He’s blunt with early‑career physicians who eye locums purely for the paycheck.

“Don’t do it just for the money,” he said. “You’ll need to be flexible, self‑aware, internally driven, and humble enough to learn each site’s culture fast. But if you are—and if your purpose is clear—there’s real joy here.

“I’ve been called to do this work and still feel drawn to it. For now, this is my purpose.”

Variety Meets Consistency

Dr. McGann

Kevin McGann, DO, wanted the variety of locums but with the support and cultural consistency of a single organization.

Envision’s Envoy Clinical Travel Program is an internal travel team that supplies physicians to Envision contracts with surges, vacancies, or brand‑new launches.

There are two traditional options when it comes to hiring physicians, Dr. McGann said. You can take your sweet time to hire a permanent physician for a traditional role, or you can rent a physician sight unseen to fill a gap. One is slow. The other is risky. This pushed Envision to formalize what Dr. McGann had been doing informally for years.

An Envoy employee interviews every clinician, pairs operations staff with practicing physician leaders, then builds long‑term relationships.

“Money isn’t enough to prevent burnout,” he said. “People need to feel known, supported, and part of a team—even if they’re on the road.”

Because Envoy doctors are already wired for mobility, the group also runs a Disaster Response Team that has deployed to hurricanes, COVID-19 surges in Texas, and six months of round‑the‑clock care for Afghan refugees at Holloman Air Force Base.

“We’re used to living out of a suitcase, adapting fast, and practicing with whatever resources are available,” Dr. McGann said. “That makes us useful when the country calls.”

ACEP’s Locum Tenens Section

Dr. Goldsmith

Jamila Goldsmith, MD, FACEP, likes the idea of flexibility, autonomy—and, yes, having a schedule that works for a mom.

“An ER is an ER everywhere—the foundations don’t change,” said Dr. Goldsmith, the chair of ACEP’s Locum Tenens Section. “What changes is the backdrop: new teams, new electronic medical records (EMRs), new workflows. Your core job is still the same—build trust fast with patients and with staff so the shift runs smoothly.”

Dr. Goldsmith said many who reach out to the section are looking to buy back their time—to be paid fairly for the work they do, set firmer personal boundaries, and rediscover the parts of emergency medicine that they love. As a mother of a 4‑year‑old, Dr. Goldsmith’s unapologetically structured.