PRIME Health Professionals Network
Practical perspective for physicians considering locum tenens.
Written from the books and practice of Dr. William A. Cooper, a cardiothoracic surgeon who left institutional medicine for independent work. Each piece covers one decision physicians actually face: what to ask before accepting coverage, how rates are set, what credentialing rewards, and which terms belong in writing.
From the founder • Episode 1
Dr. Cooper spent 16 years building a heart surgery program. The first time a nurse called him “the new locums,” he corrected her. He explains why he was wrong.
Watch or read →All articles
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Locum Tenens Is a Tool, Not a DestinationA deliberate framework for using locum work at a defined career stage.
02
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Your Medical License Is Professional Capital, Not Just a Job QualificationA source-backed look at the portable professional assets physicians bring to independent work.
03
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Scope Before Rate: Five Questions to Ask Before Accepting Locum CoverageThe assignment questions that give workload, risk, and compensation useful context.
04
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Why Your Locum Rate Is More Structural Than NegotiableHow the staffing structure shapes a physician’s rate conversation.
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The Invisible Locum Staffing Pipeline: What Happens Before Your First ShiftA physician-oriented map of the operational path that precedes an assignment.
06
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Stop Sending the 40-Page CV: Build a Locums Brief Decision-Makers Can UseA practical distinction between a complete career record and a usable assignment brief.
07
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Credentialing Readiness Is a Competitive Advantage for Locum PhysiciansA practical view of the documentation habits that support professional readiness.
08
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If It Is Not Written, It Is Not a Term: The Locum Agreement Questions Physicians Cannot Leave VerbalThe material agreement topics physicians should identify before coverage begins.
09
Dr. William A. Cooper
Why I Chose Locum TenensA cardiothoracic surgeon on leaving employed medicine, and the moment he heard how his own objection sounded.
10
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The Biggest Myth About Locum TenensIt is not a fallback for a career that went sideways. What it costs, what you stay accountable for, and who it fits.