Demand and supply for locums has changed “drastically” as more pharmacists choose this type of work – and locums are becoming “more vigilant” about their role, one expert says

AJP podcast host Carlene McMaugh speaks to co-founder and director of Locumate Kavita Nadan about how the locum role has changed since the app was launched in 2022.

Nadan, who is also the managing partner in her own pharmacy in Victoria, says that “The quickest shift we filled on our platform an urgent shift where a locum had cancelled—I think an hour before their shift—was like 30 seconds, because the people are ready to work and willing to get jobs.”

This means that “bizarre” rates of $110 an hour have dropped since, and “pharmacies are a lot more willing to offer feedback as well for locums, and locums accepting that as well”.

“[W]hat we’re seeing is locums are becoming a lot more, I guess, vigilant about their role and their impact of their work in the industry as well,” Nadan says.

“Before typically the mindset of locum pharmacists would be, ‘I go in, I do my job and I leave now,’ that’s changed a lot more where they try and actually go in and become a little bit part of that ecosystem of the pharmacy and get to know the people.

“And we are starting to see really, really good behaviours come out as a result of that.”

00.54: How the grueling experience of managing a pharmacy during the Covid crisis in 2022 sparked the idea of the Locumate app: “Oh my gosh, seriously getting locums into my pharmacies is such a archaic manual process. Surely there’s a better way to do this.”

06.17: A new function for the app launches

07.53: How has the locum market changed since 2022?

10.22: Do pharmacies need to pay for travel?

12.14: How can a locum stand out in the current market?

14.44: What should new graduates and overseas pharmacists expect when they begin locuming?

18.17: The importance of communication – and what services locums provide: “I feel like there has to be this greater ability for pharmacists to just be aware of what they’re actually accepting.”

21.15: What can employers expect?

23.32: How have new innovations such as medicinal cannabis and vaping changed the locuming environment?

You can access the full transcript of this podcast here. While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription.

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