​ The COVID-19 pandemic has been a life changing event for most people, but those in the healthcare sector are some of the most affected. Although there have been many reports on the impacts that this pandemic has had on our healthcare workers, there is little knowledge about the effects on locums and the extra challenges they now face.

The past two years of the pandemic has seen healthcare professionals placed under a huge stress and strain, with a duty of care to continue to work during some of the worst times during the pandemic to deal with the most sick patients, all while dealing with their own mental health and lives outside of the hospital during this time. The team at Jon & Jon medical have seen the unfortunate reality of the waves of emotions and personal experiences felt by our Australian healthcare workers during the pandemic. 

In saying this, as we begin a new year in 2022 there is a sense of light at the end of the tunnel. The positives from these uncertain times are beginning to emerge, in the ways of many moving from city based living and careers and looking to a more open and spacious lifestyle in the country. With increased population comes an increase in positions available for locum medical workers with a range of specialities to join these country and regional or rural communities. 

As Australia moves into the most ‘normal’ phase of the pandemic we have seen since the beginning, and ‘living with COVID’ becomes more of an achievable sight, the population will now look to hospitalisation rates and not overall case numbers. More people will contract COVID-19 but as the vaccination rates continue to grow in Australia, most will be well enough to rest and recover at home, without the need for hospitalisation. 

Moving into a career as a locum doctor during the pandemic is a great way to build more of a work-life balance, generally with more control over working hours and the type of work you will be involved in. Locum doctors can schedule their days to suit what works best for them, creating a routine and chance to enjoy what can be seen as a working holiday, especially after a time of border closures and locked down states. 

A great chance to see different sides of Australia’s great landscape and communities, the move to more reliable and normal travel means your inner travel bug will be itching to go!

Locum work is suitable for all stages of any career, with many benefits and reasons to change to the locum lifestyle. For new doctors, this type of work can be great for career experience, development and networking, while having a great life/work balance and chance to explore. For older and more experienced doctors, locum work has great flexibility perks, meaning there is more time in their lives for the things they love. Some doctors might jump at the chance to do locum work for the extra money, while others may do it as a way of deciding what they want to do in their career, or where they may want to live permanently in the future.

Whether you are a Registrar or Consultant working full time or part time, or just picking up a couple of extra shifts on your days off to supplement your income, the team at Jon & Jon can help. Maybe you’ve decided on a career break to give yourself some flexibility, or maybe you simply want to experience some new and different hospital environments in remote or rural places, we can steer you in the right direction.