Whether you are a newly minted therapist or an experienced therapist who has been working within the industry for awhile, it can be extremely difficult to get callbacks at times. When this is combined with a market that is flooded with freelance therapists looking for permanent positions, temporary contracts can be hard to find. The main thing you want to keep in mind is that if you are working as an independent locum, it is crucial to get yourself established, professionally.
Beyond this, here are 6 tips you can use to help get yourself noticed and invited back for consistent work.
1. Make Sure You Are Punctual: whenever you are on your way to a job, make sure you leave with extra time in hand. This ensures that if you get stuck in traffic, get lost, or think you are in the right place when you are not, you have the time to make up for it. Being late will always give a bad impression and is very difficult to come back from.
2. Be Professional and Hold Ethical Standards: whether you are working for your own practice or an agency, you should always be professional and treat the patients as if they were your own. When meeting with a patient, take the time to get to know them. Find out what their medical history is, what prescriptions they have, and what their regular routine is if they have been in before. Take notes so that you can build on what you learn as this creates a foundation of trust. Other than this, look out for social cues that you can use to build rapport with the patient.
3. Empathy: be empathetic towards your colleague whom you are working with and the patients as well. You can do this by respectfully and intently listening to stories, personal struggles and work issues and then going the extra mile by being understanding and connecting with them. By being empathetic, you end up being someone that others will want to keep around as you will make them feel secure, safe, and heard.
4. Be a Helpful Team Player: this goes without saying but a team player is going to be kept around over someone who just wants to do things their own way. Make sure you are helpful to those around you by asking for little jobs when your duties are fulfilled. This shows that you are not there just for the contract but there to sincerely help those around you. This will get you called back time and time again.
5. Always Smile: although you may not be able to smile all the time, try to smile as much as possible and have a warm personality. Sure, someone who is there to get the job done will be efficient and welcomed but if you are efficient and happy, you are going to put everyone at ease. Influence the environment by smiling, it lifts everyone’s mood including your own.
6. Make Sure You Are Organized: by being well organized, you eliminate the risk of making mistakes, forgetting paperwork, or not having the right tools. Someone who presents themselves as organized is going to get called back because it means less work for others.
All in all, if you have a desire to explore various specializations in your clinical pursuit and is keen for temporary and long term contracts and believed that this is something you feel like you would fit well with, Pacific Rehab & Therapy can help you get started.
Begin your career as a locum and enjoy freedom, flexibility, and control over your working life!
Partner with us today.
For inquiries, please call us at +65-6735-5181.