For more than 12 years and 42 placements, locuming has remained a constant in Dr Alice Kuo’s career, even as the rest of her working life has evolved.
Alice’s relationship with Good Together goes back to 2014, before Moana and Jeremy purchased the business and when it was still Triage Locums. Moana supported Alice for four years and remembers how easy she was to work with.
“Alice knew exactly what would work for her and what wouldn’t, which made her an ideal locum to support. The better we understood what she was looking for, the better we could find opportunities that genuinely suited her.”
Claudia took over supporting Alice more than a year ago and, like Moana, has appreciated the considered way Alice approaches each opportunity. She knows what works for her, asks the right questions and, when she commits to a placement, clinics know they are getting a highly capable and adaptable clinician.
A career that keeps evolving
Alice first came to locuming after leaving the hospital environment. For two years, she travelled and worked around New Zealand before finding a practice where she could settle and pursue her vocational registration in Urgent Care.
She may have settled geographically, but she never completely left locuming behind.
Since 2014, Alice has worked in clinics from the central North Island to the bottom of the South. Westport, Gore, Timaru, Tokoroa, Whanganui, Christchurch, Greymouth, Nelson, Dunedin and Invercargill are just some of the communities she has supported along the way.
Today, Alice’s usual role is in an urgent care environment, where the variety of patients and presentations requires adaptability and resourcefulness. Those same qualities have served her well as a locum, where stepping into unfamiliar clinics, teams and communities is part of the job.
Flexibility that fits
For Alice, locuming offers something different from her usual work. A new environment, a change of scene and a break from her normal routine can provide breathing space and a fresh perspective to take home.
That doesn’t mean she believes every aspect of locuming is perfect. Alice values continuity of care and prefers seeing patients in person, where she can physically examine them and use all her senses to diagnose and treat. But 42 placements later, locuming clearly still has a place in her working life.
Some clinics have welcomed her back multiple times. Others, we’re told, would quite happily clone her.
After all that time, the process is pretty simple. Alice lets us know when she is available. We know her, how she works and what is likely to suit her. Then Claudia works her magic to find the right fit.
Twelve years, 42 placements and countless patients and communities later, Alice has shaped locuming around her life and career rather than the other way around.
And we think that’s exactly how flexible work should work.
