After their kids went off to college, ophthalmologists Dr. Stephanie Goei and Dr. Julian Nussbaum started a new phase of their life and career together through locums—using travel assignments to rediscover new places, strengthen their partnership, and find purpose in serving diverse communities.
Here are some of the benefits Dr. Goei and Dr. Nussbaum discovered about practicing locum tenens together.
Embarking on New Adventures
Especially in a family with two physicians, managing a travel-heavy schedule can be difficult. But when their kids went off to college, Dr. Goei and Dr. Nussbaum saw an opportunity to expand their horizons––and do what they loved at the same time.
“We had always talked about doing locum tenens when the kids were out of the house,” said Dr. Nussbaum. “When our younger daughter went to college, it felt like it was time to start another adventure.”
They even considered international work before landing on something more local.
“We love New Zealand, and a couple of years ago there was an available locums position for a retinal surgeon and pediatric ophthalmologist in Auckland,” said Dr. Goei. “It would have been perfect, but ultimately it was too far from our family.”
Instead, they began to look for locum assignments that allowed them to pursue new adventures, while also staying close enough to home, so they could be there for their family.
Now, both Dr. Nussbaum and Dr. Goei work in the same facility––but their days still look remarkably different. “Even though we work in the same institution, we’re having really different experiences,” said Dr. Goei. “Julian is up in the clinic seeing retina patients, and I’m downstairs seeing peds patients. More often than not, we don’t see each other throughout the day.”
But when the day is done, they know they can end it together. That’s part of what appealed to them about locum tenens: the ability to experience new environments and experiences, while still getting to spend time with each other.
“With the kids gone, and sharing this new experience together, it was like we discovered each other, all over again,” said Dr. Goei. “That would be my advice to any physicians considering working locums together––you have to go into it with the mindset that it’s an adventure.”
Exploring New Practice Environments
One unexpected benefit of locum tenens? The ability to explore new practice environments.
Before shifting to locum tenens, Dr. Nussbaum and Dr. Goei had practiced in academic medicine for 25 years. Locum tenens gave them the opportunity to try out new clinical settings and discover what felt right for them.
“I know my craft, but other than in my residency and fellowship, I hadn’t spent much time in other departments,” said Dr. Goei. “I knew that practicing in a new environment would be different from what I was accustomed to––but different can be good.”
“Working in a new environment can be stressful, because you’re practicing with a different team in a totally new facility,” said Dr. Nussbaum. “But it’s also exciting, because you get to meet new people, and learn new things. In a sense, you’re also verifying your skills, because you realize that what you’ve learned is transportable.”
Locums also allows you to bring your skills to hospitals who need quality physicians to fill gaps in coverage. “In my current position, I have the opportunity to train residents, which I love,” said Dr. Goei. “They’re so appreciative of it and hungry for teaching. I feel like I’m filling a need.”
The opportunity to work in new environments and utilize your skills to support different medical teams can be reenergizing for physicians who have spent a long time practicing in one hospital or health system. Locums allows you to take your experience to different medical facilities that need additional support for their patients, while also developing your own skill set by learning from other teams and approaches.
Building a Work Schedule Around Your Relationship, Instead of Fitting Your Relationship Around Your Work Schedule
Locum tenens allows you to build your schedule around your family, instead of having to fit your family into the gaps between your work schedule.
When Dr. Goei first began practicing locum tenens, she took a solo assignment in Jackson, Mississippi. “I really loved it,” Dr. Goei said. “But it wasn’t sustainable, because I missed my husband.”
Eventually, they were able to find an assignment in the same city where their daughter attends college––which allows them to spend time with their kids as well. Now, they look for assignments that allow them to travel together.
“If we’re traveling for locums work, we’d really like to be together as much as possible,” said Dr. Nussbaum. “We both work in sub-specialty areas of the same specialty, so we were able to find a match. We get to travel together, share a hotel room, pick each other up from the hospital when we’re both done with our workdays. It’s worked out beautifully.”
Dr. Goei agrees. “We prioritize family time, so we try to avoid taking assignments over the holidays, or on any of our family members’ birthdays. With locums, we have the flexibility to choose when we want to work. ”
