Locum Career Information

Locums are physicians and healthcare professionals who take up temporary contracts and assignments in hospitals and medical practices. The term ‘locum’ comes from the Latin phrase locum tenens which means “placeholder.” Locum positions are created to cover permanent staff on leave, or to alleviate staff shortages in hospitals and medical clinics.

Locum Roles

In healthcare, locums are physicians and healthcare professionals who take up temporary contracts and assignments in hospitals and medical practices. The term ‘locum’ comes from the Latin phrase locum tenens which means “placeholder.” Locum positions are created to cover permanent staff on leave, or to to alleviate staff shortages in hospitals and clinics. In Australia, locum work is particularly important in rural and remote areas. In the past, Senior Doctors would often choose locum employment as a way of ‘easing into retirement.’ However, nowadays, doctors of all ages and stages of their career are choosing to work in locum employment and find it provides many benefits including:

  • flexibility and work-life balance.
  • financial incentives.
  • variety and travel.
  • access to skill development and specialisation.
  • exposure to different clinical and healthcare settings and situations.

Senior Doctor/SMO - Non Specialist Jobs

Senior Doctors/SMOs - Non Specialists are experienced doctors who are responsible for a team of medical staff, the provision of medical care, and the training and supervision of Junior Doctors and Registrars. They are experienced Doctors who often work as the ‘Head of Department’ or leader of their team, playing a clinical, educator, advocate, counsellor and researcher role. Senior Doctors/SMOs participate in professional development activities, and many choose locum work for a variety of reasons.

VIEW SMO LOCUM JOBS