A brief break during a busy Monday morning in London offers the opportunity to make a new acquaintance. I leave my still unfamiliar testing room to meet a smartly dressed fellow clinician, he is like myself a locum optometrist. The increasing frequency of such occasions leads me to believe the number of clinicians choosing self-employment is rising. But what is the appeal of becoming a locum optometrist?
Perhaps it is better to first understand who we are in order to comprehend why we’ve chosen to take on this lifestyle. All too often I’ve overheard myself described as ‘the locum’. A title which somehow portrays a certain hollowness in the person it describes. In fact, we are like many of our colleagues; passionate optometrists.
Self-employed practice will appeal to each optometrist in a differing form as it can offer varied benefits. Take independence as one of these beneficial elements. Many locum optometrists may have made the switch from residency as they crave having the opportunity to manage their own diary and organise spare time that would have them pursue other interests. But it is also worth noting that residents may well not want to take a leap for ‘freedom’ of this sort but instead enjoy the benefit of routine and reap the reward of a structured lifestyle. I’m drawn to think of the example of myself and my younger brother, a recently qualified resident optometrist. While my joy may lie in riding the rails to a new city and practice every morning, his is to make the customary 8:30am coffee and head upstairs to settle into a familiar consulting room. Each to their own.
Often I’m asked whether the daily tasks of a locum optometrist differ greatly to residency. Conduct a quick Google search to define an optometrist and a short answer is given: ‘a person who practises optometry’. Although the answer may not have been given in as depth and charming a fashion as a clinician would like, it does help us remember the job task is essentially the same.
So if taking on self-employed status does not involve a great deal of change in the primary nature of the job, then the secondary elements may well play a part in swaying towards becoming a locum optometrist. This involves the testing environment. The chance to try out new equipment and analyse new data. If lucky, the locum clinician may well find themselves playing with the latest gadget Bill Harvey has reviewed and experience his excitement for themselves. After all, why should he have all the fun?
When deciding to make a transition to varied self-employed practice, it is wise to discuss and consider the impact on continuity. If Mr J Doe MCOptom has been practicing in a resident position for the last 17 years, perhaps the patients have grown accustomed to him and vice versa. In cases such as this, it would certainly make transitioning away from residency less likely the winning decision.
[CaptionComponent="2486"]Although we are all competent and the next clinician shall be as great as the last, continuity does undoubtedly help in improving patient experience as well as job satisfaction. A greater sense of accomplishment, however, is not limited to residency and can be achieved from taking on a locum booking; for example, being called upon to practice in an area which is limited in its optometrist numbers.
I recently came away from a block booking in the south west of the country, where there are not so many optometrists, feeling that my locum presence there as a clinician had helped the community who may have waited weeks to see an optometrist.
Job satisfaction is also of course measured through interaction with the practice team and professional relationships. This perhaps may be more difficult for ‘the locum’ to strengthen unless they are a regular feature. However, if you hold to the theory that variety is the spice of life, then self-employment is the perfect opportunity to pursue.
On to the elephant in the room; remuneration. Many of my resident friends hold a Scrooge McDuck image of the self-employed optometrist swimming in gold coins. But is this really the case? It is difficult to know as in Britain we’re naturally so coy when discussing this sort of subject. In my experience, sacrifice of paid holidays, company pension and benefits actually result in little financial incentive. The decision to go self-employed must be about more than just remuneration.
After having worked for a diverse range of practices from the multiple to the little independent tucked away between a hipster coffee shop and a vintage clothing store, I’m thrilled to be able report only great experiences and would certainly recommend practicing in this way. Essentially however, it does certainly depend on the individual and what would give them the greatest sense of comfort and satisfaction. For me, it’s onto the next city.