Locums.ca is an unique website started by locum physicians in BC. Our goal is to provide an easy online solution for locums and hiring physicians, clinics and hospitals to find each other. We now include ads for locum, permanent and walk-in clinic positions for GPs and specialists. Your ad will be viewed daily by hundreds of physicians looking for jobs and emailed to over 1,000 locum members weekly. We have the best success rates with ads in BC, but we are expanding across Canada and many specialist and IMGs have also joined.

All ads are online for 3 months.

GP / Family Physicians - $35
Specialists - $50
Walk-in Clinics (includes online calendar) - $100

1. Sign up for a Job Poster account.
2. Fill in the detailed online job ad form.
3. Pay online through our secure payment system (quick activation) or by cheque.
4. Your ad will be viewable online and sent to over 1,000 Locum Members in the weekly email newsletter.
5. You can edit your ad anytime through your account.

Physicians are in high demand throughout Canada and it can be tough to recruit and compete. Even though an attractive ad can help, we cannot guarantee success, especially during peak times (e.g. summer and holidays) and in rural areas. Here are some tips:

• Complete the form
  Put as much information as you can on the ad form. The form is designed by locums and has the information that physicians want when deciding on a job. With so many offers out there, it is crucial that you be descriptive and give potential locums a good sense of what the job will be like. Ads with scant or incomplete information do poorly. The good news is with Locums.ca, there is no limit on word count and you can even include a photo and your practice website.
• Put your best offer upfront
  The financial section of the job ad is the most viewed and important part of the ad. Unless the position is funded at a fixed rate, the locum "market" responds like any free market with high demand and low supply - the highest offers will tend to attract the most physicians. So it is critical that you offer competitive remuneration terms with a guaranteed minimum especially during summer and holidays. Do not leave blank or put "Negotiable" in the guaranteed minimum section - our experience is that this will lead to very little or no responses. That said, the reality is that some practices find it difficult to afford competitive terms (part-time, low volume, etc.) - read on for other ways to attract locums.
• Be flexible about your dates and job duties
  Offer flexible dates (e.g. any 2 weeks in July or August) and schedule choices. If you can, take vacation during off-peak periods as it's much easier to find locums outside of traditional holidays. Arrange with colleagues to cover some of your job duties (e.g. on call) if possible so it'll be optional for locums to take on. Note that GP obstetrics is actually quite popular so do advertise it prominently if that is part of your practice (but again, make it optional if possible).
• Offer incentives
  There are many ways to attract physicians besides having competitive remuneration. Most physicians would rank "pleasant work setting" as equally important so be descriptive about the job and highlight the positive attributes of the practice and surrounding area. Urban centers tend to be more popular as that is where most locums live so suburban and rural areas may need to be more creative. One struggling rural site offered free heli-skiing and received a surprisingly large response! One locum was so touched by a "welcome fruit basket" that he returned to work there many times. Remember to make an effort to welcome the physician into the community - that will ensure that the physician will return and give good word-of-mouth to fellow locums.
• Provide references
  This is obvious but often overlooked. Ask previous locums and colleagues to provide references. Better yet, have them submit Practice Reviews that can be attached to your ad.

No. Locums.ca is not a recruiting service and we protect the privacy of our locum members. We send our locums weekly emails of new jobs so your ad gets directly emailed to all our members. We do not collect any fees from physicians or other third parties. Please contact us if you receive any solicitations by recruiters.

What are the prevailing “market rates” for locums?

For urban areas, the in-office billing percentage start at 65% and minimums start at $600/day and $75-100/hour. That translates to about seeing 25-30 patients per day, which is reasonable within a family practice setting especially with the GPSC incentives (in BC).

For suburban areas, many practices offer higher percentage splits and minimums to compensate for the commuting time because why would locums drive for long distances if they can make the same income close to home? That said, suburban practices tend to be busier so most can afford to offer more generous rates.

Minimums and rates are dictated by market conditions (supply and demand) and they are steadily going up because of the increasing shortage of physicians in general, as well as competition from positions offering sessional rates, e.g. hospitalists and government-funded clinics, which are currently $112 per hour in BC.

For rural locums, the rates vary widely but good benchmarks are the rural locum programs, which are offering between $750 and over $1,000 per day, with on-call incentives thrown on top. Transportation and accommodation are also provided.

What if I cannot afford to offer a competitive minimum? 

For short-term locum requests (less than 2 weeks), low-volume, or part-time practices, the reality is that it is even more difficult to get a locum. Locums tend not to accept these positions because of lower earnings. Also, most of these practices find it hard to offer a competitive guaranteed minimums. Here are some suggestions:

If in a group practice, try to coordinate so that the locum can cover 2 physicians who are going away at the same time. if in a solo practice, give the locum the choice to cover part-time (e.g. 3 days per week or 5 half-days), or see if there is another practice nearby that needs coverage so the locum can fill his/her days covering 2 practices

• Remember that overhead costs can be reimbursed from the BCMA CME Fund if you are away for courses. Doctors can claim up to $300 for each full office day missed. This is more than adequate to cover for any minimum short-fall you may have to pay a locum.
• PDF In BC, new GPSC fees for full service family practices should provide increased annual revenue to help GPs attract and afford locum coverage.

Why are locums asking more for form fees and out-of-office billings? 

Out-of-office work (e.g. housecalls, phone calls while on-call, nursing home visits, ER shifts) by definition does not cost any office overhead. They may actually cost the locum because of driving costs and cell phone charges. Most practices give 100% to the locum.

Most forms and 3rd party paperwork such as insurance forms take locums longer to complete because they do not know the patients. Often the locum has to stay after hours to do the forms. Many offices charge form fees at rates below what is recommended in the fee guide, and some do not even charge anything.

If you want to come back to a cleared desk and minimal paperwork backlog, consider paying your locum more for forms & medico-legal reports (most practices offer 80 - 100%)- worth the extra and generates good will for the locum to return or recommend your practice. Otherwise, for short-term locums, you can instruct the locum to leave such paperwork for yourself to complete when you return.

Why should locums be paid on billings submitted versus billings paid? 

This issue is relevant in BC as locums assign their billings to the physician/clinic they are working for. It is much easier to pay your locum on full billings submitted rather than wait for MSP & other payers to remit the full amounts. You will not have to write multiple cheques after waiting for payments since WCB and ICBC are notorious for being late. It is very difficult for locums to chase down any remaining owed to them from multiple clinics, especially for relatively small amounts, but these can add up to be a substantial loss throughout the course of a year. However, for a physician who contracts a locum for only a few weeks per year, any bad debts and lost billings are much less significant on their overall practice income.

Not offering to pay on full billings submitted will definitely make your practice a lot less attractive to locums.

How about long-term locums (>3 m) and maternity leaves? 

For long-term locums such as maternity leave, consider offering a trial period of 1 to 3 weeks since some locums may be wary of accepting an unknown practice for many months right away because of previous negative experiences. This is a good way to test out whether it would be a good fit for both parties. Some practices offer an “overhead ceiling” amount or sliding scale to make the position more attractive. For practices eligible for GPSC incentives, consider splitting these incentives with your locum if they are caring for your patients for a significant length of time.

How can I make sure my patients will come in to see the locum? 

Make an effort to ensure that your locum will be busy while you are gone. Remember, the more patients a locum sees, the more you get to cover your practice overhead. Some tips:

• In the weeks before you leave, tell your patients who need follow-up to see your locum instead of waiting for your return.
• Instruct your receptionist to book enough patients for the locum period. It is important that your staff conveys to patients that they should come in to see the locum instead of offering appointments for when you return.

What can I do to ensure my locum will have a good experience & want to return to my practice? 

Remember: locums are unfamiliar with your practice and office setting. To facilitate a positive experience, consider the following:

• Leave instruction & sign-off sheets - inform your locum about difficult or complicated patients that may need follow-up, narcotics patients, emergency kit & supplies, list of specialists you usually refer to in the area, or any special on-call arrangements.
• Have experienced staff work with the locum. Most of the time, locums rely heavily on the office staff to show them the ropes and how the office is run. There is nothing worse than having both the doctor and the usual staff away at the same time.
• Don't forget to make sure your office has up-to-date ER equipment/meds & all your staff knows where it is kept.
• If you belong to a call group, change with other physicians or do extra call so the locum does not have to. However, if you happen to be one of the lucky ones who gets paid for doing call, some locums may be willing for the extra income.
• If you want to come back to a cleared desk and minimal paperwork backlog, consider paying your locum more for forms and other 3rd party forms (most practices offer 80 - 100%)- worth the extra!
• Most importantly, pay your locum promptly and on full billings. Contact your locum within a week for any patient concerns and feedback about your practice. This will provide you with useful details of the locum's perception of your practice and interest in doing future locums for you.
• Have a signed contract PRIOR to your locum starting to avoid misunderstandings and keep the relationship professional.