This National Locum Tenens Week, we’re celebrating the physicians and advanced practice providers who bring their expertise wherever it is needed most.
They step into unfamiliar hospitals, learn new teams and systems, and care for patients who cannot wait for a permanent hire. Their assignments may be temporary, but the relief they bring to an overextended care team—and the impact they make on a community—can last far beyond their final shift.
As National Locum Tenens Week celebrates its 10th anniversary, the 2026 theme, “Fill the Gaps, Strengthen the Community.” feels more meaningful than ever.
But every successful assignment also has a team working behind the scenes. Someone is answering the late-night call, navigating credentials, coordinating travel and making sure both the clinician and the healthcare organization are ready for day one.
To understand what that work looks like today, Ringo spoke with Erick Barnett, CEO of Odyssey Locums, and Jamie Trainor, President, Healthcare at IPL Health Staffing, two staffing leaders whose teams support locum tenens clinicians and healthcare organizations.
Their answers reveal an important shift in locum tenens staffing: clinicians are no longer looking for someone to simply find them a job. They want a partner who understands where they are going and helps them get there.
The Expectations Have Changed
Five years ago, competitive pay and an available assignment might have been enough to start the conversation. Today’s locum tenens clinicians expect much more.
“Today’s locums expect true partnership, not just job matching,” Erick shared. That partnership begins with transparency about rates and complete assignment details upfront. It also means having one dedicated recruiter who understands the clinician’s specialty, preferences and priorities—not a different contact every time the phone rings.
Jamie sees the same change. Clinicians want better work-life balance and more control over their careers. Locum tenens gives them the flexibility to decide how much they work, where they practice and which opportunities support their personal and professional goals.
“Five years ago, finding an assignment may have been enough,” Jamie explained. “Today, providers are looking for someone who understands what they’re trying to accomplish and can help them get there.”
Trust and communication have become just as important as the assignment itself. With so many moving parts, clinicians want to know where they stand, what comes next and whether their staffing partner will follow through. They also want an advocate who remains reachable when something does not go according to plan.
That shift is changing how healthcare organizations evaluate physician staffing solutions. A successful placement is no longer defined by whether someone arrives. It is defined by whether the clinician is informed, prepared, supported and positioned to succeed.
A Great Assignment is About More Than the Rate
Compensation matters, but a high rate cannot rescue a poorly planned experience.
According to Erick, a great assignment is one where the clinician feels set up to succeed from day one. They should understand the case mix, call expectations, electronic medical record system and team dynamics before they arrive. Travel and housing should be convenient, not simply checked off a list. Most importantly, the facility should welcome the clinician as a valued colleague rather than make them feel like “temporary help.”
Jamie agrees that transparency and realistic expectations shape the experience. When a staffing partner paints an accurate picture of the role, the facility and the process, everyone has a better chance of succeeding.
The fewer surprises along the way, the better the assignment tends to be.
A smooth onboarding process, reasonable schedule, supportive staff and healthy work environment can make a tremendous difference. Clinicians want to walk into a situation where they can focus on patient care and make a positive impact—not spend their first week untangling problems that could have been addressed before they arrived.
Support Starts With Listening
Both Erick and Jamie returned to the same idea throughout their conversations: it starts with listening.
Odyssey Locums matches each clinician with a dedicated recruiter who learns their career goals, preferred locations, scheduling needs and non-negotiables. From there, the team provides weekly credentialing updates, travel confirmations, on-site check-ins and immediate problem-solving when plans change.
The support does not disappear once the clinician arrives. The team celebrates successful starts, stays available around the clock and checks in near the end of the assignment with the next opportunity already in mind.
“The relationship never feels transactional,” Erick explained.
At IPL Health Staffing, listening also means understanding why a provider is considering a new opportunity and then aligning that motivation with what the facility genuinely needs. Jamie’s team adjusts its communication style to the individual. Some clinicians want frequent updates and check-ins. Others prefer more independence but want to know that help is available when they need it.
That flexibility matters. Supporting clinicians is not about forcing everyone through the same process. It is about recognizing what each person needs, removing distractions and allowing them to focus on what they do best: caring for patients.
The Hardest Work is Often Invisible
A verbal “yes” is exciting, but it is only the beginning.
Before a clinician can start caring for patients, teams must coordinate state licensing, hospital privileges, insurance, credentialing, compliance, housing, travel and scheduling. A credentialing committee delay can collide with a canceled flight. A last-minute schedule change can become a 10 p.m. logistics problem.
“Our credentialing specialists and recruiters work constantly behind the curtain so neither the facility nor the clinician has to chase paperwork or solve logistics at 10 p.m.,” Erick said.
Jamie describes that work as removing the “clutter” that comes with healthcare staffing. The recruiter may be the most visible contact, but credentialing, travel and operations teams are working together to identify potential issues early, balance facility requirements with provider preferences and keep every detail moving.
“Getting a provider confirmed isn’t the finish line,” Jamie shared. “In a lot of ways, it’s the starting point.”
This is where locum tenens credentialing, strong processes and healthcare staffing technology matter. A connected, vendor-neutral VMS can give healthcare organizations and staffing partners a shared view of requirements, progress and outstanding tasks.
Technology does not replace the human relationships behind temporary physician staffing. It helps those relationships work better. Teams can spend less time chasing information and more time supporting clinicians, solving problems and protecting continuity of care.
Filling Gaps and Strengthening Communities
Odyssey Locums and IPL Health Staffing both take pride in helping facilities when the stakes are high.
Healthcare organizations may be facing an unexpected vacancy, a persistent provider shortage, difficulty filling a specialty position or a transition that requires longer-term support. Those gaps can quickly affect patient access, staff morale and the workload placed on permanent care teams.
Locum tenens staffing gives organizations a way to move quickly while still finding the right clinical fit. It can provide immediate coverage, bridge the gap to a permanent hire and bring essential expertise to rural or high-acuity facilities where recruitment is especially difficult.
The goal is simple but critical: create stability so quality patient care can continue without interruption.
For clinicians, locum tenens work offers the freedom to build a career around their lives. They can explore new locations, choose schedules that support their priorities and continue practicing without the constraints of one rigid employment model. That flexibility can help clinicians remain engaged and reduce the risk of burnout.
Why Great Clinicians Come Back
Erick believes great clinicians are initially attracted by reputation and results: top-of-market compensation packages, transparent communication and recruiters who negotiate hard on their behalf. But they return for a more personal reason: the experience matches the promise. The start is smooth, help is available when something goes wrong and their recruiter remembers what matters to them.
Jamie puts it another way: the goal is not to sell every job to every provider. It is to understand what the clinician wants and find an opportunity that genuinely fits.
“Putting the wrong doctor in the wrong position might work for a short period of time, but it usually doesn’t lead to a lasting relationship,” Jamie explained. Finding the right provider for the right opportunity benefits everyone involved.
What keeps clinicians coming back is trust. When staffing partners listen, communicate honestly and balance the needs of the facility with the goals of the provider, a placement becomes more than a transaction.
“When clinicians know their next assignment will be handled with the same care as the last one, they come back and they refer their colleagues,” Erick shared.
That trust creates momentum. One successful assignment can lead to repeat placements, referrals and partnerships that support communities for years.
During National Locum Tenens Week 2026, Ringo is proud to recognize the clinicians who keep care moving and the staffing partners who support them at every step. Temporary providers make a permanent impact because committed people work together to remove friction, build trust and put the right expertise where patients need it most.
Want to strengthen your locum tenens program with greater transparency, simpler workflows and better visibility across your staffing partners?
Schedule a demo to see how Ringo VMS can bring clarity and confidence to healthcare workforce management.
