What is the average salary for a locum tenens?

Locum tenens physician salaries vary from about $400 per day for family care physicians to $1,500 per day for anesthesiologists or radiologists. Many locum tenens physicians earn an average of $241,800 annually.

Hospitals and clinics typically hire locum tenens physicians as independent contractors to fill temporary or permanent hard-to-staff work schedules, paying an average of $155 per hour to work approximately 30 hours per week. These positions recruit only fully trained, certified and licensed physicians.

Physicians who accept positions with long-running vacancies may negotiate salaries to some extent, but specialties and locations also factor into locum tenens salaries, resulting in possible rates of $600 to $800 per day.