Locums for a Small World Blog

Guam can launch a new phase of your medical career

Posted by Mark A. Kellner



Picture yourself in paradise: warm ocean waters, 
dozens of sparkling beaches, exotic food and culture, oh, and year-round temperatures between the low 70s and mid-80s Fahrenheit.

Imagine that this locale needs the exact medical skills you have honed over the years, and is willing to reward you with an enviable lifestyle and environment.

Now imagine, that this place — the Micronesian island of Guam, to be precise — is part of the United States, which means they use U.S. currency and already recognize U.S.-trained physicians (among other familiar elements of life in the U.S.). Contrary to recent news reports, Guam is actually a very safe and tranquil country and traveling there is as simple as traveling to another state—no passport or visa required.

You don’t have to imagine, though, really. Everything said about Guam here is 100-percent true. It’s a paradise, it’s a U.S. territory, and it has a continuing need for physicians who are willing to relocate to this unique, beautiful and exciting part of the world for as little as six months.

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How a Physician Who Loves Traveling Reaps the Benefits of International Locum Tenens

Posted by Kari Redfield


We’re spotlighting one of our international locum tenens physicians: Dr. Sean Ryan. He chose locum tenens because he loves experiencing other cultures like a local. This prompted him to take an assignment to New Zealand when his daughter was a toddler.

“I was there for six months and received the same vacation as a regular, full-time employee, which was three weeks off. In addition to all kinds of weekend explorations, we [my wife, daughter and myself] took two big trips, one through the North Island, where we went blackwater rafting on innertubes through glowworm caves. The other was to the South Island, where we were able to take a boat trip to Milford Sound, hike on a glacier, and go wine tasting and whale watching."

While on his New Zealand assignment through Global Medical Staffing Dr. Ryan, a psychiatrist, worked with the Māori Mental Health Team that served New Zealand’s native Polynesian people. The team greets all new providers with a traditional welcoming ceremony.

“It was such a welcome beyond anything I would have expected,” says Dr. Ryan. “Additionally, my colleagues were so inviting. I couldn’t have felt more part of that team while I was there.”

The natural splendor of the remote tropics often left him awestruck. “It was so beautiful. Parua Bay was just outside our house, and we could see wildlife and go on hikes deep into the forest right out the front door.”

After that six-month locum tenens assignment, Dr. Ryan took a second assignment in Tasmania, Australia.

"We loved living in Tasmania. Hobart is a fun, walkable city that's surrounded by beautiful nature.  We were close to waterfalls and giant tree fern forests, and we loved seeing wild animals like wallabies and echidnas on our hikes."

In between the two assignments, he and his family spent time exploring the Cook Islands, Fiji and Bali.  While in Australia, they visited Sydney, Melbourne, and went scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef.


New Zealand: A Slower Pace of Life

In the northern, more tropical part of New Zealand, the facilities were small and simple, reminding Dr. Ryan of his past experience in the Eastern Caribbean’s Saint Lucia. Sometimes lab work and radiological exams took longer than in the U.S., but Dr. Ryan quickly adjusted to the differences. In fact, for psychiatry in particular, the slower pace perhaps was more beneficial for patients in order to get more time with physicians and longer in-hospital stays when necessary, he says.

“I reminded myself that it doesn’t matter what country you’re in, the goal is the same: to take care of patients. My advice to other international locum tenens doctors is to settle into that idea, and you’ll have a much easier time adjusting.”


City Life in Australia

His Tasmanian experience was in a modern hospital, similar to the U.S. teaching hospital where he did his residency. There, he made a point of introducing himself to people and setting up social outings in order to get to know his colleagues well, which created lifelong friendships.

That’s the second piece of advice he offers doctors who take an international locum tenens assignment: Get out and meet people.

How Locum Tenens Works

Global Medical Staffing took care of all the logistics for Dr. Ryan, from helping secure Dr. Ryan’s medical licensure for working internationally, to arranging the family’s housing, to booking the flights.

“They even helped with a poorly working vacuum when the landlord was giving us the runaround and just let us purchase one and get reimbursed,” Dr. Ryan points out, a big deal to a family with a toddler. His Global Medical Staffing recruiter also helped the family look into licensing requirements for his wife, a speech pathologist, to see if it was feasible for her to work in Australia as well. “Global Medical Staffing made everything so much easier,” he explains. She opted instead to volunteer at a local vocational college, helping refugees and immigrants learn English, and had an incredible experience.

Although in the U.S. locum tenens assignments pay really well, international locums rates are typically lower. But with the hospitals providing their housing and transportation, Dr. Ryan’s family was actually able to save money, even while traveling extensively. “We thought we would need extra money to do this, and it turned out we put money into savings instead, which was a nice surprise,” says Dr. Ryan.


Ready for More Overseas Adventure

Dr. Ryan is already excited to take on another international assignment when his daughter graduates from high school. In the meantime, in addition to his full-time practice he occasionally takes on a weekend locum tenens assignment in places like Santa Cruz, California, a city he loves visiting.

He says to other healthcare professionals: “Don’t hesitate to look into international locum tenens. It's easier than it seems, especially with a locum tenens company like Global Medical Staffing that assists throughout the whole thing. I can’t wait to go do it again.”

Ready for your own international locum tenens adventure? You can view our current opportunities here. Or just pick up the phone and give us a call at 1.800.760.3174. We're always here to discuss your options and answer any questions you might have.
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Meet Tyler Black, President of Global Medical Staffing

Posted by Mark A. Kellner



It’s been a long, successful journey for Global Medical Staffing, since getting its start in 1994 providing physicians to rural facilities in Australia, to its acquisition by CHG Healthcare in 2016.

It’s been an equally successful journey – though not quite as long – for Tyler Black, GMS’ president since January 2017, and a 10-plus year veteran of CHG before taking on the new role.

Tyler recently talked about his background, why GMS is a good partner for CHG, why GMS is part of the National Association of Locum Tenens Associations, or NALTO, and what the future holds for the trail-blazing firm.

Before moving to GMS, Tyler was vice president of CompHealth’s Allied Healthcare Division, which he helped become one of the fastest growing divisions within CHG during his time there. Tyler’s responsibilities included leading sales and support operations for the division of the Salt Lake City-based healthcare staffing firm. He was responsible for the direction and results of sales and support employees as well as for the development of all compensation plans, business intelligence reporting, and divisional marketing strategy.

But, he adds, moving to a newly acquired company within the CHG family was also attractive: “Global was a very exciting opportunity from every angle.  Being a growing domestic locums division, along with a unique international team, made GMS extremely attractive.  Also, I thought it would be a great learning experience to be part of integrating a newly acquired company to the CHG family.”

Often in business, there are challenges in integrating an acquired company, but Tyler told us “the GMS team was very similar to other teams within CHG. I found some great people who were committed to doing great work, and a culture of taking care of each other.  I knew immediately CHG and GMS would be a great fit.”

And, Tyler added, it “made a lot of sense” for CHG to acquire GMS.

“We are the best in the business when it comes to locums and the locums market continues to grow,” he explained. “That and the unique aspect of the international business made GMS not only complimentary to our other business line, but added a new offering CHG didn’t have.”

In addition, the acquisition of Global Medial Staffing increases CHG’s presence among locums providers, he said. “Global’s international placement expertise is also attractive to both physicians and healthcare systems, allowing CHG to expand its leadership position by offering more staffing solutions to clients,” Tyler added.

What are the benefits for physicians? Several, according to Tyler.

“Adding another domestic brand now offers physicians another trusted company where they can have a great experience,” he said. “It offers additional locations, additional clients and options in the domestic space, as well as amazing experiences working abroad with our international clients.  Previous to the GMS acquisition, CHG did not have the international aspect. Now, there’s even more access to licensing, credentialing, and travel resources and support.”

GMS clients, Tyler said, “benefit from getting the opportunity to work with another company that is extremely committed to quality, professionalism, integrity, ethics, and ‘Putting People First.’ And, they gain access to even more CHG resources, such as our world-class credentialing department.”

Indeed, he said, it’s “attention to the little details” that separates GMS from others in the field.

“I believe our international experience provides a good sense of how important the small details are in locums,” Tyler explained. “Doctors who are doing assignments for six months or a year often want more details than if an assignment was just a few weeks or a month,” and GMS knows how to provide the needed information and support  through its dedicated team of placement specialists.

Tyler added that GMS’ membership in NALTO “sends a message to clients and providers that we are committed to doing things the right way and that we hold ourselves accountable to a certain standard.” NALTO, he points out, has both a code of ethics and standards of practice by which member firms must abide, and serves as a clearinghouse when complaints arise.

And why should a physician choose GMS? That’s an easy question to answer, Tyler said: “It’s our people! We have great people that are committed to making a difference…highly engaged and happy people make GMS a better choice for locum tenens physicians.”

As to GMS’ business outlook, Tyler said it’s certainly a bright one: “I believe the sky really is the limit,” he said. “I see GMS aggressively growing the number of specialties we focus on in both the domestic and international business. Within the next four to five years, I believe GMS can grow its revenue by three or four hundred percent and more than double in size of employees dedicated to making the locums experience a great one for all sides.”

Curious about locum tenens opportunities in the U.S. and throughout the world? You can click here to see what opportunities are currently available.

Short staffed at your facility? Click here to learn about how Global Medical can help with your staffing needs, domestically or abroad.

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