Follow these 7 steps to ensure your locum tenens experience is enjoyable, smooth, and carefree!

<h2>Live Your Locums Life to the Fullest</h2>
<h3>What’s so great about locum tenens?</h3>

 Well, for one thing, unlike most permanent positions, the
 <a
 href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/all-about-locum-tenens?term=locum"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >locum tenens</a
 >
 arrangement gives you the unique opportunity to craft
 a schedule that’s a perfect fit for your lifestyle. It will,
 however, take a bit of organization and planning upfront if you want to take
 full advantage of the freedom and flexibility being a locum
 tenens offers. If you dedicate some thought to
 setting goals, planning and scheduling, you’ll likely have
 even more time, less stress, and a lasting system to make an
 outstanding career as a
 <a
 href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/new-year-new-career-making-the-leap-to-locums?term=locum"
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 target="_blank"
 >locum tenens</a
 >
 provider.

<h3>What you don’t want to happen…</h3>

 Can you envision what the locum tenens experience would be like without a
 plan? It could be a recipe for chaos!


 Just imagine: Feeling a bit overzealous about how great
 locum sounds and in serious need of a break from the grind (after all, you
 felt trapped at your last job, overworked, exhausted, and irritated with
 practice politics, and locked down in your town), you
 impulsively jump on an opportunity with a recruiter and take
 the first assignment that comes up.


 The assignment starts soon, so you scramble to gather
 your documentation but run into
 <a
 href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/7-potential-challenges-of-locums-assignments?term=locum"
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 >challenge after challenge</a
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 along the way. Once you’ve secured the position and found out where you’ll be
 headed, you’re relieved, but you get there late and
 don’t have time to explore the area.


 You haven’t planned time to drive the route in advance, so you’re
 stressed out on your first day due to
 awful traffic from construction on your commute to work. When
 your blood sugar drops quickly because you didn’t prepare
 breakfast, you have to grab unhealthy snacks out of the
 vending machine since you didn’t shop ahead and pack a lunch. You seem
 disorganized, rushed, and edgy on your very first day.
 This is NOT how you wanted the day to go!

<h3>What you do want to happen…</h3>

 Feeling excited about how great locum sounds and in serious
 need of a break from the grind (after all, you felt trapped at your last job,
 overworked, exhausted, and irritated with practice politics, and locked down
 in your town), you thoughtfully write out your career goals,
 discuss them with a recruiter and select a locum tenens assignment that is an
 ideal fit for you.


 The assignment starts soon, but you’ve gathered your documentation and
 set up files so you can easily address each challenge that
 arises along the way. Once you’ve secured the assignment and found out where
 you’ll be headed, you’re eager to start. You arrive in
 advance, unpack your bags, explore the town,
 stop into the grocery and get prepped for the week.


 You’re enthusiastic and ready to go on
 your first day, having arrived early (thank goodness you
 scouted out your commute the day before, noticed the construction zone and
 picked a different route to follow). You’re bringing your
 best self to your patients and the team since you’ve had a
 wholesome breakfast and packed a lunch and snacks to keep you
 mentally and physically charged. You seem
 organized, calm and competent on your very first day.
 THIS is how you wanted the day to go!

<h2>7 Steps to Optimize Your Locums Lifestyle</h2>
<h3>Your locums career can be one of the most rewarding adventures of
 your life!</h3>

 If you follow these 7 steps, you can ensure your experience is enjoyable,
 smooth, and carefree!


 1. Write out your short- and long-term career
 and life goals. How much do you want to earn now and in the future? Do you want to become an
 expert in your role or field? Do you want to pursue leadership? What types of
 facilities do you want to work in? Do you want to learn about certain
 specialties or work with different patient populations? Do you want to take
 short or long assignments? Do you plan to work locums temporarily or
 indefinitely? Are you working locums to build your network, expand your
 knowledge base, or research a facility or city before deciding to settle there
 permanently? Do you want to take extra hours moonlighting to pay off med
 school loans or save up to retire early? Are your goals to travel, spend more
 time with family or have more time for yourself? Make a list of goals to keep
 for yourself and to refer to when you talk with your
 locum tenens recruiter.


 2. Give yourself plenty of lead time to apply. Plan to talk with a recruiter about your goals and locum tenens assignments
 well in advance of when you aim to start. You’ll need to leave time for
 licensing, credentialing, interviewing and onboarding, especially if you want
 to work across state lines. Ensure your CV, cover letters, and supporting
 documentation are in order so you can easily give that to the recruiter.


 3. Select assignments that let you pair work
 and travel
 – What parts of the country have you always wanted to explore? Have you
 dreamed about surfing along the Southern Coast, hiking the Grand Canyon or
 standing near the top of Niagara Falls? Do you want to chill in Seattle, bask
 in Miami, play in Vegas or explore DC? Do you want to see the Statue of
 Liberty, Disney World or the Golden Gate Bridge? Do you love to explore remote
 rural towns and serene, slower-paced spots that are off-the-beaten paths? By
 selecting assignments in or near places you want to visit, you can explore
 those spots during your off hours or at the beginning or end of each
 assignment.


 4. Schedule time off for yourself and for
 family
 – As you select assignments, remember to make time for family. Identify which
 holidays are most important and try to be available to spend that time
 visiting family members. Schedule your assignments keeping in mind that you’ll
 need downtime between stints. While you can spend some time exploring while on
 assignment, which may feel like a vacation, remember that you will need to
 make time to relax. While working as a locum tenens provider may not carry
 some of the typical stressors associated with a full-time position, sometimes
 it can be challenging or demanding, and it’s healthy to practice self-care.


 5. Create documents to stay organized
 – Depending on how long your assignments are and how many of them you take,
 things could get confusing. Keep a spreadsheet about where you’ve worked, who
 you’ve worked with, when you worked there, notes on how it went, whether you’d
 like to return. Take time to build out a template upfront, then update as
 needed. Include important contacts, parking instructions, licensing and
 credentialing, requirements, tax info, personal expenses, reward info, logins
 and passwords, training info, and people’s names. Your recruiter can help you
 with this, but it may help you save time and have peace of mind to feel more
 prepared and organized.


 6. Get well-prepared and arrive early for each
 assignment.
 Give yourself time to research the location, role, and facility in advance.
 Get confident with details on where you’ll be staying, how you’ll get checked
 in, how you’ll get there and how you’ll get to work. Show up early to locate
 the local grocery store, gym, restaurants, etc. You’ll also want to get
 unpacked, settle in, prepare your work clothes, and prepare your meals.


 7. Keep up with your calendar.
 However you like to do it – electronic, printed calendar, daily planner,
 yearly desk planner – make sure you can see what’s coming up soon and what
 your year will look like. Keeping up with your calendar can ensure you don’t
 miss anything important and stay focused on where you’re headed next!

Wishing you all the best on your next locum tenens adventure!
<h2>Locum CRNA Jobs</h2>

 Browse our
 <a
 href="https://www.crosscountry.com/locums"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >locum CRNA jobs</a
 >
 now.

7 Steps to Building a Locums Schedule That Fits Your Lifestyle