Locum, Not Just a Phase: Why Emergency Consultants Are Choosing Long-Term Locum Work Over Staff Specialist Roles
By Jacob Hawkins, Head of Locum Recruitment Team
For years, locum work in Emergency Medicine was seen as a gap filler; something you did between fellowships, during burnout, or while “figuring out your next move.”
But that narrative is outdated.
Across Australia, a growing number of Emergency Medicine Consultants are deliberately choosing long-term locum careers instead of traditional staff specialist contracts, and they’re doing it for good reasons: flexibility, income potential, autonomy, and sustainability.
If you’ve ever wondered whether locum work could genuinely replace a permanent ED consultant role long-term, the short answer is: yes... and for many doctors, it already has.
The Changing Reality of Emergency Medicine Careers in Australia
The traditional staff specialist pathway once promised stability, progression and work-life balance. In reality, many consultants now experience:
- Rigid rosters with little control
- Increasing non-clinical load
- Burnout from understaffed departments
- Limited earning upside despite seniority
Meanwhile, the demand for experienced Emergency Physicians across Australia, metro, regional and rural has never been higher. That demand has fundamentally changed what locum work looks like.
Locum Emergency Medicine is no longer just ad-hoc shifts. Many consultants now work as
full-time locums, building consistent, well-paid careers across multiple sites while maintaining far more control over their time and energy.
Flexibility: The Biggest Advantage Staff Contracts Can’t Match
Flexibility isn’t just about taking time off; it’s about owning your career.
As a locum Emergency Consultant, you choose:
- When you work (blocks, seasons, or regular rotations)
- Where you work (metro trauma centres, regional hubs, coastal hospitals)
- How much you work (intense bursts or sustainable pacing)
Want to work hard for six months, then take eight weeks off?
Prefer school-term contracts or FIFO-style blocks?
Need to step back temporarily without a career penalty?
That level of control simply doesn’t exist in most permanent staff roles.
For many consultants, this flexibility is what makes locum work sustainable for the long haul, not just attractive in the short term.
Higher Income Potential... With Transparency
Let’s talk numbers.
While staff specialist roles offer predictable salaries, they often come with:
- Unpaid overtime
- Additional admin responsibilities
- Limited scope to increase earnings
Locum Emergency Medicine, by contrast, offers:
- Higher hourly or daily rates
- Paid for every shift worked
- Uplifted rates for nights, weekends and urgent cover
- No “extra duties” baked into your contract
Many full-time locum Emergency Consultants earn more annually than their permanent counterparts, even while working fewer weeks of the year.
When travel and accommodation are covered, which is common in regional and rural roles, the take-home difference becomes even more compelling.
Career Longevity and Burnout Prevention
Emergency Medicine is intense. A sustainable career isn’t about pushing harder — it’s about recovering better.
- Long-term locum work allows consultants to:
- Rotate between different departments and case mixes
- Step away before burnout sets in
- Avoid the cumulative fatigue of endless roster pressure
- Maintain clinical sharpness without administrative overload
Many consultants find they practise better medicine as locums; more present, more engaged, and less exhausted.
Ironically, stepping off the “permanent treadmill” often leads to longer careers in Emergency Medicine, not shorter ones.
Professional Variety Without Career Stagnation
A common concern is whether long-term locum work limits career development.
In reality, locum Emergency Physicians often gain:
- Broader clinical exposure across multiple health systems
- Experience in diverse ED models (private, public, regional, tertiary)
- Stronger adaptability and leadership skills
- Valuable insight into what good departments actually look like
Many consultants also maintain:
- Teaching roles
- Governance interests
- Medicolegal or education portfolios
Locum doesn’t mean disengaged... it means intentional.
“But Isn’t Locum Work Unstable?”
This is one of the biggest misconceptions.
For Emergency Medicine Consultants, demand is consistent and nationwide. Many doctors now:
- Return to the same hospitals year after year
- Work rolling contracts across preferred sites
- Build long-term relationships with departments and recruiters
With the right agency, locum work becomes predictable, reliable, and well supported, not chaotic.
Why the Right Recruiter Matters
Long-term locum careers only work if the logistics work.
At Blugibbon, the focus is on:
- Long-term relationships, not one-off shifts
- Honest conversations about sustainability
- Consistent work options that fit your life stage
- Removing admin, compliance and payroll friction
Whether you’re exploring full-time locum Emergency Medicine, transitioning away from a staff specialist role, or simply wanting more control, the goal is the same: a career that works for you, not the other way around.
Locum as a Career, Not a Compromise
Locum Emergency Medicine is no longer a fallback option. For many Australian Emergency Consultants, it’s a deliberate, strategic career choice; offering flexibility, financial upside, and longevity in a demanding specialty.
If the traditional staff specialist model no longer fits your life, it may not be you that’s the problem... it may be the model.
And locum work might just be the sustainable alternative you’ve been overlooking.
Thinking about what long-term locum Emergency Medicine could look like for you?
Explore current Emergency Consultant locum roles across Australia at blugibbon.com.au or have a confidential conversation with a recruiter who actually understands Emergency Medicine.
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