If offered the opportunity, many individuals would do something different had they prepared – or had knowledge ahead of time. When you’re starting a new assignment – either close to home or far away – you’ll want to prepare as much as possible to reach success in your career.
With our tips, we can help you prepare for your new locum tenens assignment to ensure the transition to your new lifestyle and assignment is successful.
Preparing your home before leaving for a new assignment
If you’re living alone, but traveling for a short-term assignment, you’ll want to prepare the home before you go. Get those minor fixes completed before you leave (you’ll thank yourself later).
A few items you might want to consider if your home is empty while you’re away:
- Leaving a light on a timer
- Asking a neighbor, friend, or family member to stay in or check in on your home frequently
- Stop services you won’t need to be forwarded or transferred – like the newspaper or magazines
- Sign up for regular lawn services so you don’t come home to an overgrown yard
If you don’t have someone to occasionally look after your home or property while away, you might consider hiring a property manager for the time being. From maintenance to simply ensuring things are in working order, it would be worth having your home in tip-top shape when you finish an assignment – or come back to visit.
Traveling and settling in a new area
Consider weather changes
While moving to a neighboring city won’t cause you to go into climate shock, moving to another area of the country will present a stark contrast in weather. If you’re traveling from the South to areas of upper New York State (or similar geographic ranges), you’ll want to stock up on heavy clothing if you plan to remain during the winter season.
Assess the local area and community
A good way to determine what you’ll need to bring with you is by assessing the area and community in which you’ll live for the time being. Is your assignment or residence near local stores or restaurants? An abundance of lakes or forest might encourage you to bring along hiking boots or athletic clothing, while sunny oceanfront beaches might have you packing a bathing suit. Getting to know your area and your community is key to determining how to pack for the duration of your assignment.
Know your commute and travel times
In addition to knowing your start date – you should understand the type of commute you’ll be making to get from your residence to your assignment each day. Your commute could be short enough to walk or it could be a long-distance drive – each of which you’ll want to adequately prepare for in advance.
Helping your family transition if you’re leaving for an assignment
When you’re on assignment for a matter of months or simply a year, it might not be plausible that your family relocates with you. In this case, it’s important to help your family with the transition during this time. Whether this means scheduling weekly phone calls and emails or scheduling trips for them to visit and vice versa, is dependent on what will work best to keep you close to them – even while away.
Even while you’re away, for now, one of the major advantages of working locum tenens is the flexibility it offers – and many believe this flexibility leads to more time to spend with family. Even while working close to home, locum tenens assignments provide freedom of choice in which days you want to be on assignment and which days you want to be at home.
Preparing yourself for the new opportunity
Perhaps the most crucial thing to prepare before you move and begin a new locum tenens assignment is…well, you!
Make a plan to keep up with your health and wellness
Just because you’re adjusting to a new setting or new assignment doesn’t mean you should allow yourself to slack on your health and wellness routine. Even though Locum Tenens allows you more work-life balance and flexibility in your career than permanent positions, a healthy routine is still incredibly important.
The community you’ll be living in will likely determine whether you’ll be eating out often or preparing plenty of meals in advance. Map out great spots to get your exercise and wellness routine in – whether this means a morning run, yoga, or something else – knowing in advance will help you commit. If you don’t have a wellness plan currently, the change of scenery can help jumpstart your success in a new one!
Preparing yourself for a new locum tenens assignment can seem overwhelming if you’re new to locum tenens, but preparing is key to succeeding in this new career and lifestyle. Ready to get started in a flexible and rewarding career as a locum tenens physician? Check out our job listings or contact our team for more information!