Success as a Locum – How to make it in the industry

At AppLocum we are dedicated to ensuring our Locums feel confident, secure and happy within their placements while they gain success as a locum. Locum work may mean you work in a different surgery every shift, you may also gain shifts within the same surgery and increase your confidence through this, however we want to ensure you feel confident no matter where you may be based. It is easy to succeed in the Locum industry if you put certain methods in place to guarantee that your shift runs smoothly. Here we give you the tools to succeed with AppLocum!

Planning Ahead – Get the best from your placements

Our devoted recruitment advisors have our Locums in mind with every surgery they are in contact with. AppLocum recruitment advisors gain in-depth information on every surgery they deal with, from parking on site through to the demographic of the patient base. Our advisors will only place you forward for placements in settings they feel are right for you, however, there is more you can do to ensure your shift runs smoothly.

Booking in advance
Booking your shifts in advance ensures you have enough time to research into the surgery should you still have questions after the briefing from your recruitment advisor. This trick gives you the opportunity to select the best shifts available and build your confidence before the big day! Researching into the surgery will give you instant confidence. Look into the demographic, the local area for lunch breaks and how long the surgery has been established in order to feel completely prepared. We recommend booking shifts 8 to 12 weeks in advance, however the earlier the better! With AppLocum you can even book shifts up to a year in advance!

Make yourself proactive
To keep on top of the best positions available, we encourage you to keep checking the AppLocum website for positions in your area. Our recruitment advisors keep our job board up to date on a daily basis. By checking our job page on a weekly basis, you will get the first pick of the best positions, gain the highest rates and even prove your loyalty to the advisor, meaning they will think of you first when recruiting for positions in your area. New jobs are added to the AppLocum website every day, you can see them all on our vacancies page.

Stay on top of your diary
We recommend making our recruiters aware of days you have available in advance. At AppLocum we keep on top of the days our clinicians are available and proactively recruit days for our Locums. Should a surgery not mention the days you have available, we will always try to gain shifts for you on the dates you have logged with us. Our advisors have diaries for each individual Locum, ensuring we cover every date for you if it is possible. By sending across your available dates at least one month in advance, we can guarantee placements on the days you have requested.

Getting Organised – Staying on top of your documents

We have a team of organised compliance agents who can track your documents and set reminders for when certain documents run out of date.

We recommend that you also set reminders for a month prior to any documents with expiry dates. Or compliance team will send an email to you 1 to 2 months prior to any documents expiring, however, our friendly team advise you to be aware of which documents expire so you can track these. We have placed together a list of documents with expiry dates below

– DBS Certificate
– Indemnity Insurance
– References – We require you to have worked with referees within the last 3 years. These must be updated if they outrun the 3-year period.
– BLS Certificate
– Safeguarding Certificates
– Certain Trainings
– Vacs and Imms Certificates

Ensure you send all your documents across well in advance. We require certain documentation in order for you to accept Locum shifts, a full extensive list of all documents required can be found on your welcome email from our compliance team. The best way to keep on top of documentation is to save everything within one file on your computer. This ensures you don’t waste time searching for the documents and makes it easier to send them across to our team. It’s one sure way to gain success as a locum!

Being Responsive – Getting the best out of your agency

Contact is key within the Locum industry! It is vital you stay in touch with the agency representing you throughout the time you are signed with them. Follow the guidelines below to ensure you have a happy relationship with everyone from your recruitment advisor through to the practice manager on the day!

-As we have covered above, we recommend letting your agency know of the days you have free in order to get the shifts best suited to your availability.

-Feedback is extremely important when booking shifts through AppLocum. We will always check in with you on the day to ensure your shift is running smoothly and check in. We always appreciate feedback with regards to the shift and encourage you to provide this once you have completed your shift. This will also give you the opportunity to check for further shifts should you enjoy the site you were placed at and mean we can proactively ask for you.

-It is important that you build a professional relationship with the practice staff on the day of your shift. Communication is very important in the running of practices. Make sure you get to grips with the staff and know who you need to contact should you have any problems. All of our sites are extremely friendly and will be happy to help you should you need it.

-In order to get the best shifts and not miss out on any opportunities we advise that you keep on top of email correspondence when dealing with our advisors. Our team will contact you via your preference, should this be email we will require response within a suitable time with regards to available shifts. To avoid any disappointment, snap the shift up as soon as you can by keeping on top of your emails!

-We pride ourselves on being available to speak to 24 hours a day! Here at AppLocum we always have someone available to help you no matter what time your shift is! If you simply contact the office with any queries, there will always be someone there to help you. Even over the holidays!

On the Day – Enjoy your shift with our help

Let’s discuss the big day and how you can ensure it runs smoothly! There’s things you need to know before you reach the practice.

-Getting to know the setting you are placed within will ensure success as a locum on the day! Get to know the technical aspects of the position so you do not lag behind with the session. Making sure you know how to use the printer for prescriptions and you are aware of the system used prior to the shift will keep your clinic running on time.

-Remember you are not just representing yourself; you are also representing an agency. If you are running late or are no longer able to attend the shift it is crucial you make your agency aware in good time. If a Locum is no longer able to commit to the shift, we are at obligation to try and resolve the issue by providing a replacement. We advise making your agency aware of absences 24 hours in advance if this is possible. Lateness sometimes can not be avoided, if you are stuck in traffic or find yourself running late, make your agency aware prior to your arrival so they can inform the practice team.

-Make sure you have the agency contact details to hand just in case you require them throughout the day. Our team can support you with any issues you incur.

-Make sure the recruitment advisor is aware of how you work as Locum. You may not wish to see children, or may not be able to cover diabetes, this is required to be on record so the practice don’t send through any unsuitable patients. We want you to get the most out of your shift and make it as enjoyable as possible for you, to do this we will keep your preferences on record for all shifts. Your recruitment advisor will run through a competencies checklist with you on your sign up, this will be shared with the practice manager to ensure patient safety and importantly your happiness!

-We hope you find this brief over view of how to gain success as a locum helpful. AppLocum are proud to represent all of our amazing clinicians and enjoy dealing with our Locums from start to finish.

-Our helpful, friendly recruitment advisors are always on hand to provide support and advice should you ever require it. It is vital you feel confident, supported and happy while taking on Locum work in an industry that is forever changing. Should you require further help and support contact our team via email or phone for more information.