LOCUMS 101
CREDENTIALS, PLEASE!
ACRONYMS
100

Latin for “to hold the place of,” this term describes a provider temporarily filling a healthcare position.

What is locum tenens?

100

Often required for the previous 12 months, this document shows a provider's patient activity at a specific facility, including consults, procedures, admissions and discharges.

What are case logs?

100

Used by healthcare facilities for patient documentation and charting, these records are commonly abbreviated EMR.

What are Electronic Medical Records?

200

Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants both fall under this three-letter umbrella for non-physician providers.

What is an APP (Advanced Practice Provider)?

200

Updated every 12 months for physicians and APPs, this screening may be completed by a skin test, chest X-ray or blood draw. Driver's license, Social Security card, degrees, DEAs, life support cards and three references are examples of documents in this package.

What is a TB test?

200

Commonly required for healthcare providers, the life-support certification abbreviated ACLS stands for this.

What is Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support?

300

When included with an on-call shift, this term refers to unpaid on-call hours that are included in the daily rate before additional pay applies.

What is gratis?

300

Clients request these for the previous five years, plus one from Medical-Link for the assignment, as evidence of a provider's malpractice and other insurance coverage.

What is a COI (Certificate of Insurance)?

300

Physicians may have an MD or this degree, abbreviated DO.

What is Doctor of Osteopathy?

400

A physician using invasive techniques or procedures to diagnose or treat patients falls into this category, as opposed to a physician primarily using non-invasive evaluation, testing and medical management.

What is interventional?

400

In addition to a DEA registration, some states require this additional state-level certificate for prescribing controlled substances, commonly abbreviated CSR or CDS.

What is a Controlled Substance Registration/Controlled Dangerous Substance certificate?

400

After completing the IMLC application process, an eligible physician receives this document, abbreviated LOQ, which is valid for 365 days.

What is a Letter of Qualification?

500

This oncology subspecialty focuses on cancers and disorders affecting the blood, bone marrow and lymphatic system.

What is Hematology Oncology?

500

Physicians educated or practicing outside the United States must obtain this certification before entering U.S. graduate medical training; its acronym is ECFMG.

What is Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates certification?

500

Some physicians who complete their undergraduate and medical education in foreign countries may have MBBS after their name instead of MD or DO; the letters stand for this.

What is Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery?