There are many different job opportunities out there and here at Athona we can help you find the right role for you and ensure your journey into finding your dream career is stress-free. There’s a variety of different ways you can work such as; a locum, in a permanent position, as a contract worker or choosing line of work. Below we’ve highlighted just some benefits of working in these different ways, to help you choose which role is right for you.

Locum/Temporary

A locum healthcare professional is someone who temporarily fills a gap within a hospital, practice or a clinic. This position is very flexible and means you work when a hospital is short-staffed or if someone is absent.

  • Flexibility – you have complete control over your shifts and it is your choice as and when suits you best.
  • Experience and skills – being a locum means you have the chance to work with a new client group and gain different experiences in a particular area. Locum positions also allows healthcare professionals to be able to try new things in a role, which perhaps you may not have been able to do if they were permanent staff.
  • Work-life balance – locums usually have a very healthy work-life balance. This is due to the fact you’re only contracted a certain number of hours and you’ll likely not be returning to that same hospital for another shift. Therefore, once you leave work you can head home and have a break from thinking about work!

Permanent

A permanent position as a healthcare professional means you have solidity everyday as you have a guaranteed position. Jade Rous our Team Leader for Permanent Mental Health Doctors shares; ‘When taking up a permanent position, you get the opportunity to not only make a difference to your patients’ lives but also be there long term to see their journey and development through’.

  • Progression – working as a permanent member of staff gives you the opportunity to grow within your career and progress through the roles.
  • Perks – you are entitled to many amazing benefits such as; annual/sickness/study leave, training allowances and pension payments.
  • Forming good relationship with Trusts – a permanent position allows you to develop good relationships with either a Trust or department.

Contract

A healthcare professional on a set contract means you’ll work within a Trust for a certain amount of time. Whether that’s 3 months or 6, you’ll have stability knowing where you’ll be working for a certain time.

  • Consistency – working on a contract provides you with stability and allows you to build stronger relationships with your colleagues.
  • Experience working in different sections – After your contract is over, this is the perfect opportunity to work your next contract in another division to gain even more experience and knowledge.
  • Perks – benefits are very similar to a permanent position. This is due to you being full-time member of staff for the duration of your contract.

Line of work

Working as a healthcare professional and choosing line of work (sometimes known as a block booking) means you will be placed with a Trust on a long term placement. This is typically within the same service or ward, but means you can still gain more flexibility than a permanent role.

  • Guaranteed hours – you will be able to secure your hours well in advance and will have a guaranteed minimum for each week.
  • Flexible working – line of work (LOW) can still offer flexibility like adhoc or locum work; this is because some LOW offer flexibility with your working hours and shift patterns.
  • Better integration to teams – you can form strong working relationships as you’ll be regularly working with the same staff. You’ll also be able to provide consistent patient care.

Looking to find work to suit your needs? Take a look at our current vacancies here.