As the year comes to a close, the holidays can be a time when healthcare providers feel the tension between demanding work schedules and a desire to be present with their families. For many physicians, it’s a tension that is felt throughout the entire year.
Locum tenens can offer a way to stay clinically active while reclaiming the time and flexibility to fit work around your personal life, rather than the other way around.
We spoke to Hayes Locums consultants, Anna Wahl and Lauren Laffler, for insights about how locum providers can prioritize their personal goals and work-life balance—while still doing what they love.
How Does the Holiday Season Contribute to Burnout Among Physicians?
Long work hours and limited flexibility in their schedules can lead physicians to burnout—and the busyness of the season can exacerbate those feelings of stress and overwork.
While overwork often contributes to burnout, the underlying cause isn’t always what you’d expect. “Providers often start to burnout, but a lot of that is not from the clinical aspects—it often comes from the administrative burden,” says Anna Wahl, Physician Consultant at Hayes Locums.
The holidays can amplify this tension. Coverage demands don’t pause for the season—if anything, holidays often bring an even greater need for care. For providers already stretched thin by meetings, paperwork, and on-call schedules, the influx of patient visits during this time can feel like a breaking point.
Locum tenens offers a different model. “With locum tenens, you’re not going to a monthly meeting, you’re not doing all the paperwork. It’s a little bit more laid back,” explains Anna. “You get to go in and do what you do best, work clinically, and go home at the end of the day.”
Why Do Providers Choose Locum Tenens?
When Hayes Locums consultants talk to providers about what draws them to locums, one word comes up again and again: flexibility.
“A lot of providers have children, they have family, they have a life, and they want to be able to practice medicine and go home at the end of the day to spend time with their family, and do the things that they love,” says Anna.
Flexibility isn’t just about time off—it’s about curating a schedule that reflects your personal and professional priorities. At Hayes Locums, we build relationships that help us understand and support each provider’s goals. “When we get on the phone with our providers, a lot of times we ask, ‘What are your hobbies? What do you like to do?’ We ask that because with locums, you get to spend more time on your hobbies because you have more free time.”
For the holidays, this could mean blocking off time for travel plans, or simply being present with your friends and family—something traditional roles aren’t always able to offer.
How Do Providers Prioritize Family Through Locums?
Locum tenens offers physicians the valuable opportunity to stay connected to what matters most—their loved ones.
During a conference, Lauren met a provider and discovered a unique way to meet his personal and professional needs. Their conversation opened the door to a locum tenens role that offered both career continuity and the chance to be in a new location near family.
“He wasn’t really interested in locums at the time, but his daughter was starting college, and he wanted to be able to go and visit her,” says Lauren. “There was an opportunity within an hour of her, so he started working there. He was able to visit her once or twice a month and felt really fulfilled that he was able to be close to family, but also able to keep working.”
Another physician found an even more personal connection to his assignment.
“We had an opportunity available, and when I told one of my physicians about it, he realized it was in a hospital where his best friend had just been treated for cancer. He wanted to work there and be a part of the hospital that was able to help his friend in a time of need.” For this physician, the assignment wasn’t just about flexibility. “It was a calling for him.”
These stories show how locum tenens can help you align your career with your personal life—without sacrificing time with the people you love to do the work you love.
