As a young parent working as a full-time physiotherapist in a restructured hospital setting in Singapore, Ms. Beh Jyh Yun, found herself in a very challenging atmosphere after the birth of her beautiful daughter. Between juggling her family and work responsibilities, Ms. Beh had little to no time to spend with her family beyond the necessities, as her full-time physiotherapy position kept her working on weekends and on public holidays. She was also required to be on-call or on “standby” during afterhours; meaning she could be called into the hospital in the dead of the night. Of course, this would be disruptive to both her family-time and her sleep schedule. So, with the stress levels rising, Ms. Beh worked in conjunction with Pacific Locum & Therapy to transition into a locum position. Here is what her experience has been like and how it has helped her. How Are Your Days Different as a Locum Physiotherapist? “ I like the flexibility of working hours that I have from becoming a locum Physiotherapist and I'm able to spend more quality time with my family as compared to when I worked as a Full-Time Physiotherapist ” “After becoming a locum therapist, I am glad that I no longer need to work during weekends as well as public holiday and I do not need to standby for on-call activation after hours which is a huge difference that I find between working as locum therapist and full time therapist. I spend those time to run my errands, house chores as well as spending quality time with my little girl ”. One of the biggest differences for Ms. Beh Jyh Yun has been a change in her working availability. She has the flexibility to work the hours that best suit her, and she “no longer needs to work during weekends [or on] public holidays” (Interview, 2019) nor does she need to be on-call for working during afterhours. Now she can spend the extra time that has been freed up from working as a locum to run errands, ensure her home chores are completed, and spend time with her little girl. The family time that she has been afforded by the change in her position from a full-time physiotherapist to a locum, is filled with more poignant experiences and is no longer dictated by her working hours. Ms. Beh can take her daughter places, watch her grow up, and enjoy the laughter and learning experiences that her family are going through as they bring up their little girl. Would You Encourage Young Parents to Choose a Career as a Locum Therapist? ”I will encourage young parents especially mummy to consider career as a locum therapist to juggle between family and work especially when you return to work initially after your maternity leave as I felt it will helps to reduce the stress level that you will experience most of the time which I encountered previously. Work life balance is still important! “ In an interview with Ms. Beh, she states that she would “encourage young parents, especially young mothers to consider a career as a locum therapist” (Interview, 2019) as it provides you with the ability to better juggle high-quality family time with work. When returning to work, especially after a long maternity leave, it can be difficult and stressful to leave your little one at home or in the care of someone else. Working as a locum provides a work-life balance that affords flexibility and gives you more control and empowerment to determine when and how you work. What Is the Best Thing About Working with Pacific Rehab & Therapy? “Prudence and the team have been assisting me in finding the assignment which suited my requested working hours promptly when I first joined. They are very prompt in responding to my enquiries all the time and I am glad that they put in the effort to even help me to find my next assignment despite the pregnancy condition that I'm having. Appreciated all the efforts from them ( Interview, 2019 ) ”. Beyond this, Ms. Beh is extremely happy in working with the company as they are prompt in responding to all enquiries and are always willing to put in the extra effort to find assignments that suit their locum’s needs. *** Pacific Rehab & Therapy provides fuss-free staffing solutions to community clinics, hospitals, specialized schools, nursing homes, senior care centers, and certified therapist organizations. If you are an allied health professional, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, or speech and language therapist who wants more flexibility in your working hours and employment positions or just want more time to raise your young ones, Pacific Rehab & Therapy has open positions available. So, apply today!
Comments