Key Points
- Dr. Bertrand Liang shares how locum tenens empowers physicians with flexibility and control, allowing them to choose how, when, and where they practice medicine.
- By reducing administrative burden and restoring autonomy, locums can help prevent burnout and improve long-term career satisfaction.
- Success in locum tenens comes down to strong fundamentals: clinical competence, adaptability, and a commitment to quality patient care.
- Most importantly, locums reminds physicians they have more career options—and more power—than they often realize, opening the door to more fulfilling and sustainable paths in medicine.
For many physicians, the career path is well-defined but not always fulfilling.
What happens when the structure designed to support your career starts working against you?
For Dr. Bertrand Liang, the answer was locum tenens.
A Career Built on Exploration + Independence
Before entering the world of locum tenens, Dr. Liang had already built a diverse career spanning academic, corporate, and clinical roles.
Despite his success, he found himself questioning whether traditional, system-driven roles were the right fit.
“I knew I did not want to go back into systematized medicine,” he explained.
For Dr. Liang, the issue wasn’t medicine itself. It was the lack of flexibility and autonomy. Like many physicians, he saw colleagues following a predefined path, often without realizing alternatives existed. And he knew that this created the possibility of disenfranchisement.
That realization became a turning point: there had to be a better way to practice.
Why Locum Tenens Stood Out
What drew Dr. Liang to locum tenens was something many physicians are seeking: control over how and where they practice.
“The flexibility is the most important component,” he said. “You consciously choose what you want to do.”
Unlike traditional roles, locums allows physicians to choose opportunities based on their own priorities, whether that’s schedule, location, patient population, or practice environment.
That sense of control doesn’t just influence career decisions. It has a direct impact on physician well-being.
A Direct Impact on Burnout + Career Satisfaction
Physician burnout remains one of the most pressing challenges in healthcare today, often driven by administrative burden and lack of control.
For Dr. Liang, locum tenens offered a solution.
He’s candid about what might have happened otherwise: without the flexibility locums provides, he believes he may have left medicine entirely.
After briefly returning to a traditional corporate role, he found the environment so restrictive that he left within a year.
“It was so suffocating,” he said, describing rigid policies, documentation requirements, and uncompensated administrative work.
In contrast, locum tenens allows him to focus on what matters most: practicing medicine in a way that aligns with his standards and his values.
Debunking Misconceptions About Locums
One common concern physicians have about locum tenens is whether they’ll be able to integrate into new environments or maintain high standards of care.
For Dr. Liang, those concerns didn’t hold up in practice.
“As long as you’re focused on delivering good clinical care, everything else falls into place,” he said.
He’s found that strong clinical performance speaks for itself. Many facilities he’s worked with have asked him to return.
The real learning curve? Logistics, especially credentialing timelines and understanding state-specific compensation structures.
While these challenges are real, they are manageable with preparation and the right guidance.
What makes a great locums physician?
When asked what traits contribute to success in locum tenens, Dr. Liang’s answer is refreshingly simple:
Be a good doctor.
Competence, attention to detail, and compassion are critical—especially in a setting where continuity of care depends on smooth transitions between providers.
“Do a good job,” he emphasized. “You’re going to be transitioning care, so it matters.”
It’s this commitment to quality that not only benefits patients but also strengthens the reputation of locum tenens physicians as a whole.
The Power of Choice
If there’s one message Dr. Liang is passionate about sharing, it’s this:
Physicians have more control than they think.
“You don’t have to be forced into becoming a corporate physician,” he said.
From designing a flexible schedule to pursuing entrepreneurial interests outside of medicine, locum tenens opens doors that traditional roles often close.
He’s seen this firsthand, not just in his own career, but in the physicians he mentors. Some use locums to travel, others to balance family commitments, and many to build careers that align more closely with their personal goals.
Rediscovering the Passion for Medicine
At its core, this conversation goes beyond career structure. It’s about preserving the passion that draws people to medicine in the first place.
As Dr. Liang and others have experienced, that passion can erode under rigid systems and excessive administrative demands. But with the right level of control and flexibility, it can be restored.
“People went into medicine to take care of patients,” he said. “You don’t want that worn away by the system.”
Locum tenens, in many ways, offers a path back to that original purpose.
Final Thought
For physicians feeling constrained by traditional roles, Dr. Liang’s story is a powerful reminder: there is no one-size-fits-all career in medicine.
Locum tenens isn’t just a temporary solution—it can be a long-term strategy for building a fulfilling, sustainable career.
And perhaps most importantly, it proves that practicing medicine on your own terms isn’t just possible. It may be the key to rediscovering why you chose it in the first place.
Curious whether locum tenens could be the right fit for your career?
About Dr. Bertrand Liang:
Bertrand Liang MD, PhD, MBA/AMP, PgDipl (Law) is a Neurologist and Neuroscientist, counselor, mentor, teacher and writer.
He earned a doctorate of medicine from Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, and a PhD at the University of Bolton, in Bolton UK specializing in molecular biology. He received postgraduate training at University of Michigan, where he specialized in Neurology, Neuroscience, Neuro-oncology, sleep medicine, and molecular genetics. He was awarded a Post-graduate Diploma in Family and International Law from Queen Mary/University of London School of Law and completed advanced management studies at the Sloan School of Management of MIT.
Dr. Liang practices as a Neurologist and Neuro-Hospitalist, is a member of the faculty of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and actively mentors individuals and companies utilizing Buddhist principles toward self-realization and mindfulness.
