Types of Temporary Healthcare Positions

Healthcare facilities have ever-fluctuating needs and they rely on healthcare staffing agencies to help meet demand quickly. There are a variety of temporary healthcare positions available for professionals, practitioners, and medical support staff in nearly every field, and temporary work can be a great way to build a career in the industry.

Why Choose a Temporary Healthcare Position?

Many healthcare professionals make an entire career out of working temporary assignments through a healthcare employment agency. They choose this path because it offers a great deal of variety and flexibility.  As a temporary healthcare worker, you can choose the assignments you want and it is possible to take off for a few days, or even a few weeks between assignments to recharge.

Temporary healthcare professionals also like the variety that comes with the work. They get to experience different work environments, different departments in hospitals and meet new people all the time. For self-starters who are outgoing, passionate about what they do and want a little more flexibility and control, temporary work can be an ideal choice.

Why Are Temporary Healthcare Positions Available?

Hospitals and healthcare facilities must maintain very strict ratios of healthcare providers to patients. These facilities rely on medical staffing agencies to help them overcome challenges like:

  • Patient census fluctuation
  • Family, medical and maternity leave
  • Staffing shortages
  • Last-minute call-offs
  • Recent turnover
  • Newly created positions
  • Salary budget restrictions
  • Specialized needs

Types of Temporary Healthcare Positions

There are a variety of temporary healthcare positions available to professionals:

  • Temporary-to-Hire: Healthcare workers sign on for a contract term that can range in length. At the end of the term, the employer may extend an offer for full-time employment. Temporary-to-hire lets both the facility and the healthcare professional determine fit before making a commitment.
  • Per Diem: Per diem means “by the day” and these assignments are incredibly short term – a day or a few days. Facilities use per diem workers when patient census rises unexpectedly or when a critical staff member must take off at the last minute. Per diem jobs are typically for nurses and medical support professionals.
  • Locum Tenens: Locum Tenens is Latin for “place holder.” This is essentially per diem work for physicians and other practitioners. They fill in at a facility when another physician or practitioner must take off unexpectedly or when the facility is experiencing an unexpected rise in patient census.
  • Short-Term Temporary: Ranging from three to six months, these assignments help facilities stay fully staffed if they are facing challenges like higher patient census, opening a new facility, etc.
  • Long-Term Temporary: From six months or longer, these assignments help facilities meet the changing demands.

Are You Looking for Temporary Healthcare Positions in Ontario?

If you are a healthcare professional looking for temporary positions in Ontario, the healthcare staffing experts at Employment Professionals Canada want to hear from you. Browse our current job openings or contact us today to learn more.