In the early 2020s, the supply of otolaryngologists seemed poised to meet current demand levels. But in recent years, projections have begun to show a decrease in ENTs, while demand for otolaryngology services is increasing. Here’s what’s driving the increase in demand––and how locums can help.
The increasing shortages in ENTs, while minor compared to other specialties, can still have a significant impact on patient care. NPR reported that hospitals are increasingly struggling to find these kinds of specialists, which means patients may have to wait months to see a physician. Even in emergency situations, patients sometimes have to wait for hours or even days in crowded waiting rooms because there isn’t a specialist available.
Otolaryngology requires a mix of clinical skills, surgical experience, and technical expertise that can be difficult to recruit for––which is where locums comes in.
Hayes Locums consultant Hunter Wykoff took us through some of what is driving the demand for locum otolaryngologists, and why locum tenens might be a good fit for ENTs who want to help reduce gaps in coverage.
How locums is helping meet demand for ENTs
Because of the decreasing supply of otolaryngologists, more and more hospitals are relying on locum tenens to fill their ENT needs.
“The market [for ENT locums] has significantly grown,” says Wykoff. “More and more places are needing coverage, and more and more physicians are open to the idea of locums.”
The increase in otolaryngology locums assignments is driven primarily by backlogs in elective surgeries within hospitals or health systems. Locums providers can help hospitals cut down on those backlogs, so that hospitals can decrease patient wait times.
Retirement is also a factor. Almost one third of ENTs are over 60 years old. As more and more ENTs reach retirement age, many hospitals are being left without an otolaryngologist. Because of the level of specialization, it can take hospitals a long time to recruit a permanent physician, which is why they are increasingly depending on locums to fill the gap.
“When someone retires or relocates, a locums physician can give them the bandwidth to keep things going,” says Wykoff.
Locums can also help keep talented physicians in the field for longer, by giving them an alternative option to retirement that allows them to keep practicing medicine at their preferred pace
“If you still enjoy practicing medicine, but you don’t want to work full time anymore, locums can really help with that work-life balance,” says Wykoff. “You can work two weeks a month and make the same as you do on a full time salary––and you can pick your own schedule.”
Locums helps ensure continuity of care for patients that need it
Every ENT knows the importance of continuity of care. If you’ve never practiced locums, you might think that taking a temporary assignment will interfere with being able to provide continuous care for your patients––but many locums assignments are built around just that.
“Continuity of care is important,” says Wykoff. “If you operate on a patient, you’re going to want to continue to provide follow up over the next two months to check in on how their progression is going. That’s why ENT assignments tend to be longer than other specialties.”
ENT locums assignments often involve practicing 1-2 weeks a month for six months or a year––though in some cases, they can last even longer.
“I personally work with a couple otolaryngologists that have been doing locums for four or five years with us at the same place, or a few different places,” says Wykoff.
Locums helps ENTs bring their skills to communities that need them
While the ENT shortage is minor compared to other specialities, its impact on workforce adequacy is significant––especially when it comes to more rural communities. Projections show that in major metropolitan areas, otolaryngology is expected to have a 98% workforce adequacy rate by 2036, whereas non-metropolitan areas are expected to have a workforce adequacy rate of 35%––not even half of the physicians required to meet demand.
Locums can make a huge difference in these communities, by bringing the skills that hospitals may have a difficult time recruiting for to patients that need care.
“Rural locums assignments are always the most needed,” says Wykoff. “But that’s also true for smaller cities––it’s harder to recruit permanent positions to a smaller city, especially if they’re an hour outside of a major metropolitan area like Chicago or Atlanta. Over the past two years, the pediatric otolaryngology demand has also shot up––a lot of children’s hospitals need extra coverage.”
This creates a lot of opportunity for ENTs who want to bring their skills to make a difference in communities that urgently need the kind of care they can provide.
“One of our locums physicians has saved two or three kids’ lives in the past three months,” says Wykoff. In each of these instances, the patients were in the middle of a surgical procedure, when the urgent need for an ENT arose. “Thankfully, he was on call and was able to quickly run over and handle a very stressful procedure successfully.”
So many locums physicians have found fulfillment in being able to provide care in communities that can’t always rely on being able to access the level of specialization that ENTs provide.
“Being able to help patients get seen in hospitals that don’t have the resources currently is a huge selling point to ENTs,” says Wyckoff. “They’re able to make a huge difference. A lot of times, locums physicians will get letters from the parents, thanking them, which is always heartwarming to hear. It’s what gives me the reason to want to keep doing this job every day.”
