At Hayes Locums, we are proud to work with military physicians and advanced practice providers who have served, and continue to serve, our country. This Veterans Day, we are honoring our military physicians: both their service to our country, and their service to patients around the country as locums physicians. Here are some of the reasons military physicians are such valued members of the locums community.
They Value Teamwork
Military physicians know exactly how important teamwork is. Effective teamwork can be the difference between life and death when caring for patients on the battlefield––and the same is true of medical settings, from the emergency room to the operating room.
“The thing the military teaches you is teamwork,” says Dr. Norman Hetzler, Locums Cardiothoracic Surgeon. We’re all in this together. We’re all here to complete a mission. And it makes it easier: you just walk in and pull on the mantle and you work together.”
The ability to jump into any situation and form strong working relationships to make sure their patients thrive is one reason military physicians make great locums physicians.
“People who are physicians within the military understand teamwork,” says locums urologist Dr. Courtney Beebe. “You learn to be flexible, to work with a group. The military teaches you a different kind of structure––the nurses are officers just like you, the administrators are officers just like you, the OR nurse that you work with may outrank you––and that structure teaches you how to be a better colleague.”
They Are Always Prepared
One of the most important skills for a locums physician is the ability to prepare for the unexpected. Military physicians and advanced practice providers are trained to do just that.
“We’re very well-prepared as military physicians, in part because a lot of military training has to do with what you’re going to do in a deployed setting, where you don’t have all the resources, staff, or instruments you normally have,” says Locums ENT Dr. Aurora Vincent.
That experience makes it much easier for military physicians to jump into a locums assignment and quickly learn the ropes.
“Having that experience of being able to navigate different ways of doing things, figuring out how to make do with what you have, makes walking into a locums environment fairly smooth and easy,” says Vincent.
They Know How Make the Best of Any Situation
Locum tenens gives physicians the opportunity to practice in a variety of settings and adapt to different environments. But that also means you have to be willing to jump into situations that might be unfamiliar. At Hayes Locums, we help our physicians and advanced practice providers feel prepared for every assignment. Still, each assignment can bring unexpected challenges. Physicians who remain flexible and adapt to changing circumstances are better equipped to navigate the unexpected.
“One of the things that you learn in the military is to do the best job you can with what you’ve got,” says Beebe. “If a hospital doesn’t happen to have a tool you’re used to, you figure out a way to work around that. You know you’re not going to get your way every day. You learn to be flexible and make the best of any situation. That’s a good philosophy to bring to your work, especially locums work.”
Whether you find yourself at a facility with fewer resources than you’re used to, or you’re dealing with a patient population you’ve never served before, the ability to stay flexible comes in handy––and that’s a skill military physicians and APPs have in spades.
“[As a military physician], you’re used to coming into places and dealing with whatever comes. If you walk into the ER and they don’t have your gold handle instruments, you’re not going to throw a hissy fit,” says Hertzler.
By remaining flexible and adapting to different practice styles, military physicians can quickly adjust to new environments while gaining skills they can bring back to their military practice.
“The adaptability we learn in the military helps us work in a locums environment, but the locums environment also helps us take new ways of doing things back to the military,” says Vincent.
They Know How to Connect with Patients
Military physicians know how to make connections with patients by establishing trust and finding common ground––even during a temporary assignment.
That can be particularly true of patients who have military experience themselves.
“Sometimes I meet patients who are former military and they learn that I’m in the Air Force, and I can tell they really like that,” says locums cardiologist Dr. Taylor Barnett. “They feel more trust, because there’s something familiar to them that helps to build a relationship. I’ve had experiences like that over and over again.”
That ability to make a genuine connection can make a huge difference to patients––no matter how long an assignment lasts. And in some cases, physicians are able to find recurring assignments with continuity of care so they can develop long-lasting relationships with patients.
“I’ve had people ask me not to leave––I had one patient ask me where I was located, and when I told them Texas, they said, I have family in Texas, I’ll move down,” says Barnett. “Hearing things like that makes me really appreciate the opportunities I’ve had to get to meet so many different patients in so many different locations. What is nice is that with locums, I’ve been able to return several times to the same place, so I get to continue to help them and see how they are.”
