Hiring Locum Tenens: An Employer's Guide

By MedXL Editorial Team · Updated 2026-08-26 · 6 min read

Locum tenens coverage exists because patient demand does not pause for a physician's parental leave, a resignation, or a recruitment search that takes a year. Used well, locums protect access to care and revenue while you solve the underlying staffing problem. Used reactively, they become an expensive habit that masks the problem instead. This guide walks through when locums make sense, how to engage them, and how to get real value from the arrangement.

Locum coverage fits some situations far better than others. It is usually the right call for:

Bridging a defined gap: leave coverage, a departure with a search underway, or seasonal volume.

In this guide

Know when locums are the right tool
Choose your sourcing channel deliberately
Verify like a permanent hire, on a faster clock
Onboard for day-one safety
Manage the engagement like a service, not a stopgap
Control the economics deliberately
Key takeaways