While some locums prefer to work close to home, others like to take advantage of the chance to travel around Australia so they can meet new people and add to their professional and private skills.

From Ballarat to Busselton, there are locums working everywhere. You can join them, if you think ahead.

The idea of turning up somewhere new with no work is romantic, but it’s not practical. No hospital, clinic or practice is going to accept a locum who just turns up. They have fill in paperwork, do background checks and slot you into the system. Fortunately, your locum agent can help you to find an assignment before you leave and answer your questions.

Before you talk to them, you need to answer the most important question of all — why do you want to go?

Maybe you want to experience life in a bush community or increase your self-reliance. Perhaps you’re driven by broadening your skills or seeing some of our natural wonders. Be clear about what you want so you can identify the perfect assignment. Once you’ve found it, start planning.

Living and working conditions

Locum agents can often advise on, or help with, travel and accommodation logistics. Some employers arrange lodgings, while others cover the costs but expect you to find somewhere. If that happens, ask your agent to put you in touch with other locums who’ve worked in the same location and might have local contacts.

The more you know about the facility in advance, the better prepared you’ll be. Your agent, colleagues and locum predecessors are all useful information sources. Ask them about the patient load, types of patients, common conditions and quality of facilities. Are there parking restrictions? Special rules to look out for?

It’s also important to have clear job specifications, so you can be confident your supervising manager’s expectations around responsibilities, management, hours and supervision match yours.

If you’re unfamiliar with the location, check that out too with colleagues, friends, online forums and websites — TripAdvisor is great for this. Are there any local sights to see? What’s the social scene like? How reliable is internet and mobile phone coverage? If you have sporting, religious or social interests, research them too. Knowing about the things that matter to you will help you to settle in much more quickly.

Be prepared

For peace of mind, ensure your life insurance and TPD policies are current and your contents insurance policy has enough coverage for your assignment. Some policies restrict coverage to a certain amount of time away from home.

You should also discuss any tax implications and banking needs with your financial adviser, especially if you’re planning to rent out your home while you’re away. If you are considering this, it’s advisable to employ a managing agent. Many home-owning locums try to save money by managing tenants themselves, only to find it’s hard to do at a distance.



Of course, this won’t be the case if your family is staying at home. If they are, work out a routine for keeping in touch by phone, Skype, email or Facetime. If you’re going to be somewhere remote, bear in mind that communication may be harder and warn your family so they don’t worry if they can’t get in touch.

Personal health

When you’re away from regular support systems, it’s important to look after your health. Depending on whether your assignment is urban or rural, you might have to stock up on regular medications before you go. Taking a doctor’s bag of supplies is a good idea too — you don’t know what will be available. Take any repeat prescriptions with you and, if you wear glasses, a spare pair will save you if you’re nowhere near an optician.

Some locums develop a care plan that identifies key areas such as staying in touch with family, keeping fit and making friends, so they can work out solutions before leaving. This should include after-assignment planning; some locum assignments are intense and involve long hours, and a soft entry is recommended. Indulge yourself with a post-assignment holiday and, once you’re home, take a break — don’t go straight back to the old routine. Just a couple of weeks of downtime will make it easier to readjust. Then you’ll be ready for your next assignment!