70% of NPs say they plan on taking locum tenens assignments in the future
PEABODY, Mass. — Barton Associates, a leading locum tenens staffing agency in the United States with nine offices nationwide, surveyed its network of nurse practitioners (NPs) and found that about four in ten (39%) said the COVID-19 pandemic influenced their interest in taking locum tenens assignments.
Of the 144 NPs surveyed, 13% said the COVID-19 pandemic is directly responsible for why they consider locum tenens, while over one-quarter (26%) said it increased their willingness to consider going locum.
Of these two groups of NPs, the vast majority (62%) cited “flexibility to work in different locations” as the main reason why the pandemic increased their willingness to consider locum tenens assignments. Other reasons included:
- Higher compensation rates during the pandemic — 55%
- Increased demand for healthcare professionals — 51%
- Ability to choose assignments and control schedule — 51%
- Desire to help in areas with critical staffing shortages — 28%
- Opportunity to gain diverse clinical experience —23%
- Desire to travel and see different parts of the country — 23%
Conversely, only 10% of NPs surveyed said the COVID-19 pandemic decreased their willingness to consider locum tenens assignments, while 2% indicated that the pandemic is directly responsible for why they no longer consider locum tenens assignments.
Of the NPs with an opinion, 70% said they plan on taking locum tenens assignments in the future.
The survey, which was conducted on SurveyMonkey from July 28 to August 5, 2024, received responses from 144 NPs in Barton Associates’ network. This included providers who currently work in permanent positions, locum tenens positions, per-diem providers, and those who are retired and unemployed. Read more about the survey and its methodology on Barton Associates’ website.
