel assignment requires a car rental. For instance, if your assignment is on a small, remote island in Alaska, the medical facility will likely provide a vehicle if you need to get around the village.

Due to many of our assignments requiring travel through mountain passes or in wintry conditions, we make every attempt to rent 4-wheel drive vehicles that will be safe to drive to your assignment, when driving is the best mode of transportation to reach your destination.

You may also want to talk to your car insurance agency to make sure that you have any necessary insurance policies just in case you’re in an accident. While most personal policies will also cover the driver if they are renting a vehicle, it’s always a good idea to be proactive to make sure that you have coverage if you need it. You can also check with your credit card company, as they will sometimes have rental car coverage, as well.

Other Modes of Transportation

Keeping in mind that our providers sometimes work in extremely remote and rural locations, cars and planes aren’t always the only modes of travel! To reach your destination, or sometimes patients, you may travel via boat, ferry, helicopter, or snowmachine (snowmobile). Sometimes, the fastest way for our providers to travel in Alaska is via dog sled! (Our providers can get quite an adventure out of their assignments!)

In the winter in Alaska, to travel to certain destinations, providers are required to bring Arctic gear on flights due to the extremely cold weather in those locations.

What to Pack for Rural Locum Tenens Travel

Packing for locum tenens assignments in rural and remote areas of the Northwest and Alaska is a little different than putting your swimsuit in a suitcase and heading to the beach. While you may find assignments oceanside – warm, sunny beaches are likely several hundreds of miles south of where you’ll be working.

For our Alaska assignments, in specific, we’ve created an in-depth packing list. Many of the packing tips apply to the other states we staff, as well. To keep it simple, here’s what you’ll need to bring:

Work Clothes

The type of clothes will depend on the location and you can always talk to your account executive about the dress code of the facility you’ll be working at. In general, you’ll want to bring a couple of pairs of scrubs and business casual clothing. Due to the rural nature of our assignments, some providers wear clothing that looks nice, but that will also double as outdoor-ready attire, for ease of moving and adaptability.

Casual Clothing

You’ll also want to make sure you pack enough recreational clothing to get you through your days off work. We recommend packing in removable layers, so you’re prepared for whatever type of weather you may encounter. For jobs in Alaska, you may be required to pack Arctic gear to safely travel to and from assignments.

Clothing Basics

In addition, you need to remember the typical packing necessities: undergarments, a few comfortable shoe options, and seasonal gear such as hats or gloves (or even swimsuits depending on the season). We also recommend investing in some basic weather gear including water-resistant socks and jackets for rural locum tenens travel.

Electronics to Bring for Rural Locum Tenens Travel

Not only do most people rely on their mobile devices, but when traveling, you’ll want to make sure to have a mobile phone and a backup charger and charging cables. Many providers like to take a laptop with them for entertainment and personal use when not working. We recommend downloading content (shows, movies, books, podcasts, music) in case the internet speed is slower than what you’re used to at home. The facility you work at will have computers for business use.

Don’t forget headphones or earbuds, as well. Not only are they nice to have if you’re flying, but they can be useful while on assignment. For providers working in Alaska, you may want to look into getting a GCI phone, which can provide better calling service throughout your assignment. If your assignment location doesn’t have typical cell phone carrier availability, we’ll communicate that with you, so you can prepare with a GCI phone.

Traveling with Food

Food prep isn’t likely something you first think of when you’re about to travel somewhere. Because our contracted healthcare providers work in such rural and remote locations, doing a little up-front planning before heading out on assignment can make things much easier upon your arrival.

We’ve written an in-depth guide about how to prepare food for locum tenens assignments. The basics of traveling with food are as follows as a locum tenens:

Learn More About the Location of the Assignment

If you’re working with WMS, talk to your account executive about the position and how to plan for groceries, eating out, and other food amenities before your assignment.

Find Out Where to Purchase Groceries

Some rural areas will have grocery stores readily available. In areas of Montana, for instance, it’s common that small towns will have a small store to get staples. In other areas, like bush Alaska, there may not be a grocery store for miles upon miles, so you’ll need to plan ahead. A few major stores like Fred Meyer and Costco will allow you to place an order ahead of time, which will be flown to your assignment location. If you’re driving to somewhere without a grocery store readily available, purchase food ahead of time.

Know Your Options for Eating Out

Restaurants can be a treat to come across in rural and remote areas. While some towns are slightly more populated and have a few options for dining out, many remote areas will not have a restaurant nearby. We advise locum tenens providers to prepare mostly home-cooked meals while on assignment. Lodging for rural assignments typically include an on-site kitchen.

Pack Your Favorite Foods for Rural Locum Tenens Travel

Sometimes, packing the food that you want to bring with you is the best way to ensure that you’ll be able to eat what you want on assignment. This can be especially helpful if you have any dietary restrictions or if you’re worried about shipping certain foods. You will want to check with TSA before you travel to make sure you can bring the types of foods you’d like. You’ll often have more success with separating your food into checked baggage vs. bringing it onto a plane with you.

Prepare for the Weather

Before you take any locum tenens assignment, whether it’s with Wilderness Medical Staffing or with a different agency, do some research. Look into the location where you’ll be and take into consideration how you’ll be traveling there, the seasonality, and the location itself.

We have providers who live full-time in Florida, but who fly to Interior Alaska to take assignments during the year. As you can imagine, the attire is a bit different in January! Do some initial research on what the climate will be like for the duration of your assignment and pack accordingly.

At the very least, have a few items for all-weather adventures (think boots, socks, and a jacket).

What Happens if Something Goes Wrong During Travel?

While we try our best to mitigate travel issues, sometimes weather, airline issues, or other circumstances come up, making travel more difficult than expected. It’s always a good idea for you to have emergency contact information from your locum tenens staffing agency in case you need to contact someone if there is a travel emergency. At Wilderness Medical Staffing, we provide contact information regarding travel to all providers before heading out on assignment, just in case.

If you’re working with Wilderness Medical Staffing and you need assistance while traveling, you’ll most likely need to get in contact with the travel agency that we use, or whatever party booked your travel.

If you work with a different staffing agency, your travel may be booked by clients or you may book your own travel, so who you contact will depend on who booked the travel. This is especially true if you need to change flights since the originating party will have the best resources to help you with updating itineraries.

In circumstances where flights are delayed or canceled, you may need to find lodging for a day or two, depending on where you’re flying to or from. Your staffing agency should be able to assist with working out the details, so you have a place to stay. They may also work with you to find a different type of transportation if it makes sense to.

If Wilderness Medical Staffing is responsible for any travel issues, we’ll do what it takes to make it right with you.

Especially in Alaska and during winter in the states we staff, travel disruptions can happen. Staying calm, reaching out for help, and being flexible will aid in making your trip more enjoyable as you make it to your final destination.

Tips From Providers for Rural Locum Tenens Travel

We’ve had plenty of input from our locum tenens providers over the years and beyond what we’ve already mentioned above. You’ll want to keep these in mind.

Pack Your Carry-on Accordingly

Rural locum tenens travel doesn’t always go as smoothly as we would all like. To make it a little less stressful, we recommend packing personal items into a carry-on to use as an overnight bag. Include a change of clothes, toiletries, medications, and other important items that you cannot live without.

This way, if your luggage gets delayed or lost in transit, you’ll at least have essentials. Also, if you have a long travel day, it can help you to settle in faster without having to go through a large suitcase for the things you need.

Be Flexible

One of the key characteristics that we recommend locum tenens to have is flexibility, especially when it comes to rural locum tenens travel. When traveling to rural and remote locations, things can go wrong. Flights can get canceled due to weather or other outside circumstances. Baggage can get lost. No matter what happens, the providers who keep a positive attitude and take it all as part of the adventure are usually the most successful on assignments.

For many of our locum tenens healthcare providers, opportunities to travel are the main appeal of the type of work they do. With the right amount of preparation, travel shouldn’t be a big stressor and can add to the overall adventure of your work in rural and remote communities.

For many providers looking to take their first locum tenens assignment in remote areas of the country, availability and quality of housing are very common concerns. Images of sleeping in an igloo, or perhaps a cabin teetering off the edge of a cliff in Charlie Chaplin’s “Gold Rush” may come to mind.

But worry not! No matter where you go on assignment, whether you’ve flown into Bush Alaska or driven to a small town in Eastern Montana, we will coordinate housing that is safe and secure. In this article, we’ll review what to expect with locum tenens housing while on assignment.

With the wide range of locations we staff, the housing provided depends completely on where you are going. Some small villages offer housing that is connected to the clinic. Others have a private house nearby. For short assignments that last for under a week, you may get a hotel reservation. What you can be certain of is that our account executive who staffs you for the specific position will be able to answer any questions you have about housing. We strongly recommend that you ask any questions you have and feel confident in the housing provided before agreeing to take an assignment.

(Please note that the information provided in this article is intended for Wilderness Medical Staffing contracted healthcare providers. However, the housing may be similar if you work with a different staffing agency or through the medical facility.)

Do I Need to Secure My Own Locum Tenens Housing?

As a healthcare provider, you can expect to have your locum tenens housing secured and paid for. In almost every case, WMS will work with the facility to coordinate your lodging. No matter the duration or location of your assignment, whether you are working a weekend and staying in a hotel room or living for six months in a private house, it will be provided to you as a benefit of working the assignment.

Exceptions to this rule are for some assignments that require a provider who already lives in the area. In those cases, we will only staff providers who live near enough to the job to return home every night.

Who Pays for the Locum Tenens Housing?

As the staffing agency, our clients pay for housing for our providers. Our role is to coordinate with the facility for your housing. We will send your travel itinerary to our client so they know when you will arrive. The facility will often either own or lease housing that is dedicated to traveling medical professionals like yourself. For shorter assignments, or in areas that have commercial housing options readily available, you may stay in a hotel, motel, Airbnb, or similar location. In any case, the housing you have will be decided before your assignment is confirmed and will be paid for.

What Will My Locum Tenens Housing Be Like When I’m on Assignment?

In the remote and rural destinations we staff, lodging options will vary widely! We can only give you specifics for what to expect when we place you on a specific assignment. We do verify that your housing will have the following qualities:

• Safe and secure. That means all doors and windows lock.
• Heat in your housing so you stay at a comfortable temperature while indoors.
• Clean water and working plumbing.
• Sanitary and clean when you arrive.
• Quiet enough to allow you to sleep during the nighttime hours.
• Reasonable distance from the clinic you will be working at.

If for some reason, your housing doesn’t meet the qualifications listed above, or a repair needs to be made to the housing, we are committed to helping resolve the issue.

Can I Bring My Spouse, Partner, or Kids on Assignment?

You can often bring your spouse or partner with you on assignment. In cases where the housing is connected to the clinic, or shared with other medical providers, your spouse or partner may not be able to accompany you. We encourage our contracted locum tenens healthcare providers to talk to your account executive as soon as possible if you would like to bring a spouse/partner or other family members on assignment.

Many of our providers like to bring their whole family along to their locum tenens assignments. Children may sometimes accompany you on assignments when the housing provided is separate from the clinic where you will be working. Housing provided is typically meant to sustain one person (you) comfortably, so keep that in mind when you are looking for options. If your family requires more than 2 bedrooms, it is unlikely that the housing provided will be suitable for your entire family. Again, you’ll want to discuss additional travelers with your account executive upfront. Providers are responsible for covering any additional costs for family members, such as additional airline tickets, baggage fees, etc.

Can I Bring My Pet to Locum Tenens Housing?

Pets are often welcome on assignments, but not always. Some of the locations we staff have a strict no-pet policy. Others will accept pets in their housing with a nonrefundable (or refundable) pet deposit. Still, others will accept pets with no deposit required! Your best practice will be to mention you would like to bring your pet to your WMS representative as soon as possible. The likelihood of your pet being welcome will depend on their species, size, and how many pets you have.

Keep in mind, that you can expect to be responsible for any travel or housing costs that arise from your bringing your pet with you. Any damage caused by your pet will be your responsibility.

What If I’m Not Happy with the Housing Provided?

Sometimes the housing provided at a location does not meet your needs. Perhaps you travel with pets, and the location isn’t pet-friendly. Perhaps you want to bring your whole family, but the assigned housing is connected to the clinic. In those cases, you may have to organize your housing or simply pass on the assignment.

Many of the communities we staff are very small and do not have commercial housing options available, so finding alternative housing in those locations can be difficult or even impossible. It is very important that you work out these details with your account executive before signing the contract for the assignment. In most cases, you will be responsible for your housing costs if you do not accept the housing provided.

What is the Check-in Process for Locum Tenens Housing?

Our Operations team will ensure that you depart for your assignment with all the information you need for a seamless check-in process. If you are staying in a hotel, we will send you all the reservation information so all you have to do is give the front desk clerk your name when you arrive.

If you are staying in private locum tenens housing owned by the facility, you will be given the housing contact’s name and phone number for any questions about their check-in process.

Will I be Able to Cook Meals in Locum Tenens Housing?

For any assignment that exceeds 2-3 days, our team will be sure to secure housing that has at least a kitchenette with a sink and microwave. Exceptions to this rule are if you work in an industrial setting or closed campus where meals are provided in a cafeteria. In most cases, you will be responsible for purchasing and preparing your own food. In those cases, we will make every effort to avail you lodging that has a working kitchen.

Do I Need to Bring My Own Linens or Towels to Locum Tenens Housing?

Linens, towels, and pillows are usually provided but you may want to bring your own if you have a preference.

Will I Have to Share Housing with Another Provider?

The vast majority of housing provided for WMS locum tenens assignments is completely private. In some cases, for locations that depend heavily on locum tenens providers, shared housing is provided. You may need to share a kitchen, common space, or bathroom with other medical professionals who have traveled for work in the same facility.

In shared locum tenens housing situations, you will still have a bedroom door that locks. Usually, an effort is made by our clients to ensure that providers who share housing are all the same gender. Feel free to ask your account executive for details about shared housing situations, and air any concerns you have. Our highest priority is that you arrive at any assignment feeling safe and comfortable, knowing what to expect.

Many times, WMS contracted locum tenens providers enjoy the opportunity to travel to new, adventurous locations for assignments. Having the housing set up for you before you arrive can help you to settle into your new location and focus on helping the communities we serve.

If you have questions for us about locum tenens housing while on assignment, please contact us. We’re always happy to assist.