A locum pipeline is every clinician between "has shown interest in your clinic" and "works here regularly," sorted by how far along they are. A clinic that counts only its regulars can't see whether that group is about to grow or shrink. The earlier stages show you.
This guide covers the four stages of an urgent care locum pipeline, how to count them, where clinicians stall, and how to plan the work around the gaps you already know about.
The four stages of an urgent care locum pipeline
| Stage | Who's in it | What they can cover | What moves them forward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interested | Has applied or said they'd work for you. No reviewed file yet. | Nothing yet | A complete file and your clinic's approval |
| Cleared | File approved under your policy. EMR access set up. | A planned shift with time for orientation | A first shift on an ordinary day |
| Worked once | Has finished one shift. You've recorded whether you'd book them again. | Planned shifts | A second offer soon after the first |
| Returning | Has worked several shifts and accepts offers. | Planned and short-notice shifts | Regular offers and a current file |
Only the last two stages help with a gap that opens this week. The first two decide how many clinicians reach them.
Count the locum pipeline by role and by stage
Keep one count for each role you schedule at each site: physician, NP, PA, RN and MA. A single total hides the problem. Six cleared physicians don't help when the MA calls out.
Look for zeros. A role with no one in the "worked once" or "returning" stage means the next gap in that role starts with a clinician who is new to your clinic. A role with one returning clinician depends on that person's calendar.
Where clinicians stall in the pipeline
Interested to cleared. A file stays open because a document was requested late or nobody was named to approve it. Send the full list of what you need in one message, and name the approver and a backup. Urgent care locum credentialing covers the checks and who they apply to.
Cleared to worked once. A clinician is approved and then never offered a shift. Their documents get older, and some expire before the first booking. Offer a first shift soon after approval, and choose an ordinary day so the orientation isn't rushed.
Worked once to returning. The first shift ends and nobody follows up. Before the clinician leaves, tell them which shifts are coming open and ask which days they prefer. Record both. What locum turnover costs a clinic covers what brings a clinician back.
Returning to gone. A license or certification expires, the clinician moves, or you stop contacting them. Check expiration dates each time you rebook, and offer returning clinicians planned shifts as well as urgent ones.
Plan the pipeline backward from known gaps
Some gaps are on the calendar already: approved leave, a resignation with a notice period, the weeks that ran above your staffing last year, new hours you plan to open. List each one with its role and its date.
Then work backward from the date:
- The gap needs a clinician who has already worked one shift at your clinic.
- That first shift has to happen before the gap, on a normal day.
- Your review has to finish before the first shift.
- The posting has to go out before the review can start.
Use your own records for how long your review takes. If a known gap is closer than that, only clinicians in the last two stages can cover it, and the count from the section above tells you whether you have any.
Give the locum pipeline an owner and a monthly review
A pipeline that one manager keeps in memory is lost when that manager leaves. Keep it in a shared record with each clinician's role, stage, sites, last shift date, expiration dates and preferred days.
Assign one person to own it. The job doesn't need to be full-time. Once a month, that person reviews:
- The count by role and stage, and how it changed
- Who moved forward, and who has been in the same stage since the last review
- Which documents expire in the next two months
- The known gaps for the next quarter, set against the returning clinicians for each role
The review should end with actions: a file to finish, a first shift to offer, a renewal to request.
When a locum pipeline isn't worth building
Clearing a clinician takes staff time whether or not that clinician ever works a shift. A clinic that needs outside coverage a few times a year can spend more on the pipeline than it gets back. In that case, use a staffing source that already holds clinician files, and accept a longer lead time for each new clinician.
A traditional agency also does something a pipeline doesn't: a recruiter searches for clinicians on your behalf. If you want someone else to do the search, that's what the agency's fee pays for. Read your agreement before you rebook an agency's clinician directly, because some agreements restrict it. What to read in a staffing agency contract covers that clause.
If you plan to engage the clinicians in your last stage directly, building an urgent care float pool covers the cost, the rate card and the sizing.
Rediworks is a self-service marketplace for urgent care locum shifts. You post the clinician type, dates and shift details yourself, and clinicians apply with a credential wallet they've already built. Sign up to post shifts.