Is a Locum Tenens Job Right for You? An NP's Complete Guide

Roughly one in three nurse practitioners reports symptoms of burnout in permanent staff roles, and a growing share are testing locum tenens contracts as an alternative. Temporary clinical assignments, booked through staffing agencies to fill coverage gaps in hospitals, rural clinics, and specialty practices, can pay $75 to $150 an hour for NPs, plus travel and housing stipends.

The trade-offs are NP-specific, not borrowed from physician playbooks. State licensing compacts treat NPs differently than MDs, collaborative practice agreements complicate cross-state work, and 1099 tax status reshapes take-home pay. Credentialing alone can stretch 60 to 120 days per facility. For NPs weighing the move, the real question is whether the autonomy and rate premium outweigh the loss of benefits, retirement matching, and predictable scheduling that a W-2 role provides.

What Is Locum Tenens and How Does It Work for Nurse Practitioners?

While physicians have tapped locum tenens work for decades, nurse practitioners are now finding their own path in temporary staffing as clinic networks and rural health systems scramble to fill scheduling gaps. Locum tenens (Latin for "to hold the place") means working short-term assignments through specialized staffing agencies, typically on contracts that run anywhere from four weeks to six months. For NPs, these roles fill coverage needs during maternity leaves, provider vacations, recruitment gaps, or seasonal patient surges in urgent care clinics, community health centers, hospital inpatient units, and rural practices. Many of these openings call for a primary care nurse practitioner, though specialty roles are growing fast.

How the Locum Workflow Operates

The typical pathway starts when you connect with a locum tenens agency. The agency matches you to open assignments based on your specialty, license states, and schedule preferences. Once you accept a role, the credentialing process begins: expect 60 to 120 days for facilities to verify your education, certifications, malpractice history, and references. This timeline is longer than many new locum NPs anticipate, so starting early with multiple agencies helps maintain steady placement flow.

After credentialing clears, you complete the assignment and the cycle repeats. Some NPs book back-to-back contracts, while others insert planned breaks between placements for rest or personal travel. Agencies handle contract logistics, payroll, and often provide housing stipends or temporary lodging.

State Licensure and the APRN Compact Reality

Unlike physicians, who benefit from a mature multi-state licensure framework, nurse practitioners face a patchwork of state scope-of-practice laws that complicate multi-state locum work. The APRN Compact, designed to streamline this, remains in early stages. As of 2026, only four states (Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah) have enacted the compact, and it requires seven enacting states before activation.¹ Seven additional states are considering legislation, but multi-state APRN licenses are not yet issued.²

Meanwhile, the established Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN licenses across 40-plus jurisdictions but does not extend to advanced practice roles.³ This means locum NPs typically need separate licenses in each state where they work, adding cost and administrative overhead that staffing agencies sometimes help offset.

W-2 Employee or 1099 Independent Contractor?

Your employment status shapes nearly every practical detail. Most locum NPs work as W-2 employees of the staffing agency: the agency withholds taxes, may offer health insurance or retirement contributions, and carries malpractice coverage for your assignments. A smaller subset work as 1099 independent contractors, which offers higher gross pay but shifts tax responsibility, benefit procurement, and malpractice insurance to you. Understanding this distinction before signing your first contract prevents costly surprises at tax time and ensures you have adequate liability protection during every shift. Pay differences between contract types can also vary by specialty, so reviewing NP salaries by specialty gives you a useful benchmark.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Locum Tenens NP Pay: How Does It Compare to Permanent Positions?

Permanent salary vs. locum hourly rate: the headline numbers favor locum work, but the picture changes once you account for what an employer normally covers on your behalf.

The Permanent-Position Baseline

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurse practitioners earn a national median salary of roughly $129,210, with the middle 50% landing between about $110,000 and $150,000.¹ That is your anchor. Any locum rate you are offered should be measured against this baseline once you have layered in taxes, benefits, and downtime.

What Locum NPs Actually Bill Per Hour

Locum hourly rates vary widely by specialty and setting. Recent staffing-agency data and industry reporting put typical 2025 ranges at:

• General NP roles: $70 to $85 per hour¹
• Family nurse practitioners: $85 to $125 per hour²
• Acute care NPs: $80 to $110 per hour³
• Psychiatric NPs: $180 to $240 per hour, with some assignments going higher³
• Specialty niches (oncology, pulmonary): $100 to nearly $290 per hour for hard-to-fill coverage⁴

Most locum contracts also include malpractice coverage, paid or stipended housing, and travel reimbursement, which are real economic perks even though they do not show up on your 1099.³

Those psychiatric NP numbers aren't a typo. Psych NPs consistently rank among the highest paid nurse practitioner specialties, and locum premiums push their compensation even higher.

The Hidden Costs That Narrow the Gap

On paper, $100 per hour for 40 hours a week across 48 weeks is $192,000, well above the BLS median. In practice, several deductions chip away at that number:

• Self-employment tax: As a 1099 contractor you owe the full 15.3% FICA (Social Security and Medicare), not just the employee half.⁴
• Health insurance: A family ACA plan can run $1,500 to $2,500 per month out of pocket.
• Retirement: No employer 401(k) match. You fund a SEP-IRA or Solo 401(k) yourself.
• Downtime: Gaps between assignments, credentialing delays, and unpaid time off are all on you.
• Business overhead: LLC or S-corp setup, accounting, licensing in multiple states, CEUs.

A Concrete Side-by-Side

Consider two FNPs:

• Permanent NP: $130,000 salary, employer-subsidized health insurance (worth roughly $15,000), 4% 401(k) match ($5,200), three weeks PTO, malpractice covered. Effective total compensation: about $150,000.
• Locum NP: $85 per hour, 40 hours a week, 46 working weeks (allowing time between contracts) = $156,400 gross. Subtract roughly $12,000 in extra self-employment tax, $18,000 in self-funded health insurance, and $5,000 in retirement contributions you would have gotten matched. Net: closer to $121,000, plus housing and travel covered on contract.

The locum path can absolutely out-earn a permanent role, but only when you negotiate strong rates, minimize downtime, and structure your business to keep more of what you bill.

NP Salary Snapshot: Permanent Position Baseline

Before weighing locum tenens pay, it helps to know what nurse practitioners earn in permanent roles. The figures below show the national salary distribution for NPs, giving you a clear baseline for comparison when you evaluate locum contracts.

Pros of Locum Tenens for Nurse Practitioners

For many nurse practitioners, the core question is whether short-term trade-offs in benefits and stability are worth the gains in pay, autonomy, and personal freedom. The answer depends heavily on where you are in your career, but the advantages of locum work are concrete and significant.

Higher Pay Per Hour

Locum NPs typically earn 20 to 40 percent more per hour than their permanently employed counterparts in similar roles. Assignments in psychiatric care and rural or underserved settings tend to command the highest premiums, because demand is high and the pool of willing providers is smaller. That pay differential adds up quickly, especially when you factor in that housing and travel costs are usually covered by the agency or facility, so your take-home stretch goes further than the hourly rate alone suggests. If you are curious about which nurse practitioner makes the most money, pay premiums for locum work often stack on top of already-lucrative specialties.

Real Control Over Your Schedule

Permanent positions come with panel-size pressure, mandatory overtime, and the slow accumulation of administrative obligations that contribute to burnout. Locum work breaks that cycle. You can take a week off between assignments, or step back for a full month to recharge, travel, or care for family. That flexibility is not a perk on paper; it is a structural feature of how locum contracts work, and for many NPs it is the single most compelling reason to make the switch.

Broader Clinical Experience

Working across urgent care clinics, rural health centers, hospitalist programs, and specialty practices in a relatively short period exposes you to patient populations and workflows you might never encounter in a single permanent role. That breadth sharpens your clinical thinking and often helps NPs figure out which setting they actually want to commit to long-term. Exploring different nurse practitioner specialties through locum assignments is essentially a paid audition for your next chapter.

Less Time in Meetings, More Time with Patients

Locum NPs generally step outside the orbit of committee work, performance review cycles, and internal politics. You arrive, see patients, document thoroughly, and hand off cleanly. For NPs who became clinicians to practice medicine, not to sit in operational meetings, that reduction in administrative noise is a genuine quality-of-life improvement.

Geographic Exploration on Someone Else's Dime

If you have ever wondered whether you could thrive in a rural mountain town or a fast-paced urban health system, locum assignments let you find out without uprooting your life permanently. Housing is typically arranged and paid for, which lowers the risk of trying somewhere new considerably. Some NPs use locum stints to scout locations before committing to a permanent move, turning professional travel into a practical life-planning tool.

Cons of Locum Tenens for Nurse Practitioners

Choosing between a permanent NP position and locum tenens work often comes down to freedom versus stability. While the flexibility can be liberating, the hidden costs and professional isolation are real.

Self-Employment Tax and Financial Planning

As a 1099 independent contractor, you pay both the employer and employee portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes, which total 15.3% of your net earnings. That's on top of your regular income tax rate. W-2 employees only pay half that. Without an employer withholding taxes, you must set aside money and make quarterly estimated payments to avoid penalties. Many locum NPs find it helps to work with a CPA who understands healthcare contracting. Some may benefit from forming an S-corp to legally reduce self-employment tax, but this adds complexity and administrative costs. Good bookkeeping and a dedicated business account are non-negotiable.

The Benefits Gap: What You're Giving Up

When you leave a permanent role, you walk away from more than a base salary. Employer-sponsored health insurance for a family can easily cost $20,000 to $30,000 per year if you buy a comparable plan on the open market. Retirement plan contributions with employer matching, paid time off, continuing education reimbursement, and disability or life insurance are all missing. A conservative estimate of the total benefits package value you lose ranges from $15,000 to $25,000 annually. This means your locum hourly rate needs to be significantly higher just to break even.

Licensing, Credentialing, and Unpaid Downtime

Each new assignment may require a state license, which can take months and cost hundreds of dollars. Some states participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact, but not all. After you secure a license, each facility has its own credentialing process: verifying education, certifications, and references, which often takes 60 to 120 days. During this time, you aren't billing hours, and you may still have living expenses. It's an unpaid waiting game that can eat into your annual income if assignments don't overlap smoothly.

The EMR Learning Curve and Feeling Like an Outsider

Every hospital or clinic uses a different electronic medical record system, and even within the same system, workflows vary. You'll often get minimal training before you're expected to see patients. It can be frustrating and slow you down. Beyond the technical hurdles, you're also navigating new team dynamics, unwritten rules, and unfamiliar support staff. For many NPs, this constant outsider status feels less like an adventure and more like isolation. Building rapport with colleagues and patients in a few weeks or months is tough, and that sense of professional loneliness can take a toll.

Stalled Career Growth and Shallow Roots

Locum tenens work rarely provides a path to leadership roles, committee involvement, or quality improvement projects. You won't build a patient panel that follows you, and you won't see the long-term outcomes of your interventions. When you're always the temporary fill-in, it's hard to be taken seriously for promotions or to cultivate the mentorship relationships that foster clinical growth. If your goal is to become a clinical lead, a professor, or a business owner within a community, a series of short-term gigs can delay that trajectory. NPs weighing long-term ROI may also want to consider whether a DNP is worth it before committing to a locum-heavy career path.

Locum Tenens Vs. Permanent NP Positions: A Side-By-Side Comparison

When weighing your career options as a nurse practitioner, the choice between locum tenens assignments and a permanent staff position boils down to more than just a paycheck. It's a trade-off between flexibility and stability. Understanding the key differences in pay, benefits, taxes, and work rhythm helps you decide which path aligns with your professional and personal goals.

Compensation and Tax Structure

• Income: Locum tenens NPs earn an average of $192,000 per year in 2026, significantly outpacing the $112,923 average for permanent NP roles.¹ This premium reflects the higher hourly or daily rates typical of locum work.³
• Tax status: Most locum NPs work as 1099 independent contractors, meaning they are responsible for self-employment taxes, whereas permanent NPs are W-2 employees with taxes withheld by the employer.¹
• Pay model: Locum assignments pay on an hourly or daily basis, allowing you to maximize earnings during high-demand periods. Permanent positions offer a predictable annual salary with less fluctuation.²

Benefits and Job Security

• Benefits: Permanent NPs typically receive comprehensive employer benefits including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.⁴ Locum NPs generally have limited access to benefits, though some agencies offer basic plans; you often need to secure your own health coverage and fund retirement independently.⁵
• Malpractice: Both paths include malpractice coverage. Locum agencies provide it, and permanent employers extend coverage under their institutional policies.⁵
• Job security: Permanent roles offer high stability with longstanding employment relationships. Locum work, by design, is project-based and lower in job security; assignments end, and gaps between contracts are possible.¹

Schedule and Work-Life Balance

• Flexibility: Locum tenens stands out for its high schedule flexibility, as confirmed by 2024 survey data.⁵ You control when and where you work, building in breaks between assignments. Permanent positions, in contrast, offer low flexibility with fixed schedules and limited time off.
• Time off: Locum NPs can design extended periods off, while permanent NPs must request vacation within accrual limits. However, locum breaks are unpaid, so you need to budget carefully for time away.¹

NP Licensing, Credentialing, and Malpractice for Locum Roles

Licensing, credentialing, and insurance form the legal foundation of any locum assignment: you need the right state credentials, facility privileges, and malpractice coverage before you see your first patient. Each piece has its own timeline and complexity, and understanding all three helps you avoid delays and liability gaps when moving between assignments.

Multi-State Licensure: The APRN Compact and Beyond

The APRN Compact launched in 2018 to allow nurse practitioners licensed in one member state to practice in any other member state without obtaining additional licenses. As of mid-2026, participating states include Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. If you hold an APRN Compact license and plan to take assignments in these states, multi-state practice becomes dramatically simpler: one license, many options.

For states outside the compact (California, Texas, Florida, New York, and most others), you'll apply for a separate license in each state where you plan to work. Application timelines vary widely: some states issue licenses in four to six weeks, while others take three to six months. Budget $200 to $500 per state for application fees, plus the cost of background checks, fingerprinting, and official transcripts. If you're new to locum work, prioritize licenses in high-demand states or states where your agency has frequent openings, and submit applications well before you plan to accept an assignment.

Credentialing: The Real Bottleneck

Many new locum NPs focus on licensure, only to discover that facility credentialing takes just as long or longer. Credentialing is the process by which a hospital, clinic, or health system verifies your education, training, references, and work history, then grants you clinical privileges to practice in that facility.

Your agency will handle the first layer (agency credentialing), compiling your CV, references, and primary source verification. The facility itself conducts the second layer (privileging and medical staff approval), which can take 60 to 90 days or more at large hospitals. Start this process as soon as you accept an assignment: delays here, not licensure, are often what postpones a start date. Keep digital copies of every diploma, certificate, and attestation in a folder you can share instantly. NPs who are still completing their graduate education through online MSN NP programs should note that credentialing cannot begin until your degree and national certification are conferred.

Malpractice Insurance: Claims-Made, Occurrence, and Tail Coverage

Most locum agencies provide malpractice coverage during your assignment, typically structured as a claims-made policy with limits of $1 million per claim and $3 million aggregate.¹ This is standard and generally adequate. A claims-made policy covers incidents that occur and are reported while the policy is active. If the assignment ends and the policy terminates, you lose coverage for any future claims related to care you provided during that assignment unless you purchase tail coverage (an extended reporting endorsement).²

The good news: most agencies assume tail coverage responsibility, meaning they extend the reporting period after your contract ends at no cost to you.¹ Confirm this in your contract before you sign. Some agencies may include board action coverage (typically up to $25,000) to cover legal costs if a patient complaint triggers a licensing board investigation.¹

A claims-made policy's weakness is the coverage gap when you move between assignments or leave locum work entirely. For that reason, many experienced locum NPs carry a personal occurrence policy. An occurrence policy covers any incident that happens while the policy is active, regardless of when the claim is filed, so you never need tail coverage.² Personal occurrence policies for NPs typically cost $800 to $1,500 per year and offer the same $1 million per claim and $3 million aggregate limits. This approach provides continuous, portable protection and peace of mind across multiple assignments and career transitions.

A few states (New Mexico, for example) or specific assignments may require occurrence coverage or higher limits (such as $1.3 million per claim and $3.9 million aggregate).¹ Review each contract's insurance requirements and verify that your agency's coverage meets them. If not, a supplemental individual policy closes the gap.

In short: confirm your agency provides claims-made coverage with tail, understand the difference between claims-made and occurrence coverage, and seriously consider a personal occurrence policy if you plan to work locum long-term or move frequently between assignments.

Related Articles

How to Negotiate a Locum Tenens NP Contract

What contract terms should a nurse practitioner focus on when negotiating a locum tenens assignment? The answer can save you from costly surprises on your first assignment.

Key Clauses to Review

Most locum nurse practitioner contracts are structured for assignments of 2 to 13 weeks, with three-month placements being typical.¹² You will almost always be a W-2 employee of the staffing agency, which simplifies taxes and benefits.³ As you review the contract, pay close attention to these clauses:

• Hourly rate: Make sure it reflects your specialty, experience, and the cost of living at the assignment site. The rate should be clearly defined, not merely described as "competitive."
• Guaranteed minimum hours: Confirm you will be paid for a baseline number of hours each week, even if patient volume is low or your schedule is adjusted. This protects your income.
• Housing and travel stipend specifics: Look for a clear breakdown of how housing is arranged and reimbursed. Some agencies offer a fixed-dollar stipend you manage; others book accommodations on your behalf. Both options have pros and cons, but the arrangement should be detailed in writing.
• Cancellation terms: Understand the notice period required by both you and the facility. A contract that lets the facility cancel without penalty while holding you to a financial obligation needs careful scrutiny.
• Assignment extension options: Clarify whether you have the first right to extend if the facility wants you to stay longer, and whether the rate can be renegotiated for an extension.²

Watch for These Red Flags

Protect yourself by spotting problematic contract language early. Three red flags that deserve extra attention:

• Noncompete clauses that restrict permanent hire: Some facilities include language that bars you from accepting a permanent position there after your locum assignment ends, or for a set period. If your long-term goal includes finding a staff job, this could block an opportunity.
• Vague cancellation penalties: A contract that simply states "penalties may apply" without specifying the amounts or triggering events can leave you exposed to unexpected costs.
• Malpractice tail coverage assigned to the NP: Most agencies provide malpractice insurance, but the tail coverage (extended reporting period after the policy ends) is sometimes excluded. If the contract makes you responsible for tail coverage, the cost could exceed your earnings from the assignment.

Negotiation Tips That Work

Locum contracts are more flexible than many nurses realize. Schedule and call requirements, travel and housing arrangements, and cancellation terms are all commonly negotiated.¹ If you are new to nurse practitioner contract negotiation, these three concrete strategies are a solid starting point:

• Ask for an hourly rate floor. Rather than accepting a broad range, request a guaranteed minimum hourly rate. This ensures you are not assigned to a site that pays below your threshold, even if the agency markets the role as "competitive."
• Negotiate the housing stipend as a fixed dollar amount. When you manage your own housing, you can often save money and choose accommodations that suit your lifestyle. A fixed stipend gives you control, whereas agency-arranged housing might not meet your expectations.
• Request a 30-day cancellation notice minimum. This gives you adequate time to line up another assignment or manage logistics if a facility cancels. Similarly, build in a mutual cancellation clause so neither side is locked in unfairly.

Get a Second Opinion Before Signing

No matter how experienced you are as a clinician, your first locum contract review can uncover issues you have not faced before. Have the document reviewed by a healthcare attorney who understands locum tenens agreements, or share it with a colleague who has worked locum assignments. An attorney can spot state-specific employment law traps, while a seasoned locum NP can give you real-world advice on what to push back on. The small investment pays for itself by preventing a bad contract.

Getting Started: Your Locum NP Action Plan

Launching a locum tenens career takes some upfront preparation, but a clear action plan makes the process manageable. Follow these five steps to set yourself up for success: (1) Gather your essential documents, including active state licenses, DEA registration, board certifications, an updated CV, and professional references. (2) Research and sign with two to three reputable locum tenens agencies. (3) Complete credentialing with your agency and facility. (4) Carefully evaluate and accept your first assignment based on location, schedule, and pay. (5) Set up your business and tax infrastructure by opening a separate bank account, scheduling quarterly estimated tax payments, and arranging self-funded health insurance and retirement contributions.

How to Get Started as a Locum Tenens Nurse Practitioner

Five staffing agencies dominate the NP locum tenens market right now: Barton Associates, CompHealth, Weatherby Healthcare, LocumTenens.com, and Staff Care. Knowing how each one works before you make contact saves you time and positions you as a prepared candidate from the first conversation.

Start with Agency Websites

Each of these agencies maintains NP-specific service pages that outline the specialties they staff, the states where they place providers, and their experience thresholds. Most require a minimum of one to two years of post-certification NP experience before placing you in an independent locum role. That said, requirements shift depending on the specialty and the facility's needs, so treat published minimums as a starting point rather than a hard ceiling. If you are still early in your career, our guide on how long it takes to become a nurse practitioner can help you map out a realistic timeline. Contact each agency directly and ask about their new-grad policy. Some agencies will work with newer NPs if a mentored arrangement can be set up at the facility, but you will need to ask specifically, because that option is rarely advertised.

Use Authoritative Sources for Market Intelligence

Before you negotiate anything, ground yourself in reliable salary and outlook data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.gov) publishes NP employment projections and median wage figures that give you a credible baseline for comparing what agencies offer. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is equally worth bookmarking: it publishes certification requirements, scope-of-practice updates by state, and practice guidelines that can directly affect which locum roles you qualify for.

Read What Working NPs Are Actually Saying

Forums are where reputation lives. Allnurses.com and the Reddit community r/nursepractitioner both have active threads where NPs share candid experiences with specific agencies, covering everything from contract transparency to how quickly recruiters respond when problems arise on assignment. Search phrases like "locum tenens NP experience" or the name of a specific agency alongside "review" to surface recent, relevant threads. Pay attention to patterns rather than individual complaints, and look for comments from NPs whose specialty and career stage match yours.

Build Your Readiness Profile

Before reaching out to agencies, pull together the documents they will ask for early in the vetting process:

• Licenses: Confirm your NP license is active in at least your home state, and note any compact or reciprocity agreements that apply.
• Certification: Have your AANP or ANCC certification number and expiration date ready.
• DEA registration: Many locum placements require a current DEA number; confirm yours is in order before applying.
• References and CV: Agencies move quickly once they have a placement opportunity, so having an updated CV and two to three professional references ready accelerates the process considerably.

Reaching out to two or three agencies simultaneously lets you compare recruiter responsiveness, the types of assignments available in your specialty, and the contract terms each offers. That comparison alone puts you in a stronger negotiating position before you sign anything.

Highest-Paying States for Nurse Practitioners

The table below ranks states by median annual salary for nurse practitioners, alongside total NP employment in each state. For locum tenens NPs, this data is strategic gold. Many of the highest-paying states, such as California, New York, and New Jersey, also carry a high cost of living, but locum NPs whose agencies cover housing and travel can pocket more of that premium pay. Targeting licensure in these states lets you position yourself for the most lucrative assignments. Notice, too, that states like California, Florida, Texas, and New York employ tens of thousands of NPs, signaling strong demand that keeps locum opportunities flowing.

Frequently Asked Questions About Locum Tenens for Nurse Practitioners

Locum tenens work raises a lot of practical questions, especially if you are weighing it against a permanent position for the first time. Below are straightforward answers to the questions nurse practitioners ask most often.

Is locum tenens worth it financially for nurse practitioners?

For many NPs, yes. Locum assignments typically pay higher hourly or daily rates than comparable permanent roles, and agencies often cover housing, travel, and malpractice insurance. However, you will need to budget for your own health coverage, retirement contributions, and self-employment taxes. When you factor in those costs, the net financial advantage depends on how consistently you book assignments and how carefully you manage expenses.

Can new-grad nurse practitioners do locum tenens work?

It is possible but uncommon. Most locum tenens agencies and facilities prefer candidates with at least one to two years of clinical experience. A strong orientation period is rarely built into short-term contracts, so employers want NPs who can hit the ground running. New grads are better served by gaining foundational experience in a permanent or staff role first, then transitioning to locum work once they feel confident practicing independently.

Who provides malpractice insurance for locum tenens NPs?

In most cases, the locum tenens staffing agency provides occurrence-based malpractice coverage as part of the contract. This coverage is active for the duration of your assignment and typically includes tail coverage for claims filed after the assignment ends. That said, some NPs choose to carry a personal supplemental policy for added protection. Always review the policy limits and terms before signing a contract.

How long does credentialing take for a locum NP assignment?

Credentialing for a locum assignment generally takes 60 to 120 days, depending on the facility and state requirements. Hospital-based positions often take longer than outpatient clinics. Your staffing agency will manage much of the paperwork, but you can speed things up by keeping an updated credentials file with your licenses, certifications, DEA registration, references, and immunization records ready to submit at any time.

Do locum tenens NPs get health insurance or retirement benefits?

Typically, no. Because locum NPs are classified as independent contractors or temporary employees, traditional benefits like employer-sponsored health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off are not included. Some larger staffing agencies offer optional benefits packages for an additional cost, but these tend to be less comprehensive than what a permanent employer provides. Many locum NPs use marketplace health plans and set up their own SEP IRA or solo 401(k) for retirement savings.

Can locum tenens NPs work in any state?

Not automatically. You must hold an active, unrestricted NP license in the state where you plan to practice. Some states participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact, which allows multistate practice under a single RN license, but the APRN Compact is still being adopted state by state as of 2026. Your staffing agency can help you apply for additional state licenses, though processing times vary. Planning ahead for licensure is one of the most important steps before accepting an out-of-state assignment.