According to Staffing Industry Analysts projections, the temporary healthcare specialist segment is expected to grow by 7 percent in 2012, Forbes reports.
As more Americans prepare to receive health insurance by 2014 under the Affordable Care Act, there's worry among the medical community that there won't be enough doctors to care for the increasing number of patients.
The impending lack of physicians may lead some healthcare facilities to hire temporary workers to fill voids, as there will be an additional 30 million Americans receiving health coverage in the next two years.
Temp doctors – traditionally called "locum tenens" physicians – are in higher demand, according to a recent Staff Care survey, HealthLeadersMedia reports. Researchers found that approximately three in four healthcare organizations needed to hire a temporary worker at some point over the past 12 months because they couldn't lock down any permanent physicians.
"Imagine what will happen if health reform opens the flood gates by insuring an additional 32 million people," said Staff Care president Sean Ebner, as quoted by Forbes. "Having a doctor who will see you could replace designer clothes as the new status symbol."