How to get more Locum work as a Nurse or GP
As leading medical and healthcare recruiters, at Eligo Medical we build long term relationships with our Locum GPs, Nurses and Practice Manager’s to help place them in temporary and contract sessions. Our dedicated team of medical recruitment consultants have provided the following insight into what you can do if you are looking to secure a good flow of GP & Nurse Locum work.
Keep your professional profile updated
Keep your CV, career documents, personal and work profiles up-to-date and professional. You may think that because you are not looking for permanent work this is not important but both medical recruitment agencies and practices will use it to understand your experience and skills, to screen and match you to locum work. Bad presentation, unexplained gaps, missing qualifications or accreditations may result in you not being considered for work.
Be clear about what Locum work and sessions you can and want to cover
It is important you are clear about what you can do and what you want to do. You may really want the session offered at the surgery at the end of the road, but if you’re not experienced in the systems (e.g. EMIS Web, EMIS LV, or System One) they use or don’t like working within a particular specialism (e.g. substance misuse, immunisations, or out-of-hours) then it is unlikely to be a successful repeat booking for either party and this may affect your future opportunities.
Professional documentation
At Eligo Medical we will create a personal Locum Work Accreditation Pack for you so you are ready to start Locum work at any of our surgeries, but for us to create this you will need all your professional documents. We suggest you hold all your documents (including Certifications, GMC/NMC, MDU, Performers List registration, References) in both hard copy and electronic format for future reference.
Organisation is crucial to being a good locum and securing repeat bookings
Locum bookings can be made a day or a month in advance so it is important to manage your diary carefully and diarise all your sessions as soon as they are agreed. Being late or missing a booking causes havoc at the surgery and jeopardises the reputation of both you and us. As a leading medical recruiter we work on behalf of both the client and locum GPs & Nurses and keep the best interests of both in mind. By letting us know of any issues with your Locum work booking or any problems you have ASAP, we’ll be able to help sort it out, and further secure you more Locum work.
Preparation for your session booking
Be clear about where you are going for your Locum job; allow plenty of time to get there and take the surgery number to call in case of any problems. Make a note of who you should report into on arrival and make sure they are informed when you arrive. It is always advisable to carry a basic set of equipment when attending a new surgery or locum job too.
Build a relationship
Practice Managers and patients both like to get to know and trust their Doctors. You are more likely to get a good reputation and repeat bookings if you make an effort to build a good rapport with the people you work with. Your first booking may only be for 4 hours but a good first impression can be the beginning of a long relationship and more Locum work, a bad first impression can be the end.
Help us help you get paid on time!
One of the benefits of working with a leading medical recruitment agency such as Eligo Medical is that we offer a weekly payroll service. The only way you can get paid on time though is to submit your signed timesheet on time and to keep your bank details up to date. It is often the same Locum GPs and Nurses that are guilty of repeatedly not submitting their time-sheets or not getting them signed which creates lots of administration for the agency and can make you a less appealing Locum work booking.
If you would like to see a list of our current vacancies for GP Locum Work and Nurse Locum Work click here.
If you have any further questions, we’re happy to talk, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Eligo Medical are leading specialists in providing Locum work for GPs and Nurses, if you’re looking for experts to help fill your Locum vacancies, please upload your CV to discuss how we could help.