Date Added: November 27, 2013 01:12:41 AM

According to the Orlando Business Journal, the Orlando Regional Medical Center will begin a new program on May 1, 2012, that will see the hospital increase its staff of dedicated physicians, also known as hospitalists. The program follows two successful pilot programs already completed at fellow Orlando Health facilities South Seminole Hospital and Dr. P. Phillips Hospital. Currently, Orlando Health employs some 60 hospitalists across its entire system; that number is slated to increase by 10 with the start of the new program.

According to hospital officials, increasing the number of full-time hospitalist jobs will improve patient care, simply because more physicians will be on staff. The increased staff means fewer patients per doctor and the availability of full staffing 24 hours per day. It is a trend that is slowly but surely growing across the United States.

Appeal of Hospitalist Jobs

From the physician's perspective, hospitalist jobs are inviting for a number of reasons. First and foremost, physicians can work a more consistent schedule. The hospitalist doctor doesn't have the same unpredictable schedule as the primary care physician, nor does he have a practice to maintain. He is able to go to work every day, see and treat his patients and leave the business end of things to the hospital. That in itself is a relief to physicians who hate the business side of private practice most about their jobs.

The second appeal of hospitalist jobs is the opportunity for physicians to really broaden their horizons. In a private practice, physicians are typically monopolized by a small minority of their patients who routinely come in for all sorts of reasons, both necessary and unnecessary. It can be a very monotonous routine for a doctor who sees nothing but runny noses, strep throat and the like. A hospitalist physician, however, will see cases that run the gamut from broken bones to major illnesses to potentially life-threatening conditions. A constantly changing spectrum is a challenge many hospitalist physicians love.

The Locum Tenens Hospitalist

For the locum tenens physician, the only downside to the new program in Orlando is the fact that Orlando Health will be limiting the number of hospitalist jobs they fill with temporary staff. If you are one of the locum tenens who has worked regularly in Orlando, you may find that assignments in the system's three facilities will be fewer and farther between. However, there are plenty of other institutions around the country making full use of locum tenens to fill their open hospitalist jobs.

Any way you look at it, there is plenty of work available at big and small facilities around the country. Wherever there are hospitals, clinics and private practices, there will be a need for locum tenens physicians. And as healthcare continues to evolve, these physicians are increasingly are playing a more pivotal role in making sure patients get the care they need.

Search for great Hospitalist Jobs and general healthcare employment opportunities at CompHealth. New healthcare and locum tenens job listings are posted daily.