Burnout is a major risk factor for physicians retiring early. In a 2024 study, around 40% of physicians reported they were planning to retire early, and burnout was a major factor in their decision. As physician shortages continue to grow, finding solutions to burnout that allow physicians to continue practicing longer is crucial. 

Lighten your administrative burdens, so you can focus on patient care.

It’s not necessarily the quantity of work that’s driving burnout: it’s the quality. Most physicians report that it’s not work hours, but the amount of time they have to dedicate to navigating the growing administrative burden, is what drives their burnout.

In a 2020 study, the National Academy of Medicine reported on 12 factors driving physician burnout: and nearly all of them are administrative in nature. 

Ever-changing EHR documentation practices, negotiating with insurance companies, navigating internal politics, struggling to adapt to evolving standards and metrics all contribute to burnout––and, in turn, to early retirement.

But it’s not just the stress of all of these factors––it’s also that they take time away from patient care, which is why most physicians got into medicine.

Locums is a great antidote to administrative burnout. On a locum tenens assignment, you have one job: show up, and take care of patients. While there are some administrative logistics involved in getting your state license (if you’re practicing locums in a state you’re not yet licensed to practice in) and learning the EHR practices of that particular hospital system, for the most part, locums does not require the type of administrative burden as a full-time job.

By combatting administrative burnout and so physicians can focus on patient care, locums can keep physicians in medicine longer. 

“I can’t emphasize enough that locums is the perfect remedy for physician burnout. You can still be a doctor, but you’re not undergoing stresses that we were never trained to deal with. You can actually enjoy the practice of medicine.” –Dr. Peter Zonakis

Create a more flexible schedule––without taking a hit to your income.

As we get older, our priorities often shift. As they near retirement, physicians who have spent may want to spend more time with family, pursue their hobbies, or travel, instead of spending the majority of their waking hours on medicine. With locums, you don’t have to choose: you can do both.

Locums assignments offer a level of flexibility that isn’t usually available in full-time hospital positions. You can choose how often you want to work: whether that looks like working two weeks on, two weeks off, or working full-time for several months, and then taking a few months off to travel. And because locums assignments tend to pay at higher rates, you can slow down without taking a major hit to your income or your lifestyle.

Your locums schedule can also shift as your priorities change. Some physicians spend half the year working full-time locums, and the other half of the year travelling. Some physicians start out their pre-retirement locums career by working for several weeks a month, but then transition to semi-retirement by taking on one or two weekend assignments a month.

Whatever your priorities at this stage, locums will allow you to keep practicing, while still leaving plenty of time for the rest of your life.

“When I first retired, I was focused on myself, and it felt kind of selfish. Doing locums helps you get that balance, where you feel like you’re productive, but enjoying life as well. I didn’t want the same lifestyle I’d had before retiring. I didn’t want to be in the hospital all day every day, and all night every other night. Hayes Locums found something that was just a daytime job, no night calls, in an area we had always wanted to visit. It was the perfect fit.” –Dr. James Scardo

Slow down your practice, without retiring completely.

Time and time again, we’ve heard from physicians who retired early, only to find out that while they were ready to leave their full-time job, they weren’t quite ready to give up patient care altogether.

Locum tenens can be a great stopgap if you’re nearing retirement age and ready to slow down, but not to retire entirely. By taking locum tenens assignments at your pace, you can continue practicing––and keep your skills fresh and your case logs current––while easing yourself into a slower schedule. When you are ready to fully retire, you may find that the transition is less abrupt, because you are able to slow down gradually and organically, as opposed to going from 60  miles an hour to zero. 

While leaving medicine can feel daunting, locums can help you slow down and prepare for retirement, while still being able to take care of patients for as long as possible.

“I chose locums because after retiring, life was becoming boring. I missed the problem solving, the patient interaction, and educating my peers. Locums gave me a chance to not only use my brain, but explore other areas of the country as well. With locums, I could name my own hours and days I wanted to spend working, vs. the time I wanted to spend in retirement. That’s a flexibility I’d never have otherwise.” –Dr. William McCord