Information for Locum Physicians

Family practitioners

• Licensed and fully registered to practice medicine in Alberta (General Register or the Provisional Register, depending upon conditions specified by the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta [CPSA]).
• Member in good standing with the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA).
• Current certification in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS).
• Current or past certification in advanced trauma life support (ATLS).
• Experience in obstetrics, anesthesia or surgery an asset.

Specialists

• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada:
  Join the Royal College.
• Member in good standing with the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA):
  Join the CMPA and check your CMPA status.
• MCC certification, successful completion of LMCC parts I & II:
  Learn about LMCC.
• CPSA registration, Unrestricted licensure (General Register):
  Apply for an Alberta Medical Practice Permit.

There are several ways you can apply for a locum position:

• To work with PLS, fill in the appropriate application form:
  • Rural Locum Program Application Form (General Practice)
  • Specialist's Locum Program Application Form
    
    Mail, fax or email the form to:
    Physician Locum Services®
    Alberta Medical Association 12230 106 Ave NW
    Edmonton AB T5N 3Z1
    [email protected] | Fax: 780 732.3361
• To access private locum opportunities or advertise your availability, register on our interactive registry of practice and locum opportunities:
  • Access practice and locum opportunities

If you have questions, please contact:

Benefits at different stages in your career

New graduates:

• Experience a variety of practice environments during your locum experience, which is an excellent foundation for long-term practice decisions.

Senior physicians:

• As you consider retirement, keep actively involved in practice, with breaks between assignments to pursue personal interests.

Urban physicians:

• Enjoy part-time opportunities as a physician locum by bringing your valuable experience to rural practice. Keep in touch with the broad range of services provided in rural practice, and improve skills you may use less often in urban centers.

Both urban and rural physicians:

• Maintain emergency skills by providing weekend hospital emergency department coverage.

Family practitioners

• Fee-for-service and on-call remuneration with an overhead rate of $200 per weekday paid by locum physicians for periods of office coverage.
• No overhead paid by locums for weekend coverage.
• Net guarantee of a minimum of $1,000 per day averaged over each assignment.
• In-province personal vehicle use paid at the rate of 50.5¢ per km or in-province commercial travel (flights, rental vehicle) at no charge; full or partial payment for out-of-province flights to cover longer duration (more than five days) assignments; and possible full or partial payment for out-of-province flights to cover short (less than five days) assignments, as determined by PLS.
• Travel honoraria:
  • $250 for up to 400 km or four hours of travel to and from the rural community.
  • $500 for greater than 400 km or four hours to and from the rural community.
• Most accommodation provided by rural physicians or for weekends by Alberta Health Services. The AMA manages all bookings, hospital privileges, commercial travel and financial tasks.
• Assignment bookings generally receive more than 30 days advance notice.
• Locum physicians are eligible to receive payments under the Rural Emergency On-Call, Business Costs and Rural, Remote, Northern programs.

Specialists

• Minimum daily guarantee of $1,500 per day averaged over assignment.
• In-province personal vehicle use paid at the rate of 50.5¢ per km or in-province commercial travel (flights, rental vehicle) at no charge; full or partial payment for out-of-province flights to cover longer duration (more than five days) assignments; and possible full or partial payment for out-of-province flights to cover short (less than five days) assignments, as determined by PLS.
• Travel honoraria
  • $250 for up to 400 km or four hours of travel to and from the regional center.
  • $500 for greater than 400 km or four hours to and from the regional center.
• Accommodation provided by Alberta Health Services.
• The AMA manages all bookings, hospital privileges, commercial travel and financial tasks.
• Locums are eligible to receive payments under the Specialist On-Call, Business Costs, and Rural, Remote, Northern programs.

Alberta Physician Link

Alberta Physician Link offers a comprehensive orientation guide for Canadian and international physicians considering practicing in rural Alberta:

Visit Alberta Physician Link

Alberta Rural Health Professions Action Plan

RhPAP is a comprehensive, integrated and sustained program for the education, attraction and retention of physicians for rural practice:

Learn about RhPAP