# Brits: what does "working as a locum" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479 "2017-01-06T19:56:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/1 "2017-01-06T19:56:25Z")
From a newspaper report about a man who was “working as a locum [no ital] at hospitals.” From \*locum tenens \*,I presume…a temp job? Is it only used for doctors–if I am understanding it correctly? Is this Anglo-wide? Certainly is not heard or used in USA. See [Blind man straps a camera to his guide dog to capture the daily abuse he is subjected to | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4090738/Blind-ex-doctor-37-straps-camera-guide-dog-capture-daily-abuse-subjected-rush-hour-commuters.html). ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/2 "2017-01-06T19:59:17Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > From a newspaper report about a man who was “working as a locum [no ital] at hospitals.” From \*locum tenens \*,I presume…a temp job? Is it only used for doctors–if I am understanding it correctly? > > Is this Anglo-wide? Certainly is not heard or used in USA. > > See [Blind man straps a camera to his guide dog to capture the daily abuse he is subjected to | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4090738/Blind-ex-doctor-37-straps-camera-guide-dog-capture-daily-abuse-subjected-rush-hour-commuters.html). Here’s an article about the term being used in the USA > **[About locum tenens physician staffing - LocumTenens.com](https://www.locumtenens.com/about-us/what-is-locum-tenens/)** > > LocumTenens.com temporarily places physicians, CRNAs, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and psychologists in healthcare facilities. “Locum tenens is a Latin phrase that means “to hold the place of, to substitute for.” In the early 1970s, a federal grant was awarded to the University of Utah for the purpose of providing physician staffing services to rural health clinics in medically under-served areas of the western United States. The program proved so successful that many hospital administrators and physicians began calling for locum tenens physician staffing assistance.” The wiki page [Locum - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locum) talks more about the UK usage: “In the UK, the NHS on average has 3,500 locum doctors working in hospitals on any given day,[1] with another 17,000 locum general practitioners.[2] Many of these locum hospital doctors are supplied by private agencies through a national framework agreement that the NHS holds with 51 private agencies. NHS figures show that approximately 80% of hospital locum positions are filled by agencies on this framework. The remaining 20% are filled by agencies working outside this agreement. Locum agencies are common reference points for doctors wishing to work in this market. According to a report published by Royal College of Surgeons NHS spent approximately £467 million on locum doctors through agencies in the year 2009/2010.” ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/3 "2017-01-06T19:59:17Z")
Piper Dad was a pharmacist and used “locum” to refer to pharmacists he hired to cover for him when we were on vacation. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/4 "2017-01-06T20:01:03Z")
It’s a doctor who is designated as a stand-in, yes. A hospital might post for a locum to stand in for, say, a cardiologist who is going on sabbatical (or holiday, or whatever). They typically work for private staffing agencies rather than directly for the NHS. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/5 "2017-01-06T20:44:19Z")
I’ve heard it used, in the UK, for doctors, nurses and veterinarians. Never having a regular pharmacist, I suppose I wouldn’t have heard it used for them, but it does seem to be restricted to medical people (including animal medicine). ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/6 "2017-01-06T20:48:53Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Is this Anglo-wide? Certainly is not heard or used in USA. It is heard in the US, at least in the medical profession. If you look at job postings for doctors, you’ll see a lot of locum tenens jobs posted. I only know the term because my wife is in the profession, though. I’ve never seen it used in a general publication or heard any non-medical people use it casually. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/7 "2017-01-06T21:09:44Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > It is heard in the US, at least in the medical profession. If you look at job postings for doctors, you’ll see a lot of locum tenens jobs posted. I only know the term because my wife is in the profession, though. I’ve never seen it used in a general publication or heard any non-medical people use it casually. Yep, locum tenens jobs for physicians are commonly available in the U.S., and advertised in medical journals. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/8 "2017-01-06T22:09:17Z")
So, medicos get a special word for what, in the IT (IS/DP/MIS/Computer Department) world are called “contractors”? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/9 "2017-01-06T22:13:07Z")
(My) ignorance fought. Next time I won’t jump to represent my entire nation. But I must say, Ive never seen it used. Watch, the Baader-Meinhof now… ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/10 "2017-01-06T22:34:09Z")
Huh. I thought it was a small Turkish candy. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/11 "2017-01-06T22:36:22Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > So, medicos get a special word for what, in the IT (IS/DP/MIS/Computer Department) world are called “contractors”? Given the differences in employment laws between Canada and the US, someone hired in Canada, even for a short time, would be an employee. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/12 "2017-01-06T23:08:13Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > So, medicos get a special word for what, in the IT (IS/DP/MIS/Computer Department) world are called “contractors”? actually, I would call them “temps”. A contractor, at least in the US, might well be a long-term position. Government for instance has many positions that are never filled by a civil-servant, only by contractors. Whose company, if they can’t find a permanent hire, will go to a temp service and hire a temp until the position is filled permanently. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/13 "2017-01-06T23:55:13Z")
Locum is also a common and well-understood term in Australia and New Zealand. Like ‘temp’, it can be a one-off placement, but also gets used for regular backfillers. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/14 "2017-01-07T01:19:32Z")
It is heard and used in the US if you work in the health care field. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/15 "2017-01-07T03:29:16Z")
It’s not common but a person disgruntled that their regular doctor was away might complain that they had to see a locum. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/16 "2017-01-07T04:56:56Z")
What do they call substitute teachers in UK? (Setup for a punchline, I know.) In junior high school they were God’s gift to students obnoxosity. Teacher pro-tem. _Locum in loco parentis._ ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/17 "2017-01-07T07:21:08Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > So, medicos get a special word for what, in the IT (IS/DP/MIS/Computer Department) world are called “contractors”? Not just medics but also architects, lawyers, pharmacists etc. Sometimes they will be contractors but often they will be employees. There is no mystery. Many professions use terms which are rarely used or needed in public discourse. The term locum tends to be confined to professions where knowledge and qualifications are the requirements to do the work. There is also the matter of being bound by rules of ethics and the responsibility for doing specialised work. A mistake leads to liability which often sheets home to the business partner whose work is being done. A locum is far more than a temp. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/18 "2017-01-07T07:42:46Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > What do they call substitute teachers in UK? (Setup for a punchline, I know.) They’re called supply teachers. No idea why. Or, if you want a punchline, “Oi! You!” ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/19 "2017-01-07T13:10:44Z")
I think patients feel more at ease if they hear that the doctor treating them isn’t a temp but a _locum_. Latin is often assumed to mean something positive. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479/20 "2017-01-07T15:10:32Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > What do they call substitute teachers in UK? … > > > [@PatrickLondon](#): > > > > They’re called supply teachers. No idea why… Having said this: > [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > …Next time I won’t jump to represent my entire nation… I must say no-one in the US uses that term. _prepares Corvinus a la mode just in case_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-does-working-as-a-locum-mean/776479.md?page=2)