How To Make Locums Work For You: Income, Flexibility and Legacy
Thinking about locum tenens but not sure where to start? In this Doctors Eyes Only episode, Vestia Partner & CEO Lauren Oschman, CFP®, CDFA® sits down with Ian M. Thompson III, MD, MBA, a third-generation urologist and founder of Urology Locums, to demystify how locums really works for physicians. They cover when locums makes sense, how contracts are structured (flat day rates vs. base plus callback), what hospitals actually pay, and how to protect your value when agencies insert big margins. Dr. Thompson also shares the administrative realities he sees on the hospital side and why the best programs are designed for physician autonomy.
You will hear practical guidance for financial planning for physicians: treating 1099 income like a real business, lining up malpractice and an LLC, understanding AR and collections timelines, and partnering with the right tax and financial team. The conversation explores how locums can help physicians pay down medical school debt faster, test markets before a permanent move, bridge a job gap, and even reshape physician retirement planning by reclaiming time now instead of deferring all joy to “someday.”
If you have wondered whether you need an agency, what “name-clearing” traps to avoid, or how to negotiate confidently, this episode is your field guide. Learn how a physician-led locums model can improve access to care and pay doctors fairly from a urologist-founder who built it.
To find more information about Ian M. Thompson MD and Urology Locums, https://www.urologylocums.com/about-us