• Physician mentorship
Find Your Ozita: Why Physicians Need a Roadmap
Dr. William Cooper on the cousin who showed him a path into medicine and why the most useful guide may be only a few steps ahead.
Read the story →PRIME Health Professionals Network
PRIME Health Professionals Blog
Practical perspective for physicians considering locum tenens.
Written from the books and practice of Dr. William A. Cooper, a cardiothoracic surgeon who left institutional medicine for independent work. Each piece covers one decision physicians actually face: what to ask before accepting coverage, how rates are set, what credentialing rewards, and which terms belong in writing.
All articles
Every article
18
Dr. William A. CooperAdaptability for Independent Physicians: Learn the Hospital Without Lowering StandardsDr. Cooper’s perspective on unfamiliar equipment, institutional knowledge, earned trust, and the skills that help expertise travel.
17Dr. William A. CooperYour First Locum Assignment Should Be Operationally PredictableA first-assignment checklist for scope, case mix, call, backup, privileges, orientation, and recovery.
16Dr. William A. CooperWaiting on a Locum Assignment? Find Who Owns the Next DecisionFive questions that make an assignment handoff clearer, from submission through credentialing and onboarding.
15Dr. William A. CooperWhy Hospitals Pay Premium Locum Rates: Understand the Coverage ProblemDr. Cooper’s perspective on service-line continuity, plus questions physicians can ask before interpreting a high rate as a good assignment.
14Dr. William A. CooperLocum Agencies or Direct Contracting: Compare the Work Behind the RateA practical way to compare agency support, direct contracting responsibilities, scope, and the total assignment—not just one headline number.
13
Dr. William A. Cooper
Find Your Ozita: Why Physicians Need a RoadmapThe near-peer guidance that turns an inspiring possibility into a path someone can follow.
12
Dr. William A. Cooper
Physician Burnout: Where Personal Agency Still MattersWhy systems accountability and deliberate personal career choices must exist together.
11
Dr. William A. Cooper
Build a High-Earning Locum Tenens CareerWhy adaptability, relationships, readiness, and total assignment economics matter more than chasing one headline rate.
09
Dr. William A. Cooper
Why I Chose Locum TenensA cardiothoracic surgeon on leaving employed medicine, and the moment he heard how his own objection sounded.
Dr. William A. CooperAdaptability for Independent Physicians: Learn the Hospital Without Lowering StandardsDr. Cooper’s perspective on unfamiliar equipment, institutional knowledge, earned trust, and the skills that help expertise travel.
17Dr. William A. CooperYour First Locum Assignment Should Be Operationally PredictableA first-assignment checklist for scope, case mix, call, backup, privileges, orientation, and recovery.
16Dr. William A. CooperWaiting on a Locum Assignment? Find Who Owns the Next DecisionFive questions that make an assignment handoff clearer, from submission through credentialing and onboarding.
15Dr. William A. CooperWhy Hospitals Pay Premium Locum Rates: Understand the Coverage ProblemDr. Cooper’s perspective on service-line continuity, plus questions physicians can ask before interpreting a high rate as a good assignment.
14Dr. William A. CooperLocum Agencies or Direct Contracting: Compare the Work Behind the RateA practical way to compare agency support, direct contracting responsibilities, scope, and the total assignment—not just one headline number.
13
Dr. William A. Cooper
Find Your Ozita: Why Physicians Need a RoadmapThe near-peer guidance that turns an inspiring possibility into a path someone can follow.
12
Dr. William A. Cooper
Physician Burnout: Where Personal Agency Still MattersWhy systems accountability and deliberate personal career choices must exist together.
11
Dr. William A. Cooper
Build a High-Earning Locum Tenens CareerWhy adaptability, relationships, readiness, and total assignment economics matter more than chasing one headline rate.
09
Dr. William A. Cooper
Why I Chose Locum TenensA cardiothoracic surgeon on leaving employed medicine, and the moment he heard how his own objection sounded.
10
Illustrative image
The Biggest Myth About Locum TenensIt is not a fallback for a career that went sideways. What it costs, what you stay accountable for, and who it fits.
01
Illustrative image
Locum Tenens Is a Tool, Not a DestinationA deliberate framework for using locum work at a defined career stage.
02
Illustrative image
Your Medical License Is Professional Capital, Not Just a Job QualificationA source-backed look at the portable professional assets physicians bring to independent work.
03
Illustrative image
Scope Before Rate: Five Questions to Ask Before Accepting Locum CoverageThe assignment questions that give workload, risk, and compensation useful context.
04
Illustrative image
Why Your Locum Rate Is More Structural Than NegotiableHow the staffing structure shapes a physician’s rate conversation.
05
Illustrative image
The Invisible Locum Staffing Pipeline: What Happens Before Your First ShiftA physician-oriented map of the operational path that precedes an assignment.
06
Illustrative image
Stop Sending the 40-Page CV: Build a Locums Brief Decision-Makers Can UseA practical distinction between a complete career record and a usable assignment brief.
07
Illustrative image
Credentialing Readiness Is a Competitive Advantage for Locum PhysiciansA practical view of the documentation habits that support professional readiness.
08
Illustrative image
If It Is Not Written, It Is Not a Term: The Locum Agreement Questions Physicians Cannot Leave VerbalThe material agreement topics physicians should identify before coverage begins.
Illustrative image
The Biggest Myth About Locum TenensIt is not a fallback for a career that went sideways. What it costs, what you stay accountable for, and who it fits.
01
Illustrative image
Locum Tenens Is a Tool, Not a DestinationA deliberate framework for using locum work at a defined career stage.
02
Illustrative image
Your Medical License Is Professional Capital, Not Just a Job QualificationA source-backed look at the portable professional assets physicians bring to independent work.
03
Illustrative image
Scope Before Rate: Five Questions to Ask Before Accepting Locum CoverageThe assignment questions that give workload, risk, and compensation useful context.
04
Illustrative image
Why Your Locum Rate Is More Structural Than NegotiableHow the staffing structure shapes a physician’s rate conversation.
05
Illustrative image
The Invisible Locum Staffing Pipeline: What Happens Before Your First ShiftA physician-oriented map of the operational path that precedes an assignment.
06
Illustrative image
Stop Sending the 40-Page CV: Build a Locums Brief Decision-Makers Can UseA practical distinction between a complete career record and a usable assignment brief.
07
Illustrative image
Credentialing Readiness Is a Competitive Advantage for Locum PhysiciansA practical view of the documentation habits that support professional readiness.
08
Illustrative image
If It Is Not Written, It Is Not a Term: The Locum Agreement Questions Physicians Cannot Leave VerbalThe material agreement topics physicians should identify before coverage begins.