For Physicians and CRNAs, "Freedom" Equals "Autonomy" |
Along with summer months come the patriotic national holidays when Americans
celebrate freedom. For many physicians and certified registered nurse anesthetists
(CRNAs) professional freedom means ‘autonomy’ or the ability to
make individual choices and decisions for themselves, their families and their
careers. A majority of the more than 500 clinicians responding to a recent
poll by physician recruiting firm LocumTenens.com expressed a desire for greater
latitude in job scheduling, clinical decision-making and control of salary.
“Working locum tenens frees physicians from many of the hassles of
practicing medicine,” LocumTenens.com Senior Vice President Pamela McKemie
said. She noted that major locum tenens agencies like LocumTenens.com take
care of most business aspects of practicing medicine, leaving physicians and
CRNAs free to enjoy their medical career and focus on patient care. These
include negotiating contracts with hospitals or medical groups, providing
malpractice insurance, getting licensed in a new state, getting credentialed
at the assigned medical facility, arranging transportation to/from the assignment,
securing housing during the assignment, and billing/collecting for services.
“Since 9/11 the healthcare industry has seen a growing number of physicians
wanting better balance in their lives,” said McKemie. “They’re
focusing more on home and family and seeking work opportunities that let them
practice medicine the way they want to, where they want to, and when they
want to.”
Physician Flexibility
Dr. Ann Groover of Calhoun, Ga. wrote, “Freedom means flexibility, in
scheduling and practice. It means choice about how you make clinical decisions
and try to effect remedies, about how you lead, teach and inspire your peers
and your clients. It means working twelve hours one day to get the job done,
and six hours another to go see the second grade play.”
For Michael Trobec, DO, freedom is many things: “[It’s] freedom
from third-party payors [sic] who continue to make us work more to earn less.
Freedom to make the patient our first priority. Freedom to raise my family
in a healthy, safe [and] economically stable environment. Freedom to be able
to work hard, be productive and be reimbursed fairly.”
For some, locum tenens work is part of their definition of freedom. Kimberly
Burgess, MD, responded, “I love locum tenens because it gives me freedom
to work when I want or need to and to be off when I choose. I don't have to
coordinate my time off with colleagues, associates, partners or the hospital.
It is truly being able to ‘work to live, not live to work!’ “
According to David Nowak, CRNA, also a locums provider, “Freedom is
self-scheduling. No more begging, borrowing, or self-sacrificing for time-off.”
Jerome Lottman, a full-time locum tenens CRNA, defined a contract or locum
tenens [temporary physician or CRNA] as “a ‘free agent’
in business for oneself, calling the shots--a dream for most working people.”