Choosing a locum agency or platform.

Three ways to find locum work

Each model works differently, and the questions worth asking depend on which one you're looking at.

• Traditional agenciesRecruiter-driven and relationship-based. A recruiter sources clinicians, presents shifts, and negotiates placements, and the rate is commonly discussed after a recruiter call.
• Job boardsListing sites where shifts are posted and clinicians apply. Credentialing, contracts, and payment usually happen off the board, through whoever posted the listing.
• Self-service platformsSystems where the clinician signs up, builds a credential file, and applies to shifts inside the platform, without a recruiter in between. Rediworks is in this category.

What to compare

The posted rate is one term among several. These others change what a year of locum work pays and costs you.

• Pay transparencyIs the rate visible before you commit? Are differentials and bonuses written into the agreement?
• Credentialing portabilityDoes your credential file move with you, or do you start over at every new facility?
• Credentialing statusCan you see where your file stands and which item is holding it, without asking someone?
• Malpractice handlingWho carries coverage during your shifts, at what limits, on a claims-made or occurrence form, and who pays for tail.
• Cancellation policyWhat happens when you cancel, and what happens when the facility cancels.
• Pay triggerWhat has to happen after a shift before you're paid.
• Exit termsRestrictive covenants, non-solicits, and non-competes that limit your later work.

Costs beyond the rate

The rate isn't the only term that affects what you keep.

• Cancellation feesCharges for cancelling a shift. The agreement says when they apply and how much they are.
• Tail coverageWhen a claims-made policy ends, someone pays for tail. The contract says who.
• Restrictive covenantsA non-compete that blocks you from another platform or a direct relationship with a facility limits where you can earn later.

Questions to ask

Ask for the answers in writing.

• Is the pay rate shown before I hand over my details?If the rate depends on what they learn about you first, it isn't a posted rate.
• Are the malpractice coverage details in writing?Named insured, limits, form, and tail responsibility.
• What agreement will I sign, and when do I get to read it?You should be able to read the full agreement before you accept it.

Checking what you're told

Check what you're told against what's in writing.

• Read the privacy policyIt should say what's collected, who it's shared with, how long it's kept, and how you delete it.
• Look for reviews the platform doesn't controlLook for what clinicians in your role say in forums and professional groups the platform doesn't run.
• Confirm certifications independentlyIf a platform claims a certification or membership, the organization that grants it usually publishes a list. Check there.

What to watch for

Any one of these is a reason to slow down and get the terms in writing.

• A rate quoted only in conversationA rate that was never written down can change.
• Pressure to sign quicklyYou need time to read the terms.
• Restrictive covenants with vague scope or geographyAn attorney can tell you what a covenant would mean in your state.

Where Rediworks fits, and where it doesn't

Rediworks is a self-service platform for urgent care shifts. The rate is on the listing, you build a credential wallet once and reuse it at every Rediworks facility, and you apply in the platform with no recruiter in between.

That fits clinicians who want to judge shifts on rate, location, and facility for themselves. A traditional agency is the better fit if you want a recruiter who negotiates for you or handles travel and housing.

Ask Rediworks the same questions you'd ask anyone else.