Locums

Re: Locums

Clive Ansell — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:20:54 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]

No Clive, the cheap, stack 'em high, sell 'em cheap practices are admirable and an example of a successful business.

[/quote]

Guess I must have missed something somewhere

Re: Locums

Robin Grimmer — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:17:23 GMT

I locumed from 2003-05 and have been locuming from 2009 to present and quite honestly, it would take a lot to get me back in to a permanent job! As Clive says the key is to find a good practice. During my first bout of locuming I worked here there and everywhere. It was good fun, most were fine to work for, I only had a minority of places where I wouldn't go back. But nowadays, like Clive I do most of my work for a limited number of practices, so I get the best of both worlds. The familiarity and continuity of a regular job, but with much more time off! And the practice benefits because I am flexible so will fill in for those odd days for CPD, sickness etc. I hardly ever need to use an agency these days. The other advice I would give is never to commit to a long term locum in a practice where you've never worked before.

Re: Locums

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:40:23 GMT

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]

Find another place to work is the simple answer. 10 hours consulting a day? sounds like a sweat shop, hope you being well paid for it?

[also see other thread on low cost clinics and cheap veterinary care]

[/quote]

No Clive, the cheap, stack 'em high, sell 'em cheap practices are admirable and an example of a successful business.

Re: Locums

patrick murphy — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:08:10 GMT

that very much tallies with the reports that I have been sending throughout the summer on my locum's experiences.

come on, they are not just people, beut to some of us solos are lifeline to a real life.

Re: Locums

Clive Ansell — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:34:05 GMT

Find another place to work is the simple answer. 10 hours consulting a day? sounds like a sweat shop, hope you being well paid for it?

I've been a locum 10 years (10th anniversary yesterday actually) and on the whole most practices have been fine, although 75% of my work is with a small group of regulars where we know each other well and get along fine. A very small number have been sh-eye-t, but I just keep my head down, do my time, and don't return.

It does remind me of a locum several years ago in low cost back street sweat shop clinic. I was told rather rudely on arrival by an obnoxious, lard arsed, untrained, unqualified, head nurse/manager that "we don't allow locums to do surgery". within 2 hours of that statement I had to bail them out of a bitch spey that went wrong - regular non English speaking non locum vet dropped an ovarian pedicle and couldn't find it, blood was swirling up around his elbows - he was just going to close and leave it !!!!!!!!!!!!!, saying "it will probably stop on it's own" . Dog was fine, but even better was seeing that horrible manager thing having to eat humble pie - life is just great sometimes. later in the week I removed an intestinal foreign body for them, as non of the 4 regular vets, including the head vet, had done one before or felt able to - they were going to refer it. Thankfully, I've never been back

[also see other thread on low cost clinics and cheap veterinary care]

Re: Locums

Mark Holmes — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:31:21 GMT

It sounds like a line from a film "I'm NOT a just locum, I'm a Human Being"