Cross Country is kicking off our celebration of National Locum Tenens Week with the unveiling of a new visual identity and enhanced website for Cross Country Locums.

Cross Country is kicking off our celebration of National Locum Tenens Week
 with the unveiling of a new visual identity and enhanced website for Cross
 Country Locums. Formerly Medical Doctor Associates, the name change accurately
 depicts an enduring healthcare staffing service: Locum Tenens. We begin our
 celebration by sharing the locum story of professional service, commitment and
 dedication of Dr. Charles Silas.



 Dr. Silas, an emergency medicine physician and has worked with Cross Country
 Locums (formerly Medical Doctor Associates) for over 10 years, completing over
 200 locum assignments for government medical facilities across the United
 States. This notable achievement is amplified by his constant commitment to
 taking assignments in underserved communities during his tenure with the
 organization. Marcy Hart, the Cross Country recruiter responsible for
 recruiting Dr. Silas over a decade ago, attributes his dedication to his
 humble and selfless nature. Often taking on last minute assignments, many of
 them with overnight shifts, he works regularly at Indian Health Service (IHS)
 facilities with tribal communities, including the Navajo Nation in Shiprock,
 New Mexico.



 Service is a familiar theme in the life of Dr. Silas. Growing up in a military
 family that traveled across the country while his father served in the Air
 Force, the desire to be a doctor hit him early. After graduating from medical
 school in 1987 and completing his residency, Dr. Silas entered the military,
 serving in the first Gulf War as a Flight Surgeon. After three years in
 southern California, Dr. Silas began his search for another way to practice
 medicine in a deeply fulfilling way.



 After a conversation with Marcy, Dr. Silas was presented an opportunity to
 work locum assignments. When an IHS assignment became available, he felt
 called to serve a community with a rich history and a personal connection to
 his own familial roots. With great-grandparents from Seminole and Cherokee
 tribes in Texas, Dr. Silas felt he could be of service to the community and
 familiarize himself with life on reservations. During his years working these
 assignments, Dr. Silas has learned key phrases in Navajo and gained invaluable
 insight while addressing the unique cultural, medical and geographical
 challenges that arise while serving the indigenous community.



 Prior to taking on his first assignment with Cross Country, Dr. Silas felt he
 was &ldquo;going to be a California doctor all his life.&rdquo; Working as a
 locum physician was never something he had considered. He immediately found a
 niche though, enjoying the opportunity to visit beautiful places, expand his
 cultural knowledge and build on his professional experiences. He credits his
 Cross Country team with exposing him to great new assignments and helping him
 feel at home while he is on the road. &quot;I love Cross Country. If someone
 called me up and asked me about taking on assignments with Cross Country, I
 would tell them, don&rsquo;t wait. You can always work with other companies,
 but there are few companies that offer the opportunities and the services that
 Cross Country provides.&quot;



 Dr. Silas encourages physicians unfamiliar with &ldquo;locums living&rdquo; to
 consider the adventure and the enrichment that comes with traveling to new
 locations and being of service in unique environments. We thank Dr. Silas for
 his continued service and we look forward to ten more years of helping him
 feel right at home.


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A Life of Service