Your focus should be on your patients, not what’s happening at your house.

You love the opportunity to travel across the country taking locum tenens jobs. Experiencing new places, new sights and sounds. But how can you secure your home-base while you’re away for days or weeks at a time?

Here are things to consider before you leave:

Security.

Strategies to make your home have that “lived in” look while you’re away on a locum tenens job include:

• Hire a house-sitter or asking a neighbor stop by periodically.
• Put holds on mail and newspaper delivery so they don’t pile up.
• Install motion-sensor lights outdoors and setting indoor lights on timers to come on at different times.
• Make sure to leave a key and security system code with a trusted relative or friend.

Bill pay.

It’s easy to forget the basics while you’re away. Before you leave, set a plan to make sure all bills are paid during your assignment. You may want to:

• Set up automatic payments for utilities, rent/mortgage, car payments and insurance.
• Pay ahead if you know how long you’ll be away.
• Enroll in e-billing so you can pay from your laptop or smart phone. Create a calendar of due dates and set up notifications on your phone so you

Jackson + Coker offers locum tenens physicians a weekly direct deposit so you don’t have to worry about getting paid while on assignment. We always pay on time.

Upkeep.

Prepare your house to sit idle.

• Ask a friend to take out your garbage.
• Hire someone to mow your lawn or shovel snow from your walk and driveway.
• Unplug/disconnect electronics, including your garage door.
• Turn off your water supply. Consult your heating professional on whether it’s safe for your particular system. Remember to also leave on fire sprinklers.
• Set your thermostat to a safe temperature to keep away condensation in the summer or to protect pipes in the winter.
• Check your sump pump to avoid rainwater issues in your basement.
• Don’t forget your car! Have someone drive it around the block a few times periodically.

Create a checklist that you can go back to each time you leave for an extended assignment. Then you can feel secure knowing everything is safeguarded back at home.