Salt Lake City, Aug. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CompHealth founded the locum tenens industry nearly 40 years ago. Since that time the company has focused on placing physicians in temporary positions where they are needed around the country. As part of National Locum Tenens Week (Aug. 13 to 17), CompHealth is honoring all of the locums physicians that meet this crucial healthcare need.

“Without locum tenens, countless people would go without medical care,” says Lisa Grabl, president of the CompHealth locum tenens division. “These physicians may travel around the country, but they are dedicated to patient care in every community in which they work.”

In 2017, CompHealth physicians performed more than 6.4 million patient visits at hospitals and clinics located in every state of the nation.In addition to offering needed patient care, locum tenens work also benefits the physicians who do it, including:

  • A cure for physician burnout — Obstetrician Monica Anselmetti loved working with new moms. But the long hours, calls on her cell phone, and midnight deliveries eventually took their toll. She was thinking about leaving medicine entirely when she found locum tenens. “The beauty of locum tenens is that I work really hard at an assignment for a couple weeks or a month. I may be tired at the end of it, but I know that I’m going to have a break,” Dr. Anselmetti says. “I can take the time I need to recover and go back to the next assignment recharged and happy to be with patients.”
  • The chance to test drive a job — Not every physician is ready to settle into a permanent position straight out of residency. Dr. Johnny Shen found that locum tenens allowed him to try out different facilities — and even different states — before settling down. “I love the flexibility,” he says. “I’m not stuck in one place, and I can make my own schedule. You can’t really put a price on that.”
  • More time for family — Dr. Thomas O’Mara had been running his own practice for seven years before he realized it was really running him. “In private practice, when I was home I was never really home,” he says. “Now I don’t have to worry about the business aspects of my job, and when I’m home, I’m really home.” He even takes his children with him on assignments periodically.

National Locum Tenens Week occurs the second full week in August each year. Led by the National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations ® (NALTO ® ), the program’s annual platform provides the staffing industry a forum to collectively recognize the vital role that locum tenens doctors serve in the delivery of medicine today. About NALTO ® ( www.NALTO.org )

The National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations ® (NALTO ® ) is the only professional association of temporary physician staffing firms committed to a code of ethics and to maintaining the highest industry standards.

About CompHealth CompHealth  is a national leader in healthcare staffing, serving providers in more than 100 specialties. Founded in 1979, CompHealth is now the largest locum tenens staffing agency in the U.S. and also specializes in permanent physician placement and both temporary and permanent allied healthcare staffing. CompHealth is part of CHG Healthcare , which has been on FORTUNE magazine's list of "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the past nine years.

Spencer Sutherland CompHealth 801.930.3876 spencer.sutherland@chghealthcare.com