Travel Medicine for Doctors and Locum Tenens: The Complete Guide to Practicing on the Move
/Travel Medicine vs Locum Tenens
Travel medicine is one of the most flexible ways for physicians to add variety, autonomy, and geographic freedom to their career. It can mean many things—working in a dedicated travel clinic, providing pre-travel consults in primary care, staffing a cruise ship or remote expedition, or building a “mobile” practice footprint through short-term assignments. Locum tenens, on the other hand, is a specific form of temporary physician staffing where you work as a contract clinician—often through an agency—covering clinical needs for hospitals, clinics, and health systems. These two paths overlap in interesting ways: many physicians considering locum tenens are also drawn to travel medicine because both offer a nontraditional lifestyle, the chance to work in different environments, and the opportunity to diversify income.
This guide is written for doctors who are deciding between travel medicine and locum tenens—or trying to combine the two. You’ll learn what travel medicine looks like clinically and operationally, what locum tenens work actually involves, and how to evaluate each path through the lens of licensing, credentialing, malpractice, pay structure, taxes, scheduling, and long-term career strategy.
1) What “Travel Medicine” Means for a Doctor (and Why It’s Confusing)
“Travel medicine” is used in two very different ways:
A. Travel medicine as a clinical specialty niche
This is the classic definition: pre-travel counseling, vaccinations, malaria prophylaxis, and risk mitigation for travelers going abroad. In this model, you might work in:
A dedicated travel clinic (independent or within a health system)
A retail clinic model (pharmacy-based travel services)
A primary care clinic with a travel medicine service line
Occupational health practices that support corporate travel
Your clinical work revolves around:
Itinerary-based risk assessment (destination, season, altitude, rural vs urban, duration)
Vaccine assessment (routine, required, recommended; timing and sequencing)
Chemoprophylaxis and self-treatment plans (malaria, traveler’s diarrhea)
Vector-borne and zoonotic risk counseling (dengue, chikungunya, Zika, rabies)
Special populations (pregnancy, immunocompromised, pediatric travelers)
Post-travel evaluation (fever, rash, diarrhea, eosinophilia, respiratory symptoms)
B. “Travel medicine” as a lifestyle descriptor
Many physicians use “travel medicine” to mean “I want to travel and work as a doctor.” That’s more accurately captured by:
Locum tenens
Short-term/seasonal staffing
Telemedicine with travel
Cruise ship medicine / expedition medicine
Remote/underserved practice (IHS, rural hospitals, critical access)
When you’re making career decisions, clarify which version you mean. The operational requirements, revenue model, and lifestyle differ dramatically.
2) What Locum Tenens Is (in Practical Terms)
Locum tenens is temporary clinical work where a facility needs coverage—because of staffing shortages, leaves, seasonal demand, recruitment gaps, or service expansion. You typically contract through a locum tenens agency (though you can contract directly with facilities).
Key characteristics:
You’re paid for time and/or productivity depending on the setting.
Assignments are time-limited (days to months) but can extend.
The agency often helps arrange malpractice coverage, credentialing support, and travel/lodging logistics.
You may work in multiple states over the year, which makes licensing and tax planning more complex.
Locum tenens is not inherently “travel medicine” clinically, but it can feel like “travel medicine” lifestyle-wise—especially if you’re doing assignments in different regions.
3) Who Should Consider Travel Medicine vs Locum Tenens?
Travel medicine is a great fit if you:
Enjoy counseling, prevention, vaccines, and structured consult workflows
Prefer outpatient schedules and fewer emergencies
Want a niche you can build into a recurring service line
Like staying current on global infectious disease epidemiology
Want a predictable clinic model (often business-hours)
Locum tenens is a great fit if you:
Want maximum flexibility and income potential
Prefer direct patient care in your existing specialty
Want to choose where and when you work (within licensing constraints)
Are comfortable with onboarding quickly and adapting to different systems
Don’t mind variability in EMR, staff, protocols, and facility culture
Combining both can make sense if you:
Want locums income but also want a travel medicine “home base”
Like prevention/outpatient work but want occasional locums blocks
Want geographic freedom while building a niche practice identity
4) Training, Certifications, and Credibility in Travel Medicine
Unlike many specialties, you can practice travel medicine from multiple backgrounds (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, infectious disease, emergency medicine, etc.). However, the more you want travel medicine to be your identity (not just a side service), the more formal training matters.
Common credibility builders:
ISTM (International Society of Travel Medicine) membership and education
CTH® (Certificate in Travel Health) exam/credential (widely recognized in the travel medicine community)
Continuing education in travel vaccines, malaria, post-travel illness
Practical vaccine administration workflows and adverse event management
Comfort with region-specific risk patterns and guideline updates
Even if you don’t pursue formal credentials, you need a system: guidelines, decision support, and a repeatable consult format that covers vaccines, malaria, traveler’s diarrhea, altitude, insect bite prevention, sexual health counseling, and post-travel red flags.
5) Clinical Building Blocks of a High-Quality Travel Medicine Consult
A strong travel medicine workflow is more than “shots and doxycycline.” The best clinics run on standardization and checklists.
The core intake you need every time
Exact destinations (countries, regions, rural/urban, altitude)
Dates and duration
Style of travel (resort vs backpacking vs visiting friends/relatives)
Accommodation level and planned activities
Medical history (immune status, pregnancy, chronic illness)
Medication list and allergies
Prior vaccine records (often incomplete)
Risk tolerance and priorities (some want “everything,” others minimal)
Vaccine planning: sequencing and timing
A big part of travel medicine is logistics:
Some vaccines require multiple doses over weeks to months.
Some can be accelerated; some can’t.
You must counsel about partial protection if departure is soon.
You must balance vaccine side effects with trip timing and patient preference.
Malaria prevention: counseling + a plan
Patients need more than a prescription:
Bite prevention strategy (repellent, clothing, bed nets)
The correct prophylaxis for destination resistance patterns and patient contraindications
Adherence expectations, what to do if they miss doses
Fever post-travel protocols
Traveler’s diarrhea: self-treatment and prevention
A quality plan includes:
Food/water counseling that’s realistic
Oral rehydration guidance
When to use antimotility agents vs antibiotics
Red flags (fever, blood, dehydration, prolonged symptoms)
Special populations (high-stakes)
Pregnancy: Zika history, malaria risk, vaccine constraints
Immunocompromised: live vaccines, altered response, risk-benefit decisions
Pediatrics: dosing, age restrictions, itinerary-specific considerations
VFR travelers: higher infectious risk and different counseling needs
6) The Business Model of Travel Medicine (How Clinics Actually Make Money)
If you’re considering doing travel medicine as a practice line, understand the revenue components:
Consult visit billing
Depending on setting, you may bill as an evaluation/management visit (time-based often makes sense if documentation is robust).Vaccine revenue + administration fees
Vaccines can be financially meaningful but require inventory management, cold chain compliance, and payer complexity.Cash-pay models
Many travel clinics operate cash-pay for consults and/or vaccines to reduce insurance friction.Occupational/corporate contracts
A very stable model: corporate travel programs, universities, NGOs, missionaries—these can produce predictable volume.
Operational realities you must plan for:
Vaccine storage, temperature logs, inventory management, expiration management
Staff training for vaccine administration and adverse event protocols
Documentation templates and handouts
Access to up-to-date destination guidance and vaccine recommendations
Systems to capture vaccination history and generate records for patients
If you’re not excited about operations, travel medicine might feel surprisingly “administrative.”
7) The Operational Reality of Locum Tenens (What Doctors Often Underestimate)
Locum tenens can be fantastic, but the friction is real—especially at the start.
Credentialing timelines
Credentialing is the long pole in the tent. Even if a job is “urgent,” hospitals still need:
License verification
Board certification/eligibility
DEA
NPDB query
Background checks
Privileging committee approvals
Health/immunization documents
References
Work history verification
It’s common for credentialing to take weeks to months depending on the facility.
Licensing strategy
If you plan to work across states, you need a licensing plan:
Start with states where you’re most likely to work repeatedly.
Consider licensing compacts when relevant to your specialty and situation.
Maintain a spreadsheet of expiration dates, CME requirements, and renewal cycles.
EMR and workflow adaptation
Each assignment may mean a different EMR, order sets, consult workflows, nursing culture, and expectations. The best locums physicians:
Ask smart questions before day one (schedule, call, patient volume, support staff)
Arrive early for the first shifts
Build a “rapid orientation” template for themselves
Keep documentation clean and defensible
Scope clarity and “what am I walking into?”
Before signing, get clarity on:
Typical daily volume
Patient acuity
Call frequency and backup support
Procedures expected
Admission responsibilities
Consult vs primary coverage
APP/Resident support
Any “soft expectations” (late add-ons, weekend rounding, etc.)
8) Malpractice Coverage: Travel Medicine vs Locum Tenens
Travel medicine malpractice considerations
If you’re employed by a clinic or health system, they usually provide coverage.
If you’re running your own clinic, you need a policy aligned with outpatient counseling and vaccine administration.
Your documentation must be strong because counseling-heavy specialties live and die by the note.
Locum tenens malpractice considerations
Often provided by the agency, but you must confirm:
Claims-made vs occurrence
Tail coverage (who pays, when it applies)
Coverage limits (per claim/aggregate)
Whether it covers all duties you’re expected to do
Any exclusions (certain procedures, supervision, etc.)
A common mistake: assuming you’re covered for everything without reading the certificate or clarifying the facility’s expectations.
9) Pay Structures and Compensation: What’s Different
Travel medicine compensation
Usually resembles outpatient work:
Salary/benefits if employed
Hourly or per-session if part-time
Potential productivity bonuses
If private practice: revenue depends on consult volume + vaccine margins + contracts
Travel medicine can be lifestyle-friendly, but pure travel clinics may not match high-paying procedural specialties unless you scale operations or add corporate volume.
Locum tenens compensation
Often higher on a per-day basis but less stable:
Hourly rates, daily rates, shift rates, or call stipends
Sometimes productivity-based in certain specialties/settings
Travel and lodging may be covered or reimbursed
Payment terms vary (weekly, biweekly, net-30, etc.)
Your true net income depends on:
How many weeks you work per year
Your tax structure (W-2 vs 1099)
How efficiently you handle housing/travel
The “dead time” between assignments
10) Taxes and Structure: W-2 vs 1099 and the “Travel” Trap
If you’re traveling for work, taxes get complicated quickly.
Locum tenens tax basics
Many locums physicians are paid as 1099 independent contractors.
That means you’re responsible for quarterly estimates, self-employment tax implications (depending on structure), and bookkeeping.
You may benefit from an LLC/S-Corp setup depending on income level and state specifics.
Multi-state work
Working in multiple states can trigger multi-state filing. You may owe state income tax where you physically worked, even if you live elsewhere. This is one of the most important “adulting” components of locums.
Travel deductions (high-level concept)
There are strict rules around tax home, duplicative living expenses, and what counts as business travel. Many physicians get this wrong. The safest mindset:
Assume travel deductions require clean documentation and legitimate “tax home” logic.
Keep meticulous records (receipts, mileage, lodging, days worked).
Have a CPA who understands physician locum tenens work.
(If you want, I can lay out a practical checklist of documents to keep and the common compliance pitfalls—without turning it into legal/tax advice.)
11) Lifestyle and Burnout: Two Very Different Stress Profiles
Travel medicine lifestyle pros/cons
Pros
Predictable hours
Preventive, counseling-heavy work
Often minimal call
Repeatable workflows and strong patient satisfaction
Cons
Operational burden (inventory, vaccines, payer issues)
Seasonal demand spikes
Can feel algorithmic if you don’t love counseling
Requires staying current with global guidance
Locum tenens lifestyle pros/cons
Pros
Maximum flexibility
Higher income potential per unit time
Ability to “batch” work (e.g., two intense weeks, two off)
Easier to walk away from toxic environments
Cons
Constant onboarding/credentialing
EMR variability and system friction
Time away from home
Less continuity and sometimes less influence
12) Choosing Your Path: A Practical Decision Framework
Here’s a clean way to decide:
If you want stability + a niche: lean travel medicine
Ask yourself:
Do I want a repeatable outpatient schedule?
Do I enjoy preventive counseling and vaccines?
Am I willing to deal with operations and inventory?
Am I okay with a slower income ramp while building volume?
If you want income + flexibility quickly: lean locum tenens
Ask yourself:
Do I adapt quickly to new systems?
Can I tolerate variable staffing and workflows?
Am I okay with credentialing delays and paperwork?
Do I want to “batch” work and protect time off?
If you want both: create a hybrid plan
A strong hybrid plan might look like:
Maintain a part-time travel clinic role for stable baseline hours
Use locum tenens blocks to increase income and geographic variety
Build a licensing strategy around 2–4 states you can rotate through
Use downtime between assignments for CME and operational refinement
13) Getting Started: Your First 90 Days Plan (Without Overthinking It)
Path A: Starting in travel medicine
Decide whether you want employment vs building a service line
Get formal travel medicine education (courses, ISTM resources, CTH pathway)
Build templates: consult note, vaccine schedule, malaria plan, diarrhea plan, after-visit summary
Learn vaccine logistics (storage, ordering, coding, documentation)
Pilot: start with a small weekly clinic block and refine
Path B: Starting in locum tenens
Build your credentialing packet (CV, licenses, references, immunizations, logs)
Choose your initial states strategically
Interview agencies like you’d interview an employer
Define your non-negotiables (schedule, call, volume, support)
Do one “clean” first assignment and document everything you learn for next time
14) Common Mistakes Doctors Make (and How to Avoid Them)
In travel medicine
Underestimating operational complexity of vaccines
Not standardizing documentation and after-visit instructions
Missing special population nuances (immunocompromised, pregnancy)
Overpromising protection or minimizing risk when time is short
Not having a post-travel fever/red-flag protocol
In locum tenens
Taking the first offer without clarity on volume/support/call
Not reading malpractice details (tail, limits, exclusions)
Underplanning licensing timelines
Poor tax planning for multi-state work
Not protecting rest days (burnout sneaks up in “batch” work)
15) The Bottom Line
Travel medicine and locum tenens are both viable, physician-friendly ways to build a more flexible career—but they scratch different itches.
If you love structured outpatient counseling, prevention, and global health, travel medicine can become a rewarding niche and potentially a scalable clinic service line.
If you want flexible, higher-intensity clinical work in your existing specialty with strong income potential and control over your schedule, locum tenens is often the fastest route.
If you want autonomy and variety, a hybrid plan can be the best of both worlds—so long as you plan licensing, documentation, malpractice, and taxes correctly.
Travel Medicine for Doctors + Locum Tenens FAQ
1) What is travel medicine for doctors, exactly?
Travel medicine for doctors most commonly refers to a clinical niche focused on preventing and managing travel-related health risks. In a traditional travel medicine practice, you perform pre-travel consultations, recommend and administer immunizations, prescribe malaria prophylaxis when indicated, counsel on food and water safety, provide plans for traveler’s diarrhea, and help patients mitigate risks such as altitude illness, insect-borne diseases, and exposures (animal bites, freshwater parasites, etc.). Some practices also evaluate post-travel illness (e.g., fever, persistent diarrhea, rash, eosinophilia).
In casual physician career conversations, “travel medicine” can also mean “a doctor job that allows me to travel,” which overlaps more with locum tenens, remote assignments, cruise/expedition medicine, and “work-from-anywhere” telemedicine. Clarifying which definition you mean is essential because the training, workflow, compensation, and legal/operational setup differ significantly.
2) Is travel medicine a specialty or a service line?
Travel medicine is typically a service line rather than a board-certified specialty in the U.S. Many physicians incorporate travel medicine into primary care, infectious disease, occupational health, urgent care, or concierge medicine models. Some clinicians build their entire outpatient practice around travel medicine, but most combine it with other clinical offerings.
For a doctor considering travel medicine, the most important “specialty-level” behaviors are: having a standardized consult process, staying current on guidelines, documenting well, understanding vaccine logistics, and having protocols for special populations (pregnancy, immunocompromised, pediatrics).
3) What is the relationship between travel medicine and locum tenens work?
They’re related mostly through lifestyle and professional flexibility rather than clinical overlap. Locum tenens is a staffing model (temporary contract work), while travel medicine is usually a clinical focus (pre-travel counseling, vaccines, prophylaxis).
However, physicians often compare them because both can:
Provide autonomy and schedule control
Allow geographic variety
Offer opportunities to diversify income streams
Help reduce burnout by breaking rigid employment structures
Some doctors build a hybrid career: stable travel medicine clinic work (predictable, outpatient) plus locum tenens blocks for higher income or variety.
4) What types of doctors do travel medicine?
Travel medicine is commonly practiced by:
Family medicine physicians
Internal medicine physicians
Pediatricians (especially in practices with traveling families)
Infectious disease physicians
Emergency medicine physicians
Occupational medicine clinicians
Travel clinic providers in concierge/Direct Primary Care settings
The key is not your original specialty as much as your comfort with prevention counseling, vaccines, and protocol-driven risk management.
5) Do I need special training or certification to practice travel medicine?
You can practice travel medicine without a formal certification, but additional training improves safety, confidence, and credibility—especially if travel medicine will be a major part of your identity or business offering. Many travel medicine clinicians pursue continuing education and may choose to obtain the Certificate in Travel Health (CTH®) through the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM).
Even without certification, you should be able to demonstrate:
Knowledge of vaccine indications and timing
Malaria prophylaxis selection and counseling
Management planning for traveler’s diarrhea
Counseling on insect avoidance and destination risk
Special population considerations
Documentation and patient education systems
6) What does a high-quality travel medicine consult include?
A robust consult is itinerary-driven and patient-specific. It generally includes:
Itinerary risk assessment (countries, regions, rural vs urban, season, activities, duration)
Review of routine vaccines and catch-up needs
Destination-relevant vaccines (recommended/required)
Malaria risk determination and prophylaxis plan if needed
Traveler’s diarrhea prevention and self-treatment plan
Insect bite prevention counseling (repellents, clothing, nets)
Altitude/jet lag/sleep strategies when relevant
Special exposure counseling (animals, freshwater, STIs, injuries)
Medication planning (refills, controlled substances, documentation letters)
Post-travel red flags and when to seek medical care
A great travel medicine visit also ends with a clear written plan: what they received today, what’s next, what to start when, and what to do if symptoms arise.
7) How do travel medicine practices handle vaccines operationally?
Vaccine logistics are one of the biggest barriers for doctors considering travel medicine. You need:
Proper cold chain storage (medical-grade refrigerators/freezers where indicated)
Temperature monitoring and documentation
Inventory management (ordering, expiration tracking, waste reduction)
Staff training for administration and adverse events
Consent workflows and documentation
Billing/coding knowledge (or a cash-pay strategy)
Policies for handling vaccine shortages or substitutions
If you don’t want an inventory-heavy operation, you can structure travel medicine as consult-only and direct patients to pharmacies or health departments for vaccination, but that may reduce convenience and revenue.
8) Can travel medicine be done as a cash-pay model?
Yes, and many successful travel medicine clinics are cash-pay or hybrid. Cash-pay can simplify operations by reducing insurance complexity and reimbursement variability. A common structure is:
Cash-pay consult fee (time-based)
Separate vaccine fees (or bundled packages)
Optional add-ons: corporate travel services, occupational health tie-ins, expedited scheduling
Cash-pay models work best when you provide excellent written plans, high convenience, and a clear patient experience that feels premium.
9) Can I do travel medicine part-time?
Absolutely. Travel medicine can be an excellent part-time niche because consults are standardized and can be scheduled in blocks. A part-time model might look like:
1–2 half-days weekly at a travel clinic
Seasonal intensification (spring/summer peak travel periods)
Adding travel consults inside an existing primary care/urgent care practice
Virtual pre-travel counseling (where legally allowed), paired with vaccine administration partnerships
Part-time travel medicine pairs well with locum tenens because you can maintain continuity and a “home base” while still taking short-term assignments.
10) What is locum tenens work for doctors?
Locum tenens is temporary contract clinical work where a physician fills a staffing need at a hospital, clinic, or facility. Assignments can range from a few shifts to many months. Locum tenens work is typically arranged through an agency, although some physicians contract directly with facilities.
For doctors considering locum tenens, it’s important to understand credentialing timelines, licensing needs, malpractice coverage, assignment scope, call expectations, and pay structure.
11) What are the biggest differences between locum tenens and travel medicine as a career choice?
Travel medicine is a clinical niche focused on prevention, counseling, and vaccine/prophylaxis planning—often outpatient with predictable hours.
Locum tenens is a staffing model that lets you do your existing specialty in new locations—often higher intensity and higher pay per day, but more onboarding friction.
In general:
Travel medicine = stable workflow + operations + counseling
Locum tenens = flexibility + adaptation + credentialing + variable settings
12) Which is “easier” to start: travel medicine or locum tenens?
Many physicians find locum tenens easier to start financially because you leverage your existing specialty and step into established clinical workflows (even if the system is new). Travel medicine can be operationally heavy if you are responsible for vaccines, inventory, and clinic setup.
That said, travel medicine can be easier lifestyle-wise—predictable hours, fewer emergencies, and more control over clinic operations once systems are established.
13) How does credentialing work in locum tenens?
Credentialing is the process of verifying your training, licensure, malpractice history, and eligibility to work at a facility. It typically involves:
Primary source verification of license, training, board status
Work history, references, and background checks
NPDB queries
Privileging requests and approvals
Health documentation (vaccines, TB testing, etc.)
Facility-specific onboarding/training
Credentialing can take weeks to months depending on facility processes. Many physicians underestimate the time and administrative load required for locum tenens credentialing.
14) How many state licenses do I need for locum tenens work?
It depends on your goals. Many physicians start with 1–2 states where:
There is strong demand in their specialty
Licensing is relatively straightforward
They can realistically work repeatedly
Travel is easy from home
Then they expand strategically. If you plan to work frequently in multiple states, licensing becomes a long-term maintenance project: renewals, CME requirements, and administrative tracking.
15) Does locum tenens malpractice insurance cover me?
Often the locum tenens agency provides malpractice coverage, but you must verify details. Key questions:
Is it claims-made or occurrence?
Who pays for tail coverage (and when)?
What are the coverage limits?
Does it cover all clinical duties expected at the site?
Are procedures or supervision excluded?
Does it cover charting from home or after shifts if needed?
Never assume coverage is “standard.” Ask for documentation and clarity.
16) Can I do locum tenens while maintaining a full-time job?
Some physicians do “moonlighting-style” locum shifts while employed, but it depends on:
Your employment contract (non-compete, moonlighting clauses, conflict of interest)
Call schedule and availability
Fatigue and burnout risk
Licensing and credentialing feasibility
Malpractice coordination and reporting requirements
If you’re considering this, review your employment agreement carefully and ensure you can safely take on extra work.
17) How is locum tenens pay structured?
Common pay structures include:
Hourly (most common)
Daily/shift rate
Call stipend + hourly/daily rate
Sometimes productivity-based arrangements (less common, depends on specialty and site)
Your “headline” rate isn’t the whole story. Evaluate:
Number of guaranteed hours/shifts
Overtime rules
Call expectations and backup
Travel/lodging coverage
Cancellation terms
Payment schedule and invoicing process
18) Is travel medicine profitable for doctors?
It can be, but profitability depends heavily on your model. A travel medicine service line can do well when you have:
Efficient consult workflows
Steady demand (local population, corporate travel, universities)
Strong vaccine operations (or a smart partnership)
A pricing strategy that matches your market
High patient satisfaction and word-of-mouth
Travel medicine as “consult-only” is often lower overhead but may generate less revenue than a full vaccine-based clinic. Travel medicine as a full clinic can be profitable but operationally complex.
19) What are the biggest liability risks in travel medicine?
Common areas that create risk include:
Inadequate documentation of counseling and patient decisions
Missing contraindications or special population considerations
Poor vaccine documentation (lot numbers, VIS, consent)
Incomplete malaria counseling or wrong prophylaxis selection
Over-reassuring patients with incomplete protection due to time constraints
Lack of clear post-travel red flag instructions
Most travel medicine risk is mitigated by standardized documentation, clear written plans, and robust informed-consent style counseling.
20) Can I do travel medicine via telehealth?
Telehealth travel medicine can work for the counseling component, but legal rules vary by state and you still need a strategy for vaccine administration. Many clinicians use a hybrid approach:
Telehealth consult + written plan
Prescriptions sent electronically
Vaccines administered via partner pharmacies or local clinics
Clear documentation of where vaccines were obtained and what’s outstanding
If telehealth is central to your plan, ensure you understand licensing requirements and prescribing rules in the states where your patients are located.
21) What is the best way to “test” travel medicine before committing?
A low-risk way is to:
Work part-time at an established travel clinic
Add a small travel consult block inside your current practice
Take continuing education and build templates first
Pilot with a narrow patient segment (e.g., your existing primary care panel)
Partner with a pharmacy for vaccine administration
This lets you experience the workflow without immediately building an inventory-heavy operation.
22) What is the best way to “test” locum tenens before committing?
Start with one carefully selected assignment:
A facility with strong onboarding
A clear scope and predictable schedule
Reasonable volume expectations
Good backup support
A location that is easy to travel to
Many physicians prefer starting with a 1–2 week block rather than a long multi-month commitment. Your first assignment should be about learning the system and confirming fit, not maximizing money.
23) What questions should I ask before accepting a locum tenens assignment?
Ask about:
Daily volume and acuity
Call schedule, frequency, and backup
Procedures and expectations
Staffing support (APPs, nurses, residents)
EMR type and training
Clinic/OR schedule structure (if applicable)
Admission/consult responsibilities
Typical patient mix
Cancellation terms and guarantees
Malpractice specifics and tail coverage
Travel/lodging arrangements
Payment timing and invoicing
If a recruiter can’t answer these, treat it as a red flag—or push to speak with the medical director or department lead.
24) How do taxes work for locum tenens doctors?
Many locum tenens physicians are paid as 1099 contractors, meaning:
You’re responsible for quarterly estimated taxes
You may have additional self-employment tax implications depending on structure
You need consistent bookkeeping and expense tracking
You may file multiple state returns if you work in multiple states
Because tax rules are nuanced and state-specific, it’s wise to work with a CPA who regularly handles physician locum tenens clients.
25) Can I create an LLC or S-Corp for locum tenens work?
Many doctors use an LLC and sometimes elect S-Corp treatment, but whether it makes sense depends on income level, state rules, administrative tolerance, and your overall tax picture. The value proposition is usually about:
Business expense tracking and separation
Potential payroll/dividend optimization (with S-Corp)
More formal contracting posture
Liability separation (limited—malpractice is its own category)
This decision is highly individualized and should be made with a CPA who understands physician contracting, multi-state work, and your expected locums income.
26) How do travel and lodging work for locum tenens assignments?
Often the agency arranges travel and lodging or reimburses it. You should clarify:
Whether you can book your own travel (and get reimbursed)
Lodging standards and location relative to the facility
Rental car coverage and mileage rules
What happens if the assignment schedule changes
Whether travel is covered for breaks or only for start/end
Efficient travel logistics can significantly impact your fatigue, satisfaction, and even net income.
27) What is a “tax home” and why does it matter for traveling doctors?
In general terms, “tax home” relates to where you maintain your primary place of business and incur ongoing living expenses. It matters because it affects whether travel expenses may be deductible under IRS rules. Many traveling physicians misunderstand this and take aggressive deductions without appropriate documentation.
The practical takeaway: if you are going to travel frequently for locum tenens work, establish a defensible tax structure, maintain clean records, and work with a tax professional familiar with traveling clinicians.
28) How do I avoid burnout in locum tenens work?
Burnout prevention is about designing your schedule deliberately:
Batch work and protect recovery time
Avoid “back-to-back” assignments without breaks
Choose sites with strong support and reasonable volume
Maintain exercise/sleep routines during assignments
Reduce friction: pick fewer states and repeat assignments at the same sites when possible
Build a personal onboarding checklist to reduce first-week stress
Locums can reduce burnout if you control your boundaries, but it can increase burnout if you chase high rates without rest.
29) How do I avoid burnout in travel medicine?
Travel medicine burnout typically comes from:
Operational burden (inventory, billing, shortages)
Repetitive consults without variety
Seasonal volume spikes
Patients arriving too close to departure and expecting miracles
Solutions:
Standardize templates and patient handouts
Set expectations about timing and partial protection
Batch scheduling and limit same-day “urgent travel” visits
Build staff-driven workflows for vaccine logistics
Consider corporate contracts for steady volume without chaos
30) What does a hybrid “travel medicine + locum tenens” career look like?
A practical hybrid model might look like:
1 day/week travel medicine clinic (or a couple half-days)
1–2 locum tenens blocks per month (or quarterly intensive blocks)
Licensure in 2–4 strategic states
Repeat assignments at the same facilities to reduce onboarding friction
A predictable “home base” schedule for family stability
The hybrid approach can offer stable identity plus high-income flexibility.
31) How do I decide between travel medicine and locum tenens?
Use three questions:
Do I want to build a niche service line or do I want to maximize flexibility using my current specialty?
Do I prefer operations + counseling (travel medicine) or adaptation + variable clinical environments (locums)?
What lifestyle constraint is non-negotiable: predictable weekdays or long blocks with time off?
If you want predictable clinic hours and enjoy preventive counseling, lean travel medicine. If you want higher earnings per workday and control over when/where you work, lean locum tenens.
32) What are the biggest red flags in travel medicine jobs?
Red flags include:
No standardized protocols or documentation templates
Poor vaccine storage or inventory practices
Unclear billing and coding approach
Expectations to “do everything” without staff support
No clear process for adverse reactions and emergency supplies
Pressure to cut corners on counseling due to high volume
A travel medicine clinic should feel systematized and safety-focused.
33) What are the biggest red flags in locum tenens offers?
Red flags include:
Unclear scope of practice or shifting expectations
“You’ll figure it out when you get there” onboarding
High volume with minimal support
Vague call expectations or no backup
Malpractice details not clearly provided
Aggressive cancellation terms without guarantees
Recruiters avoiding direct answers to operational questions
A good locums assignment is defined, transparent, and operationally realistic.
34) What supplies and protocols should a travel medicine clinic have?
At minimum:
Emergency response plan for vaccine reactions
Epinephrine and supplies for anaphylaxis management
Temperature monitoring systems
Vaccine documentation tools (lot numbers, expiration, VIS)
Standard consult templates and patient handouts
Clear referral pathways for complex cases (e.g., immunocompromised, pregnancy)
If you’re building a clinic, operational safety is as important as clinical knowledge.
35) What is the “best” path if I want to travel and work as a doctor?
If your main goal is traveling while practicing your current specialty, locum tenens is often the most direct path. If your goal is practicing travel medicine clinically, you can do that in one location and still travel personally—because travel medicine is usually outpatient with predictable scheduling.
Many doctors find the best overall lifestyle comes from a hybrid plan: a stable outpatient base (travel medicine or your current practice) plus periodic locum tenens assignments for income and variety.
36) If I tell you my specialty, can you tailor this to me?
Yes. If you share:
Your specialty and ideal setting (outpatient/inpatient/call)
Your desired work cadence (weeks/month, blocks/year)
Whether you want to stay in 1–2 states or go multi-state
Your tolerance for operations (vaccine inventory, clinic management)