I worked in Bradenton, Florida at my usual geriatric clinic last summer. It was amazing living at the beach. They had hired 3 new physicians upon me leaving, so I didn’t think there would be a need to return for a while.
Since then, one physician retired and another one left for a different opportunity. So once again, they needed help. They asked me to come when I was in Virginia, but I told them I wasn’t available. And in fact, I wouldn’t be available until November.
They decided to hire another locum tenens nurse practitioner in the mean time. I was curious to see how that would turn out, because the nurse practitioner would be new to the model and would require several weeks of orientation. This is in comparison to me jumping in and seeing a full schedule of patients on my very first day.
I knew it wouldn’t work out if they held the same expectations for her as they did for me. Unsurprisingly, the locum tenens nurse practitioner only lasted a few weeks. The site decided to end her assignment early because she wasn’t meeting expectations. All I know is that she would take a long time with the patients, was always behind, and the other PCPs had to often help her catch up. This is unusual for a locums, we are typically more efficient and the ones jumping in to help the perm PCPs.
After that experience, the site said they would wait for me to come in November. I agreed to the assignment because the location is very convenient for the holidays. I will be within a 4-hour drive from home, so I can easily make it home for my week off during thanksgiving and my week off for Christmas. Not to mention that I will be in my ideal state for winter.
This is the third site I have returned to this year. That’s why it’s so important to maintain relationships and make a good impression. You never know when the site might need you again.
