Providers

How to Choose the Right Locum Tenens Company

February 21, 2023/by Tanner McCoon

Burnout, bad schedules, inflexible time off, unfulfilling work, inadequate pay. These are just some of the many reasons why medical professionals across the country are flocking to the locum tenens way of life. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare companies are increasingly dependent on temporary staffing too. Maybe you are one of those medical providers who decided it’s time to try something new. But where do you start? In this article, we’ll lay out some important factors to consider so you can choose the right locum tenens company for your career.

The Importance of a Trusted Locum Tenens Staffing Agency

The locum tenens industry in America, already saturated with countless agencies, is growing faster than ever. At the time this blog is being written, there are over 200 locum tenens staffing firms in the US. The industry-wide expectation is that number will only increase. With so many locum tenens agencies to choose from, how do you know you’re working with the right one? Locum work for most providers is a leap into the unknown, not without its pitfalls. The right agency that guides you through that unknown territory will make the difference between success or failure on your first assignment.

The value a locum tenens company offers is to connect a medical provider with a facility that needs staff. The value added to the facility is obvious, but the value locum tenens companies offer to providers is equally important. Medical providers should benefit in every way from the locum tenens company they work with. Higher pay, help navigating licensure and credentialing, removing stress from the travel and lodging logistics, and preparation for work in the community are just a few of the great benefits the right locums company will bring to your daily work. The right locum tenens company will make your life easier, your bank account larger, and help you find fulfilling work that you love.

In this article, we will lay out some important factors to consider so you can find the right locums company.

How to Find the Best Locum Tenens Staffing Agency

Start Your Research Online

The first step in finding the right locums company is researching well! Anyone can open their search engine and scroll through endless pages of options; that is where most providers start! As you do research online, watch for these details on the locum tenens company’s website:

The agency should be a member of NALTO (National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations). This is the association that has enforced strong standards and ethics in the locum tenens industry.
They should have a clear and current website that is easy to navigate.
It should be easy to get a hold of a human representative from the company. Many locums companies utilize a chat feature that allows you to ask quick questions without having to pick up a telephone. If you do call, you should be speaking with a knowledgeable recruiter within seconds.
You should be able to easily find transparent job descriptions with clear pay and compensation details on their job board.

Understand the Staffing Agency’s Niche

Another important detail when researching different locums companies is their staffing model. Does this company work in a niche part of the healthcare industry or staff everywhere? If you’re looking at a smaller agency, are they based in a specific region? If your experience is in a specialty, or if you are hoping to work in a specific state or region, you may want to find a locums company that shares your niche. Including keywords in your online search should help narrow down the right companies.

Ask Your Peers for Referrals

We have found the most reliable way for providers to find the right agency (and for agencies to find the right providers) is through old-fashioned word-of-mouth. Ask your friends and colleagues who have tried locums what agencies they worked with and how that experience was. If your current employer utilizes staffing agencies, pay attention to the kinds of providers coming in from each agency. The only way to know how a company adds value down to its last mile of service is to talk with those who have worked with the agency before. Most of us prefer to find a realtor, mechanic, or lawyer through referrals from people we trust. A locums agency is no different!

Your Customer Service Experience Should be Top Notch as a Locum Tenens

When interacting with employees of a staffing agency, pay attention to how you are treated. Do you have a dedicated recruiter or staffing contact who will always respond, or do you find yourself being called by a different person every time they reach out? You shouldn’t ever feel like you’re just a number. If your interests and needs aren’t a priority in this early stage of contact, chances are they won’t be when you are on the job either. Your contacts should respond to emails within a business day and call you back in a timely manner if your call goes to their voicemail.

As you move through the process of licensure, onboarding, credentialing, and eventually travel, you should have a seamless experience with the agency walking with you every step of the way. You should never be confused about what comes next. A good recruiter will have decisive advice, well-explained so you’re not led astray.

A common example anyone seasoned in locums work will relate with is state licensure. Different state licensing boards vary widely with license-application processing times. For some states, you will be licensed to practice medicine within a couple of weeks of applying. Others can take upwards of 4 months to grant a license. This is an important detail for anyone hoping to take locums work in a new state soon! Any recruiter worth their salt will be honest and realistic with you. If you’re hoping to land a job coming up in 2 months, but you won’t get your license for 3-4 months, your recruiter will tell you that. If your recruiter is truly putting your interests first, they will share hard truths with you.

Make Sure Your Staffing Agency is Knowledgeable and Transparent

A solid locum tenens agency will be very knowledgeable about the community and facility for every location they staff. They will be able to answer any questions you have about the responsibilities, staffing mix, patient volume, or equipment at any site. Especially in rural or remote areas, you need a locums company with recruiters who know what is needed to thrive in austere environments.

If you find yourself asking specific questions and getting vague answers, that could be a sign your agency doesn’t fully know what situation they are getting you into. When it comes to placements in new locations, every locum tenens provider deserves to know exactly what situation they are getting into.

Unfortunately, the incentive structure in some agencies encourages their team staffing department to do whatever it takes to fill a job even if that means placing providers in clinical settings that don’t match their experience. Especially in remote areas, that mismatch could spell disaster for the client, the provider, and their patients. You want a recruiter who clearly explains to you where you’re going, what you will be doing, who you will have as support staff, and how you will be equipped so you can show up to your first day on assignment confidently.

Understand the Locum Tenens Agency’s Pay and Logistics

Some locum tenens agencies hire their providers on as employees, but most work with medical providers as independent contractors. You will want to research the tax implications of moving to a 1099-contracting income source before moving to locum work in general. Compensation should be transparent and appropriate to the work. Most agencies will include pay in job posts so you see even before applying what you can expect to earn. If you are an independent contractor, there will be no taxes or other withholdings taken from your pay.

In addition, to pay, be sure to study the locum agency’s malpractice insurance coverage. Any questions you have about malpractice insurance should be readily answered by your recruiter.

You will also want to confirm who is paying for your travel to and from the assignment. In addition, your housing and ground transportation while on assignment should be arranged prior to the assignment, typically by the staffing agency that you’re working with. If you have any questions about the housing arrangements for a specific assignment, be sure to ask! The right locum agency will be knowledgeable about the housing and travel arrangements and make sure they fit your needs.

Summary and Conclusion

The first steps into locums work can be daunting! The locum life is often one of increased personal responsibility, but increased freedom compared to an employee’s daily grind. To make that transition, you need the right locum tenens company to support you. We discussed four important factors to consider summarized below:

Reputation. You need to find a locums company that is respected and successful. We provided some details to consider when reviewing the company’s website and emphasized the value of word-of-mouth when learning about a locums company.

Service. You should be treated well, and your questions should be answered clearly and quickly. If you feel like you’re just a number, you need to find a new locums company.

Expertise. No matter the size of the company you’re working with, your agent should be an expert in their domain. The right recruiter will be knowledgeable about the community, facility, and position that you are applying for. Any questions you have about the smallest logistical step or piece of documentation will be answered definitively. If your recruiter doesn’t have a quick answer, they should be able to find one for you.

Pay and Logistics. Make sure you know if you are going to be a W2 employee or a 1099 independent contractor. Pay should be transparent and appropriate to the setting. Malpractice insurance should be sufficient for your needs. Travel, housing, and ground transportation should be arranged and paid for by the locum tenens company.

As a locum tenens provider, your choice of staffing agency is one of the most important business decisions there is to make. If you find a locums company that surpasses your expectations in all four factors, you found the right one!

Pros and Cons of Remote and Rural Locum Tenens Jobs

December 28, 2022/by Deanna Tiemann

Whether working as a locum tenens has been a long-term career goal, or you are excited by the flexible lifestyle, knowing what to expect can be helpful before exploring a career as a locum tenens. Since we staff rural and remote locations throughout the Northwest United States and Alaska, we’ll focus this article on the pros and cons of rural locum jobs based on the experiences we’ve had with our providers and clients.

While there are tradeoffs to working as a locum in an urban setting, our expertise is in remote and rural healthcare, which provides specific challenges and opportunities in itself. We understand that healthcare providers respect transparency, and the reality is that working as a locum tenens in rural locations isn’t for everyone. Rural healthcare, especially as a locum, takes a provider who is eager to undertake whatever challenges are thrown their way. Some providers prefer this kind of work because of the elements of adventure. For others, it might not be the best career fit. Keeping that in mind, let’s get the cons out of the way.

Cons of Rural Locum Jobs

We’ll get into specifics, but it’s helpful to remember that working as a locum tenens in remote locations is an experience all on its own. It’s not as simple as driving to a desk job, clocking in, finishing your shift with little to no difficulty, and driving back home. The entire job, from booking an assignment to starting on your first day, is a journey.

While we aren’t trying to discourage you from this type of career, it’s imperative that you understand what you’re signing up for. Doing so will help to ensure that you’re educated upfront and prepared to handle whatever comes your way. Here are some of the cons to be aware of when working as locum tenens in a rural or remote location.

Weather

While there are some things we can control, one thing we certainly cannot is the weather. Staffing in the states that we do (Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington) includes all four seasons, sometimes to extremes that you may not be accustomed to or prepared to handle.

Alaska is a state that’s in a league of its own when it comes to the weather. We have the most experience with staffing remote Alaska compared with any other healthcare staffing agency in the country. Many of our internal team members have grown up or lived in Alaska at some point in their life. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that the weather in Alaska can be unpredictable, at best.

As any Alaskan will tell you, Alaska is bigger than Texas, California, and Montana combined. The weather in Alaska can change drastically by location, regardless of the season. It is not uncommon for healthcare providers who travel to Alaska to end up temporarily stuck in a village, many miles away from any other village while waiting for the weather to clear out, so they can continue with their travel plans.

Weather in the contiguous United States can prove to be unexpected for other reasons. In 2022, one of the locations we staffed was affected by the historic flooding near Yellowstone National Park. Wildfires during the summer have been known to put providers to the test in getting burn victims transferred out of facilities and off to specialized burn centers.

The healthcare providers who consider weather interruptions all part of the adventure, and are comfortable with adapting to changes quickly, are the ones who can make the best of an otherwise problematic situation.

Travel

The weather can significantly affect travel plans for providers. Regardless of if you’re traveling by vehicle or airplane, being prepared for interruptions in travel plans is key when planning to head to or from remote locum tenens assignment locations.

Traveling in summer isn’t typically as problematic as in winter. The weather in the states located in the Northwestern United States can be cold and snowy during the winter season. Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Wyoming all have multiple mountain passes. In the winter, it can be mandatory to use winter weather tires at the very least, with chains often required on vehicles to drive across the passes. Passes can become closed entirely due to weather, vehicle accidents, avalanches, or other unforeseen circumstances. Flights have also been known to be delayed or canceled due to severe weather, such as snowstorms or freezing temperatures in these states.

Alaska’s terrain includes everything from mountains to hundreds of islands, making travel plans more difficult to coordinate, with providers often needing to take a major airline, like Alaska Airlines, into the state. From there, they can be transferred to a much smaller bush plane, or helicopter, get a ride on a dog sled or snow machine, or simply acquire a rental car. Since many locations in Alaska are not able to be accessed solely by a vehicle, providers sometimes take ferries or boats to get to their final destination.

Sometimes, healthcare providers may have problems with luggage being lost or items arriving at their final destination in less-than-perfect condition. For providers who work with us, we always try to help to resolve issues with travel arrangements, but even with assistance, lost luggage can put a hiccup in the best-laid plans.

Housing

Housing isn’t a negative point overall, but we’d be remiss to not bring up the variety of housing options (or lack thereof) that you may come across as a rural locum tenens. In urban areas, locum tenens often know what to expect from the hotels or temporary apartments they are asked to stay in. In remote locations, these accommodations likely don’t exist.

We always work with our clients to find satisfactory housing that is clean and safe for our providers. Sometimes, clients will have apartments or small houses available for healthcare providers. Other times, the housing is part of the clinic and could be a bedroom with a shared living space. We have written an entire article about what to expect with housing for our providers that you’ll want to be sure to read before taking an assignment.

We try to be as transparent as possible with the healthcare providers who we work with about what the housing will be like at the different locations we staff, so they know what to expect upon arrival. However, if you’re the type of person who prefers not to compromise on your living situation, remote or rural locum jobs may not be for you. If don’t mind cozy, moderate living situations, the housing may be of little or no concern to you and instead may be part of the fun of the assignment.

Limited Medical Resources & Supplies

Working as a locum tenens in a rural or remote area comes with its challenges. One of them that our healthcare providers are often quickly aware of is the limited medical resources and supplies at the different facilities.

We commonly staff small, critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, school-based clinics, and industrial plants with healthcare providers. The resources and supplies you have at your disposal will not be comparable to what you’d have in a larger, more urban healthcare facility.

At rural and remote facilities, you will likely have less of an ability to get lab results quickly, various types of scans or testing, or medications that you’d typically have on hand. Healthcare providers who work in these areas need to quickly adapt and think on their feet to problem-solve and achieve the best outcomes for patients.

Keep in mind that the people who typically live and work in these locations are accustomed to the resources they have and not the ones they don’t. It’s your job to go in as a helper and to make the best of what’s available to you.

Limited Support Staff

Many of the healthcare facilities that we staff are solo-provider sites, meaning that you’ll be the ONLY healthcare provider within a village or community who is providing healthcare. You may have a health aide or nurse at some facilities, but sometimes, you’re it. Being able to jump into urgent and emergent situations is a necessity and doing so confidently is key to taking care of patients in remote and rural locations.

You will find that some locations include additional healthcare providers, but it’s site-specific. If you’re interested in working with Wilderness Medical Staffing, our account executives and recruiters can provide you with additional information about the details of the support staff at the facility.

Packing Logistics

Packing for a locum tenens assignment in rural locations can require a lot of planning and forethought. We’ve written entire articles about packing, including an Alaska-specific packing list, unusual items to pack for an assignment, and an article about how to prepare food for rural locum tenens assignments.

How and what you pack can be instrumental for your success at an assignment. Many locations do not have a store so providers need to bring groceries or order them ahead of time from a larger city in Alaska and have them flown to their assignment (this is common to do in Alaska and stores like Costco and Fred Meyer are set up to have groceries flown via a bush plan to various parts of the state). In rare situations, providers need to bring their own drinking water, especially if you’re driving to your assignment or if potable water is unavailable.

Packing the right clothing for the time that you’ll be on assignment can take a fair amount of planning and consideration for the weather. For providers who become accustomed to the locum life of rural and remote healthcare, they often keep suitcases packed with essentials that they use time after time on assignments. Many times, besides washing clothing, these suitcases stay packed so providers don’t have to worry about repacking over and over again. While it’s important to adjust your packing list for the location and the season, plenty of items can be planned for ahead of time and taken with you to every assignment.

As we mentioned before, luggage can get lost or delayed, so we always recommend for providers to pack an overnight bag with essentials like medications, a phone, your laptop, chargers, glasses, a change of clothing, and snacks or food to hold you over for a day or so.

Leaving Pets and Family Behind

Healthcare providers encapsulate all ages and life stages. The providers who we work with often have significant others, children, or pets. We often get asked about which assignments would accommodate a lifestyle that includes bringing family along.

Typically, for an assignment to allow family or pets, it usually comes down to housing. For clients who have housing within the clinic, bringing family or pets is not allowed. If you’ll be living in a house with one or two rooms, you may be able to have a significant other or bring your children along. Some of our providers go to assignments solo but take assignments in areas that are conducive to having their family join them for short stints of time while they are there.

Just like housing rentals you’d find where you live, certain ones accept pets and others don’t. The same is true when on assignment. If it’s mandatory that you bring pets and family, and you’re working with WMS, be sure to discuss this with your recruiter or account executive, so we can work to find assignments that match your needs.

Many times, assignments do not have the flexibility to bring family or pets. For some providers, this can prove especially challenging. While the idea of traveling to a faraway place and providing healthcare is enticing, if you struggle with being away from pets or loved ones, you’ll want to consider this carefully before taking on rural locum tenens assignments.

On the flip side, sometimes taking shorter assignments can be a good compromise if family or pets cannot accompany you.

Health insurance

If having your employer pay for your health insurance is a prerequisite for you, the lifestyle of a locum tenens may not be for you. As a locum tenens, you are an independent contractor, meaning you own your own business. You are not an employee of the staffing agencies or the healthcare facilities that you work with. Because of this, you will need to find and pay for your health insurance.

Acquiring health insurance as a locum tenens can be done in several ways, but one of the best is to find a healthcare insurance broker near where you permanently reside. They can be a good resource in helping you to navigate your options for finding appropriate healthcare coverage.

Optionally, if you’re married, and your spouse is employed, you may be able to get added onto your spouse’s healthcare insurance, typically for an extra monthly fee.

We often recommend that healthcare providers also look into getting insurance for air medical coverage that is applicable in the state(s) where you will be working. It can be beneficial to have peace of mind in knowing that you can use this service if the opportunity is needed. This type of insurance is a nominal cost per year and can be worthwhile while on assignment.

Be Prepared to Work Call

While taking assignments that include being on call is not atypical for medical providers, for those in rural and remote locations, being on call can make for some interesting scenarios. The most grueling part of being on call is probably the disruption to your normal sleep schedule, especially if you’ll be working a normal shift the following day.

Calls can also come in when it doesn’t warrant an emergency, which for some providers can be a nuisance more than anything, but it often comes with the job.

For providers who are accustomed to working call in different medical settings, this shouldn’t be much of a challenge.

In solo provider clinics, you can be on call the entire time you are working day and night. For assignments with Wilderness Medical Staffing, our team tries to be as transparent as possible with you before accepting a position, so you know what call might entail for that specific location.

The Pros of Rural Locum Tenens Jobs

If you read through our list of cons and are thinking that those seem like less of a con and more of an adventure, then rural locum jobs might be for you! As a locum tenens who works in rural and remote locations, there are plenty of pros to this type of career. We work with many providers who genuinely love working in locations that are often off the beaten path. Here are the main benefits of being a locum tenens in rural and remote locations.

Adventure

Many rural and remote locum tenens assignments are made for healthcare providers who don’t mind rolling with the punches, thinking on their feet, and being a master problem solvers, which is necessary for most assignments.

Providers also like the literal adventure of the work these types of assignments provide. We work with healthcare providers who often send us photos of fishing trips they were able to take in Alaska, the wildlife they saw while on assignment, and interesting stories of what happened while on the job.

Especially if it’s your first assignment or if it’s an assignment at a new location that you haven’t worked at before, you’ll be immersed in a new experience, with challenges and rewards that come with it.

Locations

It’s not every day that you can go to work and when you walk outside you get to see the stunning Northern Lights glistening in the night sky. You may not normally see grizzly bears while taking a drive and having an opportunity to travel to Yellowstone or Glacier National Parks on your weekends off might not be a typical excursion compared to where you reside full-time.

For the healthcare providers who work a rural locum tenens position, often, the locations themselves are worth the trip. You have rare opportunities to travel to locations that you maybe have only dreamed of visiting, with the bonus that the travel is paid for as part of your assignment!

Immerse Yourself in Culture and History

At Wilderness Medical Staffing, we have the distinct privilege of working with Native American and Alaska Native tribes throughout the states we staff. We frequently have assignments at school-based clinics in small towns or at healthcare facilities in villages that have been occupied by indigenous peoples for hundreds of years. As a locum tenens who has the opportunity to come and work in these areas, the immersion into the community often becomes the provider’s favorite part of the job.

Our healthcare providers frequently write in with stories. We had a provider who brought their spouse along for their assignment. The spouse became the high school’s sports coach, and the tribe gifted him with a star quilt for his role in the community. Providers tell us about being invited into the homes of community members to celebrate holidays or to learn about special occasions within the tribe, like the raising of a totem pole. One of our providers volunteered to be Santa during Christmas and handed out gifts to the children of the village.

These stories are not isolated incidents. Stories like this are one of the main reasons why healthcare providers enjoy taking jobs in these remote areas. Not only do they get to provide healthcare, but they also become connected to the families who live there. They become a part of the community, even as a visitor, which is an opportunity not often presented to others.

The experiences will differ from location to location and from community to community. Alaska has over 200 Alaska Native tribes and Montana has seven Native American tribes spread out over large reservations in the state. Not to mention, the members of non-Native communities in small towns have their traditions and histories, as well. For healthcare providers, working in different areas, even within the same state, can provide unique experiences which are often a common draw to rural jobs.

Connections with Other Healthcare Providers

Even though locum tenens in rural and remote areas may work alone, there are often opportunities for providers to connect with other locums. Some facilities have multiple locum tenens who will work at the same time. Many have permanent healthcare staff who get to know the locum tenens who come to work there. As a locum tenens, it’s not uncommon to be welcomed into the facility and to make lasting connections with the staff.

Often, before our healthcare providers head out to a new location for an assignment, we’ll connect them with a provider who has been there in the past. This allows them to learn more about the area, the community, the facility, and any other details that might be helpful before starting the assignment.

Even at small facilities, providers can end up crossing paths as one is leaving an assignment and the other is beginning. This can allow them to meet a fellow locum tenens provider and sometimes is the beginning of a friendship based on shared experiences.

Provide Healthcare to Underserved Populations

It’s well-known that people who live in rural and remote areas have less access to high-quality healthcare than those who live in more urban locations. According to the CDC, rural Americans account for 15% of the United States population. It’s less common for healthcare providers to want to live in rural communities. The National Rural Health Association points out that, “The patient-to-primary care physician ratio in rural areas is only 39.8 physicians per 100,000 people, compared to 53.3 physicians per 100,000 in urban areas.” The lack of population density doesn’t often support facilities that would typically include various types of specialty medical care.

These communities still need and deserve excellent healthcare. As a locum tenens, you have an opportunity to provide healthcare to populations that would otherwise not receive it. When healthcare is unavailable in these areas of the country, the communities suffer.

Stepping in as a locum tenens in rural areas allows you to practice meaningful medicine with people who appreciate the care. It literally can be the difference between life or death in remote and rural areas. Whether you’re providing primary care, urgent care, emergency medicine, or another specialty, your presence will be appreciated.

Challenge Your Skills

We often say that providers who work locum tenens jobs in rural and remote areas get to practice “meaningful medicine.” This means that your patients aren’t just a number and providers often get opportunities to help patients in a more meaningful way. Your work is less about paperwork and more about medicine.

In rural and remote locations, you will be tested. As we mentioned earlier, you may not have access to some of the typical resources and supplies that you may be accustomed to at larger healthcare facilities. For many providers, this is part of the excitement and naturally lends itself to a challenge, in a positive way. For healthcare providers who enjoy thinking on their feet, coming up with creative solutions, and putting their skills to the test, rural and remote locum tenens jobs can be a welcome change.

Variety of Patients

In many rural areas, specialists are not commonplace. Since you may be working at a solo-provider site, you will be the healthcare provider who sees it all and does it all. From the common cold to a life-threatening emergency, it’s your job to diagnose the patient and provide care for them as best as possible. You may be the only medical professional for hundreds of miles who can treat a patient.

Sometimes this means working with outside resources, like Avel eCare for provider-to-provider consultations, or connecting with a medivac to arrange a pickup of your patient and transfer to a larger medical facility.

For many rural and remote healthcare providers, the variety of cases brings excitement to the job and allows for more time spent putting your skills and training to good use.

Flexibility

One of the reasons that working as a locum tenens is so appealing is because of the flexibility. You can pick and choose the assignments that you can work based on your qualifications, where to work, and when to work them.

Providers will sometimes make their rotations of assignments for months to a year, making an entire career out of locum tenens work. Other providers use locum tenens jobs as supplemental income to their full-time career, using shorter assignments during some of their days off. Some choose locum tenens as a way to continue working in semi-retirement. Whatever your career goals, you can often find locum tenens opportunities that will fit your career goals.

The flexibility of locum tenens work can also give you unique opportunities to travel to different locations for each assignment. It’s not uncommon for a provider to travel and work at multiple facilities as a locum. While this can take some planning for document collection and credentialing at each facility, it’s an appeal of the job.

On the flip side, we also get providers who will find a longer-term rotation, learn that the community is an excellent fit, and only work at one location for months. Whatever your preference, working as a locum tenens in a rural and remote location allows for flexibility, whatever that means to you.

Providers also appreciate the flexibility of picking and choosing what types of shifts they’d like to take. While many shifts in rural and remote locations are in clinics, working a typical 8-5 is common, some assignments include varying call needs, less traditional hours, or taking a variety of shifts, sometimes at multiple locations.

Pay

Many healthcare providers are drawn to locum tenens work because they can often make good pay for their time and expertise. While it can be a misconception that you won’t make as much money in rural and remote places, this simply isn’t true. Because there is such a need for healthcare in these locations, there is also value to the whole community in staffing high-quality providers.

Many times, full-time locum tenens in rural areas can earn more money than they would when working a permanent position, for the same duration of work.

Flights, rental cars, housing, malpractice insurance, and baggage are all things that can be quite expensive but luckily most or all, of these expenses, are covered for the provider.

Conclusion

If you’re considering rural locum tenens work, but you aren’t sure if it’s right for you, we’re always happy to talk to you more about it. In addition to resources like this that you can find on our website, you’re welcome to reach out to our recruiters to ask questions to get more information.

The best locum tenens providers for rural and remote areas are the ones that are up for a challenge and are excited for the adventure that these types of jobs can come with. (Of course, you’ll need to be qualified, as well.) If you’re ready to get started, we’d like to talk to you about it.

How to Find the Perfect Rural Montana Locum Jobs

December 12, 2022/by Tanner McCoon

The state of Montana is an ideal location to get your start in rural and remote locum tenens work. If you’re interested in dipping your toes into locums work, you’re likely looking for shorter assignments in a location with easy travel access. In this article, we will illustrate what you can expect on a locums assignment in Montana, and lay out some steps you can take to become qualified for Montana locum jobs.

The state of Montana is a simple day’s flight from anywhere in the contiguous US, and assignments there range anywhere from a couple of days to a few months in duration. We also tend to schedule the same provider to return to locations many times if the fit is good. In most Montana locations, you will have plenty of RNs, CNAs, and lab techs on-site for support.

The accessibility, the short duration of assignments, and the great support staff are all great reasons to consider Montana for your first locums job, but the #1 reason our locum providers return to Montana, again and again, is for the people they meet. If you’re interested in practicing meaningful medicine, there is no better place to do it than small-town Montana. You will build strong relationships with amazing colleagues and the grateful patients you care for. Of course, the reason most people want to visit Montana is its vast beauty. You will not be disappointed.

The Montana Landscape

montana locum jobs Montana is a vast state, stretching across the Mountain West. The state’s Western and Eastern regions are distinctly split by the Rocky Mountain range that runs out of Alberta Canada down through Montana and Yellowstone National Park. In the Rockies and to the west, forests and mountains dominate the landscape with some of the most dramatic views in the world. The Western region of Montana sees many tourists every year and has become very developed in the past few years. Immediately east of the Rockies lies the beginning of the Great Plains that stretch far past Montana’s eastern border with the Dakotas. Central and Eastern Montana is ranch country. Montana is often known by the slogan, “Big Sky Country,” which can be seen first-hand through the large expanses of land and lack of buildings in most of the state. Most towns in this part of the country are very small with wide distances between them, hours apart from each other in some cases.

Locum Tenens in Rural Montana

Many small towns in Montana depend on locum tenens healthcare providers to meet their staffing needs. Where some facilities in more populated parts of the state would depend on full-time providers with occasional fill-in from locums, many towns in rural Montana simply do not have sufficient staff living in town. For that reason, many WMS providers are pleased to rotate through the same communities over and over through the years and develop strong relationships with their patients. Our company specializes in facilitating these relationships, where the locum providers get the flexibility they want without ever feeling like a transitory substitute. At the same time, our clients get to keep their hospitals fully staffed with the absolute best medical providers available!

Types of Healthcare Facilities Locum Tenens Work at in Rural Montana

While Montana has every type of major healthcare facility in less rural areas like Missoula, Billings, and Bozeman, in smaller towns and villages, you’ll typically find positions available in three main types of facilities: critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, and clinics on Indian Reservations.

Critical Access Hospitals

Because Montana is so vast, much of its health infrastructure relies on critical access hospitals (CAH) that are equipped with an emergency room and a small number of inpatient beds. These critical access hospitals are typically the one-stop shop for all medical care for patients in that community, and they will travel to nearby cities for any specialized care they need. At Wilderness Medical Staffing, we specialize in sourcing well-rounded providers who have a high level of emergency medicine experience to staff these critical access hospitals. We are the premier Montana staffing agency for work in critical access hospitals.

If you are interested in practicing meaningful medicine with us in Montana as a locum provider, you should know what qualifications are required of medical providers in that context. First, you will need your Montana state professional license as either a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or physician.

Second, you will need at least 2 years of experience in emergency medicine. If you have experience working in rural or remote emergency settings, even better! Every CAH in Montana will require you to keep up your BLS, ACLS, PALS, and ATLS lifesaving certifications. (Learn more about all of these certifications here.) Unlike some other states, the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) certification is required. (We sometimes host ATLS courses, so be sure to talk to our team if you’re interested in taking one.)

Once you meet those criteria, you will be qualified for a Montana job opening for a CAH assignment! These locum assignments tend to be very short and flexible. The duration of assignments range anywhere from a few days to a few weeks at a time. For that reason, pursuing Montana locum jobs at a critical access hospital is a great choice for those medical providers who aren’t yet ready to jump into locum tenens work full-time.

Rural Health Clinics

Sometimes, CAH facilities will oversee rural health clinics. These clinics focus on primary care and they must be located in rural, underserved areas of the country. The staffing usually consists of APPs working with physicians, with an APP staffed at least 50% of the time.

To qualify for these positions, you’ll need to meet most of the same requirements that you’d need working in a CAH, but you may not need emergency-specific experience, depending on the facility. Since many of these facilities primarily focus on primary care, pediatric experience is sometimes preferred.

Indian Reservations

Indian Reservations are governed by Native American tribal nations, which are one of the populations in American with the largest disparities in healthcare. At Wilderness Medical Staffing, we place healthcare providers at multiple Indian Reservations in Montana, which helps to bridge the gap between Native Americans and high-quality healthcare.

These sites tend to involve more clinic-only primary care positions than critical access hospitals, and some positions are at school-based clinics, giving providers an opportunity to work in pediatric medicine, as well. If you have experience in outpatient primary care or family practice, these kinds of positions may be a great fit for you!

There is rarely a better opportunity to do life with an indigenous community and make beautiful connections. Assignments at Indian Reservations tend to be much longer, with most facilities in these contexts requesting a minimum 3-month commitment. If you’re looking for a Montana job opening and have the desire to commit to multiple months of consistent work, locums work on an Indian Reservation is an ideal choice!

Additional Documentation to Work as a Locum Tenens in Rural Montana

State Licensure

montana locum jobs To be qualified for any of our jobs in Montana, you will need to be licensed in that state. You can find a licensing guide for Montana on our “Helpful Tools” page. Your license will typically be active within about 4-5 weeks from the day you submit your application. If you’re a physician assistant, you will also need a supervisory agreement with your collaborating physician before starting work. No need to worry about that as you apply for licensure though. Our company will organize the supervisory agreement and cover the cost of it once you’re confirmed for your first assignment with us.

Montana’s easy licensing process, low cost, and fast processing time are just one more reason to consider working there to start your locums journey!

Montana Independent Contractor Exemption Certificate (ICEC)

When practicing medicine as a locum tenens provider with WMS, you are operating as an independent contractor. The state of Montana requires that all independent contractors have a certificate of exemption for workers’ compensation. The ICEC is Montana’s certificate of exemption and essentially works like a business license. This is Montana State law and the ICEC must be obtained before you can begin working with Wilderness Medical Staffing. You will need to complete an ICEC application, get it notarized, and send it to the State of Montana. When you sign on for your first Montana assignment, our operations team will work with you to secure that before you start work.

Conclusion

Wilderness Medical Staffing specializes in staffing locum tenens providers in rural and remote areas. That is why we are unquestionably the ideal company to turn to for locum jobs in Montana. If you’re interested in escaping the noise of city life or want to work in a warm community where you can see the impact you have, please email us at [email protected] or peruse our job board to see what Montana has to offer! We look forward to hearing from you when you are ready for your next adventure.

What Working as an Alaska Locum Tenens is Really Like

November 29, 2022/by Sheila Gibson

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:

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.
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.
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!

The Complete Locum Tenens Document Checklist

September 28, 2022/by Deanna Tiemann

You’re ready to make the career jump into working as a locum tenens, but how do you get started? While it might not be much fun, one of the most beneficial things you can do is have your documents ready. In this article, we’ll break down all of the paperwork and documentation you’ll need to jump-start your career as a locum tenens in our Complete Locum Tenens Document Checklist. (Plus, don’t forget to get the download to make it easy to gather everything you need.)

Pro Tip

We recommend scanning your relevant documentation to your computer and/or smartphone and syncing them to an online cloud backup system. You can either scan documents by using most printers or you can use the scanning software on your smartphone (iPhone instructions and Android instructions) to take a quick photo and convert it into a document. Save these files to a well-labeled folder on your computer and/or phone (and online cloud environment like Dropbox or Google Drive) for easy access and update them regularly. Delete the outdated versions off your devices so you always have the most accurate versions to send.

For any files with an expiration date, you can name the file by using that date, so you have an easy method of tracking certifications, licenses, and more that need to be renewed. For instance:

John_Doe_PA_professional_license_2024_02_23
John_Doe_ATLS_2023_06_14
John_Doe_PA_board_cert_2022_12_16

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

It should go without saying that to apply for jobs as a locum tenens, you’re going to need an updated copy of your CV (curriculum vitae). As a professional, it’s important to keep your CV updated, but as a locum tenens, the importance is greater. You’ll likely be taking new positions several times throughout a year as a contracted provider, so including where you’re working and what your duties were at each assignment can be beneficial to showcase your qualifications for upcoming positions.

If you need help with your CV, don’t worry. We wrote an in-depth article about “How to Write a CV for Medical Professionals,” which includes a downloadable template. (Our recruiting team can also assist you with questions you may have about submitting a CV. Reach out for assistance.)

Diploma

Your undergrad and graduate studies diplomas aren’t just meant to be nice documents to frame on a wall. If you’re trying to land locum tenens jobs, we’ll need a copy of your diploma(s) for proof of your educational experience.

If you don’t have a copy of your diploma(s), you should be able to reach out to your college or university to obtain one. You’ll want at least the diploma for your highest level of education or university-level education.

Professional License

To work in any facility within any state, you’ll need to have an up-to-date professional license through the state that you’ll be working in. If you’re a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, as of now, you’ll need multiple licenses to work in more than one state. (Legislation is beginning to take shape in several states to create compacts for NP and PA licenses but hasn’t been enacted as of the time of this writing.)

Physicians, you may qualify for licenses through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact or IMLCC. If you are not working in qualifying IMLCC states, you will need to obtain licenses for each state you’re working in.

At Wilderness Medical Staffing, we recommend the contracted locum tenens we work with to obtain a license in at least Alaska or Montana since we primarily staff those states.

Certifications

Life-Saving Certifications

As a healthcare provider, you’re probably accustomed to ongoing training to keep your education and skills sharp, plus you need them to keep your medical license. Many of the positions we staff, in specific, require providers to at least have certifications in BLS, ACLS, and PALS.

For providers who specialize in emergency medicine, we recommend acquiring a certification in ATLS, CALS, or ALSO. Many of our providers also take Emergency Medicine Bootcamp courses, Advanced Airway Course offered by Avera Corp., and Neonatal Resuscitation Program.

You can learn more about all the courses we recommend acquiring certifications for here. Once you have the certifications, you’ll want to keep a copy of them with the rest of your documents.

Board Certifications

In addition to any certifications from courses you’ve completed and passed, you’ll also need to have a record of your board certifications, proving that you’re an expert within your specialty. Depending on your formal education, your board certification will be acquired through various organizations based on if you are a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or physician and your specialty.

The following are organizations that we typically see providers acquire their board certifications through:

Physician Assistant Board Certifications
National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)

Nurse Practitioner Certifications
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
American Nurses Credentialing Center

Physician Certifications
The American Board of Emergency Medicine
American Board of Internal Medicine

Immunization Records

Since you’ll be working in healthcare facilities, many of them require proof of vaccinations. Keeping a copy of your most recent immunization records can help you to land locum tenens assignments. If you don’t have a copy, reach out to your healthcare provider to get one, or read this article about tracking down your vaccine records.

Even if facilities don’t require full vaccination records, you will likely need to provide a copy of your COVID vaccine card. While we don’t mandate that providers are fully vaccinated, if you are not vaccinated, you may not be able to apply for certain positions as we follow the vaccine guidelines that our clients have in place.

DEA Registration

You’ll also need proof of your valid DEA registration. Providers may only administer, dispense, or prescribe a controlled substance in a state if they hold a DEA registration in that state, and are complying with all federal and state laws and regulations. In other words, you’ll need a DEA certificate that displays an address in the state you’ll be administering controlled substances.

For providers who regularly work in multiple states, we recommend obtaining a DEA license for each state that you will work in. This can be especially helpful for locum tenens providers who may bounce around from state to state for their assignments.

Another option is to change the address on your existing DEA prior to going on assignment. This is a simple and free process that you can do online. You’ll simply change the address back at the end of your assignment.

Please note, the status of your DEA must be Fee Paid; it cannot be Fee Exempt.

Business License

As a locum tenens, you’re a contracted medical professional with the agency (or agencies) that you work with. This means that you’ll need to register in your primary state of legal residence as a business owner (typically a 1099 contractor) in most cases.

How you go about doing this will differ from state to state, and what the documentation is called can also differ.

For instance, in Montana, you’ll need an ICEC (Independent Contractor Exemption Certificate). In Alaska and Washington, you’ll need a business license.

Identification

This should go without saying, but you’ll need to keep an up-to-date piece of legal identification on you with a copy that you can send as proof of identification.

Common types of identification include your driver’s license, passport, or military ID card. We recommend having a digital copy of all your forms of identification, as well. You never know when you might need them to look up an identification number or other information.

References List

While the facility you are hoping to work at might not require a list of references, we will ask you for them as part of our provider onboarding process. Providers who work with Wilderness Medical Staffing cannot work for our clients until they have been vetted through a reference check, among other criteria. Other staffing agencies may have a different approach to references.

Keeping an up-to-date list of references will help you through the onboarding process so you can get on assignment. Remember to always ask your references if they are willing to be a reference for you.

Additional Considerations

Health Insurance Information

While you won’t need health insurance information to get a locum tenens job, when you’re on assignment, you’re going to want to have your health insurance coverage documentation. As a locum tenens, you are an independent contractor, which means we will not provide health insurance for you. You’ll need to find health insurance through a healthcare exchange, a significant other, COBRA, or other methods of obtaining private healthcare.

Just in case you’re the one needing medical attention while on assignment, you’ll have your health insurance information on hand.

NPI Number

As a healthcare provider, you will be issued an NPI number. You’ll need this number for several of the documents mentioned above, so be sure to have it memorized or save it somewhere safe that’s easily accessible.

Credentialing

Keeping easily accessible records of all your documents can also make the credentialing process much easier as a locum tenens. You will need to be credentialed through most facilities you’ll work at.

Conclusion

We know that gathering all these documents can be an arduous process. However, the more organized you are with keeping your files updated, the easier it will be for you to qualify for assignments, get through credentialing, and be on your way to locum tenens placements.

How to Stay Connected as a Locum Tenens in Alaska

September 13, 2022/by Deanna Tiemann

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!

Unusual Items to Pack for Locum Tenens Assignments

September 13, 2022/by Sheila Gibson

The following article was written by Sheila Gibson, WMS account executive. Sheila has extensive knowledge of traveling back and forth between Washington State and rural Alaska, as her husband, Dr. Gibson, was a long-time physician in a rural Alaskan health center, while her family lived in the lower 48.

So, you’re going on a locum assignment and beginning to think about packing. Beyond the obvious need for clothing and personal items, what else should you include? Most assignments run one or more weeks, so you’ll have a mix of workdays and time off. Read on for our suggestions, and more tips on unusual items to pack for locum tenens assignments.

What You’ll Know Ahead of Time

Before starting an assignment, in our facility descriptions with Wilderness Medical Staffing, we have a list of the amenities you can expect at each location, and we share those with providers when assignments are coordinated.

For instance, at a few locations, food is provided as the site is a closed-campus commercial facility. For most of our assignments, the provider would be responsible for supplying their own food. Details such as type of housing (private or shared dorm-style, for example), food options, the opportunity for family to be accommodated, etc. are in our facility notes, and we update any time we’re informed of changes.

The key to being prepared for your assignment, right down to the details of what to pack, is good communication with either your account executive and/or a WMS provider who recently worked at the same facility.

If you’re working with a different staffing agency than WMS, they will likely have similar information for you. If they don’t, be sure to ask about it!

Driving vs. Flying to a Locum Tenens Assignment

WMS places providers at facilities in Alaska, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and Idaho. While most of our providers fly to their assignments, some drive. If you’re driving, then packing becomes much easier as you don’t have to be concerned with checking bags, weight allowances, managing perishable foods over long travel times, and restrictions or regulations around items that can be tricky to pack for flights.

For example, if you’re packing oversize items, such as fishing rods, to take advantage of the fishing season where you’ll be working, it could get expensive to take your fishing gear on a seaplane or bush plane. If you’re going to be on assignment for several weeks, taking food with you could put you over the weight limit for small planes, and incur excess baggage fees.

Providers who are driving have control over all these situations and can add comforts from home without having to factor in weight and size restrictions, or possibility that luggage goes astray, and perishable foods perish if there’s a lengthy delay getting to your destination.

That said, even for providers who are driving, it’s worth your time to know what extras would be helpful to pack, and what would be redundant or unnecessary.

If you’re driving, consider the time of year and your route, and if the area is remote, research gas stations and locations for assistance. Winter storms and summer flooding have made for some interesting road trips!

Unusual Items to Consider Packing

Outdoor Clothing/Equipment

Outdoor clothing/gear (small backpack, hat, etc.)
Bear spray
Fishing gear

To get the most out of your time on assignment, many providers pack with the outdoors in mind. If you plan to get outdoors for hiking and exploring, you’ll want outdoor clothing and gear, including bear spray. Keep in mind that you will probably need to buy the bear spray locally unless you’re driving.

Many providers enjoy fishing while on assignment, but you’ll need to have a license so be sure you know the local rules and how to obtain a license for your assignment location.

Also, learn about the weather for the season of the year and plan accordingly.

Kitchen Items

Small personal blender
French press/Pour over coffee maker
Favorite knife
Spices and seasonings

Having necessities in the kitchen can make a huge difference in settling into a new environment. From healthy options to items of convenience, you’ll want to make sure to pack items like these.

Do you start each day with a smoothie? Taking a small personal blender can be a lifesaver as locum kitchens will likely not have this. If you’re a coffee lover and prefer a French press or pour-over set up, you may want to bring them along. Locum apartments do not typically have specialty equipment like this, so it’s best to bring your own small versions of these items if this is important to your morning.

And even though you can’t take your home kitchen with you, if you have a favorite knife or choice of spices or seasonings, you’ll be glad you brought them along.

If you need help with stocking up on some kitchen essentials, camping supply/outdoor equipment stores are great places to pick up small versions of kitchen tools or appliances, as well as hiking gear and other equipment that would be useful in remote settings.

Health Equipment

Workout attire
Fitness Bands
Additional small workout equipment

You can also check with your WMS account executive to see if the community or facility have a fitness center or pool. If you want to work out and the community doesn’t have a fitness center, consider taking resistance bands or other small equipment that’s reasonable to pack.

Hobby Items

Camera
Hobby supplies or craft projects small enough to be practical to pack

Sometimes, being in a rural or remote area is the perfect setting to carve out some time to get back to your hobbies. If you’re a photographer, be sure to pack your extra camera in addition to your phone for photos.

If the weather is bad, you may find yourself stuck inside for long periods, so it’s good to have something to do! A provider recently told me she was making her second knitted hat when she had been delayed for several days getting to her assignment. You could also consider bringing small puzzles or decks of cards to occupy some time indoors.

Sleeping Items

C-PAP
Mouthguards
White noise machine
Earplugs
Clean linens

Adjusting to sleeping in a new location can always take some time and these communities are counting on healthcare providers to be there when they need them. Having some of your nighttime comforts can help you feel refreshed and ready to take on your assignment.

If you need a C-PAP or other medical devices, like mouth guards, add them to your packing list. Many people like to sleep with a “white noise” machine, which can be nice to have, especially in the quiet of a rural location. On the flip side, if howling animals could wake you up at night, don’t forget some earplugs to drown out any unwanted noise.

While you can expect that linens will be clean, they likely will be very basic. If you like high thread-count sheets or a specific type of pillow, you should probably bring your own.

Hygiene Items

Electric toothbrush
Towels

While most locations will provide towels, if you have a favorite kind that you’d prefer to use, feel free to pack a few to get you through the week. If you use things like electric toothbrushes, don’t forget the toothbrush and a charger. Depending on the length of assignment, you may want a few extra brush heads too.

Food Items

We mentioned this before on our food blog post: if you follow a strict diet or require specific items for your diet, or even just prefer a special brand of coffee, tea, etc., you should probably bring those foods with you as small markets in remote locations may not have what you need.

These are some of the easiest items to pack or ship ahead of time so you have some staple food when you get to your assignment.

Pouches of salmon and tuna
Canned chicken
Nuts, raisins, nut bars, granola bars, and other dried fruits
Beef jerky
Freeze-dried fruits and veggies
Sturdy crackers, nut butters, hard cheeses
“Just add water” noodles or standard boxed meal options
Rice or pasta (double bag so you don’t end up with rice all over your suitcase or tub)
Soups, dried or canned (although canned soups will add more weight)

Amazon and other online sites ship all over the U.S. and offer an array of pantry items. With enough lead time, and depending on the location, online ordering is a great way to supplement your supplies. If you’re ordering from an online site before you’re physically at your locum assignment, verify the ship-to address with the facility contact (or your account executive can do this for you.) Especially for remote locations, don’t just assume you can use the facility address for shipping. The local staff can tell you if there are variables to be aware of for shipping to their location.

The other reason to carry-on a bag with food is that sometimes you’ll find yourself arriving after the local market has closed, on a holiday, or in the middle of a storm and you won’t be able to get to the grocery right away. If you’re lucky, the previous provider will have left some pantry items in your lodging, but you can’t count on that. It’s always best if you can provide for yourself in a pinch, at least for a day or two. Some providers will pack enough food for a few days in their carry-on luggage when flying just in case!

Legal Identification & Money

When you travel, accidents happen. You lose things, or perhaps someone has stolen your purse or wallet. Frustrating, but it happens! Have at least two forms of government ID that are accepted for travel, so if you lose one, you have a backup. You’ll need to store these in two separate secure spaces, one in a wallet, purse, or backpack, and your spare in another place. I’ve only needed my backup ID once, but it saved the day when I was able to pull out my second document and navigate through security to board my flight.

When you update your driver’s license, if your state offers a separate state ID option, request that at the same time. In my state, this is a card that looks very similar to a driver’s license and can be used to navigate airport security. The same is true for US passports and passport cards. The passport card can be purchased when you order a passport for a small additional fee, and there are some restrictions on where you can use the passport card, but it’s still quite helpful to have as a second ID.

If possible, keep at least two credit cards on you when you’re traveling, stored in separate bags/locations, or you may want to keep a debit card and a credit card for more flexibility. The other financial advice I’d offer is to keep some cash with you, in small bills. Cash comes in handy for tipping, small purchases, or to cover a bill when credit card processing is down, there’s no ATM in sight, or you’re in a cash-only place of business. You may encounter all of these scenarios in rural and remote locations. Redundancy is your friend and can save you from some very awkward situations.

As a recap, here’s what to pack:

Two forms of government ID
Optional additional state ID option or passport card
Multiple credit cards or credit/debit cards
Cash in small bills

Consider doing this for anything critical for you to have, and also easy to divide or duplicate so you’re still ok even if a bag is lost or stolen along the way.

Extras

Maps
Entertainment
Don’t forget prescription medications!

While maps may seem like a primitive form of navigating, if the area where you’ll be working in is in a remote location, you’ll likely lose your cell signal when you leave the community. This is especially true if you plan to go hiking or exploring. Be sure to have a printed map with you if you’re going into the backcountry! If you’re driving to a remote location, be sure you make a screenshot of the directions in case you lose your navigation app if you lose cell coverage.

You’ll also want to think ahead about entertainment. Do you have access to streaming internet service and/or digital books? You’ll want to download anything you may want in advance in case internet speeds are slow, which is often the case in remote areas.

Think through your daily routine from start to finish, making notes about any items that you consider “essential” to personal care or comfort. If some small devices or items make sense to pack, bring them along!

Traveling with Storage Totes

Large storage totes may be your new best friend. These tips should get you well on your way to using storage totes as a primary packing and travel tool.

Flying with Storage Totes

Did you know you can pack and check Rubbermaid (or other brands) tubs on flights? (I’ll never forget the first time I saw a Rubbermaid tub on the baggage carousel. I didn’t know airlines would accept containers like that as checked luggage, but they accept many unconventional items. I’ve seen tires, boxes of diapers, Costco-size packs of toilet paper, and similar items in checked baggage in Alaska.)

Make sure your tubs aren’t over the weight allowance when you fill them, use packing tape or duct tape to secure the lid to the tub, label with name and address, and off you go! Tubs are great for food and equipment, and you can use them to leave items behind if you plan to return to the same location. Most facilities will allow providers to leave a small stash of personal goods if you’re returning for future assignments; just ask.

Shipping Storage Totes & Luggage

You can also mail Rubbermaid tubs to your location. Ask your account executive or a contact at the healthcare facility where you’ll be working if you can ship to the clinic address. Mailing ahead is a great way to get items to your location without having to navigate airline restrictions.

You can also mail luggage if you have enough lead time. Check with the USPS for best estimates in the length of time required to mail to your location and any other “need to know” updates.

Additional Items to Check at the Airport

Checking coolers and fish boxes/heavy-duty cardboard boxes on flights is also allowed. Just make sure the cooler or box is securely closed with duct tape or other means. You don’t want your container coming open en route! And always check with your airline on size and weight restrictions for non-luggage containers you plan to check.

Additional Helpful Tips for Trip Planning

Go Thrift Shopping

If you’re planning to leave some items behind at an assignment, because you plan to return to that location, Goodwill or thrift stores are good places to find inexpensive items. You may be able to stock up on some gently used kitchen supplies, small workout equipment, or other items that will make living remotely feel a little more like home.

Invest in Wheeled Luggage

If you don’t have wheeled luggage, invest in some! You’ll thank yourself when you’re strolling through the airport with ease, rather than struggling with a bag that you have to carry!

Coolers come with wheels too, so if you’re packing food in a cooler, make sure that’s wheeled as well as your luggage.

Know TSA’s Allowed and Disallowed Items

While you may be tempted to bring your entire house, including the kitchen sink, especially when flying, you’ll have restrictions.

Remember, TSA restricts liquids and pastes (think peanut butter) on flights, but most other foods are allowed through security. You can check TSA’s site for detailed answers on carry-on restrictions for food and other items.

Prepare Ahead for Travel Disruptions

With the recent disruptions to flights and travel in general, whether from weather issues or staff shortages, etc., you should plan to carry on enough basics that you can get by should your luggage be delayed or lost.

While most lost luggage eventually finds the traveler, if you’re going to a remote location, you might find yourself in difficulty if you check everything for your trip.

One of our very experienced providers says he always packs 1-3 days of simple food in his carry-on bag, as well as enough clothing and essentials so lost luggage won’t create a problem.

Be sure to include prescription medications and other “must have” items in your carry-on bag.

Conclusion

This is just a starting point for ideas to consider as you prep for your locum adventure.

There’s a wealth of information online! Check out travel and camping blogs for ideas on food prep, storage, and packing hacks. Facebook pages for the community you’ll be visiting can bring you up to speed on local doings.

Definitely check with providers who’ve been to the same site. Your account executive can connect you with others who will be able to give you up-to-the-minute details on lodging, food options, restaurants, recreation, etc.

And once you’ve been on assignment, particularly if the location is remote, we’d love to have your feedback to pass on to others. We learn so much from our providers, and we like to keep the cycle going. Send us photos, lists of what you found helpful, or anything else you’d share with someone coming behind you.

Also, if you have any great packing tips or equipment recommendations, please send those along too! We love sharing the innovative ideas our providers have found to make life easier.

Have fun out there, and just like the Scouts, be prepared!

Medical Courses For Rural Locum Tenens

August 23, 2022/by Deanna Tiemann

At Wilderness Medical Staffing, the locum tenens providers who we work with provide medical care in some of the most remote places in the United States. Many of the sites we staff require providers to be solo-capable, as you could be the only healthcare provider within several hundreds of miles. To perform your job to the best of your abilities, here are the medical courses for rural locum tenens that we’d recommend providers take. Upon successful completion of most of these courses, you’ll earn a certification which you can add to your CV and keep as part of your file.

Clinical Certifications

Not every assignment requires emergency certifications. Some of the assignments we staff are in a clinical setting at primary care clinics or school-based clinics. For these assignments, we recommend a few courses which will add to your clinical experience.

BLS – Basic Life Support

Presented by: American Heart Association
Certificate valid for: 2 years

The American Heart Association’s Basic Life Support course is probably the most basic (yet very important) course that a provider can take. It’s assumed that as a healthcare professional, you will have a BLS certification, but you need to ensure it is up-to-date.

Basic Life Support teaches the following according to the American Heart Association website:

Basics include CPR for adults, children, and adults.
Early access, early basic CPR, early defibrillation, and early ACLS, also known as the AHA Chain of Survival.
Important early use of AED (automated external defibrillator).
Effective ventilations of using a barrier device and the importance of teams in multirescuer resuscitation and performance
Relief of foreign-body airway obstruction (choking) for adults and infants

Learn more BLS here.

ACLS – Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support

Presented by: American Heart Association
Certificate valid for: 2 years

ACLS builds on the skills learned in the BLS courses certified by the American Heart Association. In our experience, we’ve found that most clinics and all hospitals require that providers have an up-to-date ACLS certification. To work on any assignment with Wilderness Medical Staffing, we require providers to have a valid ACLS certification. According to the AHA, this course is intended for healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest or other cardiovascular emergencies and for personnel in emergency response.

ACLS teaches the following according to the American Heart Association website:

Basic life support skills, including effective chest compressions, use of a bag-mask device, and use of an AED
Recognition and early management of respiratory and cardiac arrest• Recognition and early management of peri-arrest conditions such as symptomatic bradycardia
Airway management
Related pharmacology
Management of ACS and stroke
Effective communication as a member and leader of a resuscitation team

Learn more ACLS here.

PALS – Pediatric Advanced Support

Presented by: American Heart Association
Certificate valid for: 2 years

PALS is intended for healthcare providers who respond to emergencies in infants and children and for personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care, and critical care units. Like ACLS, many clinics and all hospitals require PALS. WMS encourages providers to have an up-to-date PALS certification.

PALS teaches the following according to the American Heart Association website:

Perform high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) per American Heart Association (AHA) basic life support (BLS) recommendations
Differentiate between patients who do and do not require immediate intervention
Recognize cardiopulmonary arrest early and begin CPR within 10 seconds
Apply team dynamics
Differentiate between respiratory distress and failure
Perform early interventions for respiratory distress and failure
Differentiate between compensated and decompensated (hypotensive) shock
Perform early interventions for the treatment of shock
Differentiate between unstable and stable patients with arrhythmias
Describe clinical characteristics of instability in patients with arrhythmias
Implement post-cardiac arrest management

Learn more about PALS here.

Emergency Medicine Certifications

In addition to having the clinical certifications mentioned above, to stand out as a qualified provider with Wilderness Medical Staffing, we also encourage providers to obtain various emergency medicine certifications for many of the positions we staff. Most of our emergency medicine openings require two years of EM experience along with ATLS. If you want to make sure you’re as prepared as possible for the austere environment of many of our assignments, obtaining certifications in CALS, ER Bootcamp, and the Advanced Airway Course is beneficial.

ATLS – Advanced Trauma Life Support

Presented by: American College of Surgeons
Certificate valid for: 4 years

ATLS is an intensive training course that we highly recommend WMS locum tenens providers take. You must pass a written test before you’re allowed to test your knowledge in a hands-on environment. All critical access hospitals (CAH) in Montana require an ATLS certification to work on assignments, which is why we advocate heavily for providers to gain this certification.

According to the American College of Surgeons, ATLS “presents a concise approach to assessing and managing multiply injured patients. The course presents doctors and other qualified healthcare providers with knowledge and techniques that are comprehensive and easily adapted to fit their needs.”

The ATLS course teaches the following according to the American College of Surgeons:

Assess the patient’s condition rapidly and accurately
Resuscitate and stabilize the patient according to priority
Determine if the patient’s needs exceed a facility’s capacity
Arrange appropriately for the patient’s inter-hospital transfer (who, what, when, and how)
Assure that optimum care is provided and that the level of care does not deteriorate at any point during the evaluation, resuscitation, or transfer process

Wilderness Medical Staffing hosts ATLS courses in Washington State once a year. Learn about upcoming courses.

Learn more about ATLS here.

CALS – Comprehensive Advanced Life Support

Presented by: Rural Emergency Medical Education
Certificate valid for: 2 years

The CALS certification is a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, specifically designed for medical providers who are working in rural, remote, and global emergency departments. CALS is taught through interactive sessions in cardiac, traumatic, pediatric, obstetrical, neonatal, and medical advanced life support.

Courses are offered in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Montana.

The CALS course teaches the following according to Rural Emergency Medical Education:

Demonstrate the ability to problem solve in a variety of clinical situations
Identify key threats and demonstrate therapeutic interventions.
Discuss the roles of each team member involved in patient evaluation and treatment.
Perform skills consistent with the provider’s role on the advanced life support team.
Prerequisites: It is recommended that participants have attended at least one other advanced life support course, be knowledgeable of cardiac rhythm recognition, and have adequate clinical experience in critical situations.

Learn more about CALS here.

Emergency Medicine Bootcamp

Presented by: Center for Medical Education
CME Credits Available

Emergency Medicine Bootcamp is taught by a faculty of award-winning emergency medicine educators to teach participants the essential information needed to practice medicine in emergency departments or urgent care centers. This course comes highly recommended by our WMS founder and Chief Medical Officer, Mary Ellen Doty.

This 3.5 day course is hosted twice a year in Las Vegas, NV, with courses in July and December. EM Bootcamp serves as a refresher course for experienced emergency room providers and gives newer providers a comprehensive overview of the various medical scenarios that may come into an emergency room.

Emergency Medicine Bootcamp teaches the following according to The Center for Medical Education:

Incorporate strategies into practice to reduce the likelihood of misdiagnosis in common emergencies
Identify historical, physical and testing strategies to consistently provide evidence-based care to a large variety of ED and urgent care patients
Enhance clinical skills with regard to the day-to-day care of emergency department and urgent care patients
Enhance clinical skills for the delivery of care to patients with emergent or urgent complaints in a variety of ambulatory care settings

Learn more about Emergency Medicine Bootcamp here.

Advanced Airway Course

Presented by: Avera Corp.

The Advanced Airway Course is held once a year in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in May.

This is the only national CME program that teaches an evidence-based, algorithmic approach to emergency airway management. This is a very hands-on course with a detailed education about getting an airway established in the case of trauma or severe illness.

Learn more about the Advanced Airway Course here.

ALSO – Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics

Presented by: American Academy of Family Physicians
Certificate valid for: 3 years

The ALSO Provider Course is a “team-based approach to learning designed to teach healthcare providers how to improve patient safety and positively impact maternal outcomes with an online and live component.” This course is recommended for providers working rurally and remotely who may have to deliver a baby. WMS has clients who require providers to hold an ALSO certification to work at the facility.

The ALSO Provider Course covers the following topics including:

Safety in Maternity Care (lecture presented at the live course)
Late Pregnancy Bleeding
Preterm Labor and Premature Rupture of Membranes
Intrapartum Fetal Surveillance
Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy*
Labor Dystocia
Malpresentations, Malpositions and Multiple Gestation*
Assisted Vaginal Delivery*
Shoulder Dystocia*
Postpartum Hemorrhage*
Maternal Resuscitation and Trauma*
Cardiac Complications of Pregnancy
Venous Thromboembolism in Pregnancy
Maternal Sepsis

Learn more about ALSO here.

Neonatal Resuscitation Program

Presented by: American Academy of Pediatrics
Certificate valid for: 2 years

The Neonatal Resuscitation Program is a life-saving course for newborns immediately after birth. According to the AAP, “The Neonatal Resuscitation Program® (NRP®) course conveys an evidence-based approach to care of the newborn at birth and facilitates effective team-based care for healthcare professionals who care for newborns at the time of delivery.”

Learn more about the Neonatal Resuscitation Program.

Do you have questions about what courses would be the best to take based on your skills and professional experience? Contact us for more information.

Your Guide to Rural Locum Tenens Travel

July 27, 2022/by Deanna Tiemann

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.

The Complete Alaska Nurse Practitioner License Guide

July 22, 2022/by Tanner McCoon

Wilderness Medical Staffing is proud to staff more healthcare providers in rural areas of Alaska than any other healthcare staffing agency. We started our company by staffing healthcare providers in Alaska and we encourage our locum tenens contracted providers to obtain their Alaska licensure so you can experience what it’s like to have an Alaskan adventure while practicing meaningful medicine in this beautiful state. Learn how to apply with our Complete Alaska Nurse Practitioner License Guide.

Introduction to The Alaska Nurse Practitioner License Guide

This is a licensing guide for nurse practitioners interested in becoming licensed in the state of Alaska for the first time. If that’s you, thank you for reading our blog article! If you haven’t already done so, please email us at [email protected] or call us at 509-215-1700 to reach the recruiting department and let us know you are interested in Alaska licensure. Our knowledgeable team will happily aid you in the process of becoming licensed.

The task of applying for APRN licensure in Alaska is daunting for most people, but don’t lose hope before you get started! Anyone can eat an elephant by taking one bite at a time. The task of becoming licensed in Alaska is truly a collection of simple tasks and forms; the only difficulty is in persevering through to the end.

The First Step: Prepare Your Documents

Before you jump into applying for licensure, we suggest you spend a little time gathering the below list of documents and information. The process will be much easier if you already have everything you’ll need before sitting down to complete the application materials.

Ink or digital fingerprints taken on an original FD-258 fingerprint card. (Digital fingerprinting is less likely to be rejected for a miss-roll.)
Copies of each state license you already possess.
Copies of your DEA and National Board certification for reference.
All CME certificates from the past 5 years.
Contact information for three references, peer-level or higher. Must have worked alongside you within the last 2 years.
Contact info for the National Board you are certified through, and the transcripts department of the university you graduated from.
A mug or glass of something delicious.

We’d also recommend keeping easily accessible, digital files of all the above information (excluding the drink, of course). If you’re able to access them on your phone, even better! When a file is newly updated, replace the old one. This can help with licensing, credentialing, and helping you apply to positions because your files will be accessible at a moment’s notice.

Apply for your RN license

Follow this link to sign up for your MyAlaska account and begin the online RN application process. You will want to apply for both your RN and APRN licensure online (as opposed to the print application). This makes the process faster, simpler, and easier for your licensing examiner to update you on what’s still needed.

Included in your RN application are the only fingerprints that will be required. If you want some direction on how to get those turned in, check out this document on the Alaska State Board of Nursing (BON) website. We suggest you have your fingerprints taken digitally because ink fingerprints will sometimes be rejected for a mis-roll or smudge. Keep in mind, that whether your fingerprints are taken with ink or scanned, they will need to be printed onto an official fingerprint card.

Your temporary RN license will be approved once your application is received, fees are paid, fingerprints are received, and they confirm your licensure in another state. This usually takes 4-6 weeks. Your permanent license should be granted within a month of your temporary license being granted.

Apply for your APRN license

Once you’ve completed your RN license application, stay logged into your MyAlaska account and start an application for your APRN license. You will need to complete another Notary Signature Page and upload that notarized document to your MyAlaska account. You will need the signature page notarized. You can usually get free notary services from your bank or accountant. If you don’t have access to those options, you can find a reasonably priced notary service in most localities with a quick Google search.

References and Employment Verification

In your RN license application, you had to fill out a page for the Verification of Nursing Employment portion. For your APRN, you will have to fill out a References page. Even though these documents may be sent to the same contact at your current/previous place of work, they are different and will both have to be completed. Keep this in mind as you send documents to your employer to complete. They will complete the form and send it directly to the Alaska BON.

Prescriptive Authority

If you are applying for an Alaska nurse practitioner license in hopes of taking locums assignments with WMS, you will certainly want to apply for full prescriptive authority (Controlled Substances and Legend Drugs). You will also have to apply for the PDMP (Prescription Drug Monitoring Program), which can be done for free online. To be granted prescriptive authority, you will need to have an active Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) license. If you do not yet have a DEA, please let your recruiter know as soon as possible.

Checklist to Know You’ve Completed All Items

If you fill out the applications online, you will get a checklist in your MyAlaska account that explains what they’re still pending once it’s all submitted. For that reason, we suggest bookmarking the MyAlaska website and checking often for updates. Just so you know now, below is a list of all fees and documents you will have submitted once you’ve completed every step of both the RN and APRN license applications:

RN and APRN Application forms completed and uploaded to your MyAlaska account
Fees paid (should total $775.00)
Notarized signature page
Fingerprints priority mailed to the state
Employment verification request sent to your employer
References page sent to your references
Official transcripts requested from your university
National Board certificate requested from your certifying body
Verification of RN state licensure sent to the appropriate states

I’ve Submitted Everything, Now What?

Let your recruiter know as soon as you complete your application materials and submit them! We will first congratulate you, then set a reminder to check in with you later. The best way to keep your nursing applications moving is to establish contact with your licensing examiner. WMS will send you an “Authorization to Discuss Application” form to e-sign that establishes us as a 3rd party with who you can contact the Board of Nursing on your behalf. If you choose to sign that form, we will send it to you about a month after the application was submitted so that your licensing examiner may receive it after they’ve already had the chance to review your application for licensure.

The other thing you can do to keep up to date on your license status is to check your MyAlaska account regularly. In the dashboard, you can pull up all license applications that are in progress. The board keeps that website updated with whatever you still need to complete. In the “comments” section, your licensing examiner will explain how to correctly complete the pieces of your licensing application that are still needed.

Conclusion

For more in-depth instruction on the Alaska nurse practitioner license process and our FAQ page, please visit our Helpful Tools page and download the APRN Licensing Process page. While you’re there, you can check out licensing guides for every state we do business in. We hope that this guide helps give some perspective on what is involved with the licensing process for Alaska. Though there are numerous documents required, it’s truly a straightforward process that becomes simple once you wrap your mind around it.

We wish you the best and encourage you not to let licensure become a barrier to realizing your dream to work in Alaska!