It’s National Locum Tenens Week! And we couldn’t be more excited to have this opportunity to thank our physicians for all they do to provide quality medical care to patients throughout the world.

Although locum tenens plays a vital role in our healthcare system, many still don’t know what it is. In Latin, locum tenens means “to take the place of someone temporarily.” In healthcare, the term refers to medical providers who work temporary assignments.

The concept of locums was started in the mid-1970s by two physicians from the University of Utah as a way to provide replacements for primary care physicians who were vacationing or doing CME. It turned into something much bigger and has become a crucial provider of much-needed medical care to rural areas across the country. Today, 94 percent of healthcare facilities use locum tenens to supplement their staffing, and more than 40,000 physicians work locum tenens assignments annually, impacting more than 20 million patients across the country.

Just last year, our Global Medical Staffing providers impacted more than 655,000 patients worldwide. With the physician shortage, these physicians are critical in ensuring patients continue to get the care they need now and in the future.

So, thank you to all our providers for making a difference to the patients you serve every day.