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If you've spent any time exploring locum tenens work or temporary healthcare staffing, you've almost certainly encountered the name CHG Healthcare. As a CHG provider — meaning a clinician who works through one of CHG Healthcare's staffing brands — you gain access to one of the largest physician and advanced practice staffing networks in the United States. But what does that actually look like on the ground? What should you expect from the experience, and how does it compare to working with smaller agencies or going direct?
I've spent years helping healthcare professionals navigate career decisions on healthcareers.app, and the questions about CHG and locum tenens work come up constantly. This post is designed to give you a clear-eyed, practical look at what it means to work as a CHG provider, how the compensation stacks up across different specialties, and how this pathway intersects with related career tracks — including some you might not expect, like pharmaceutical science and perfusion.
CHG Healthcare is the parent company behind several well-known healthcare staffing brands, including CompHealth, Weatherby Healthcare, RNnetwork, Foundation Medical Staffing, and Global Medical Staffing. Each brand serves a different segment of the healthcare workforce:
When someone refers to themselves as a "CHG provider," they typically mean they're a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, CRNA, or allied health professional who has been placed in a temporary or permanent role through one of these brands. The distinction matters because each brand operates somewhat independently, with its own recruiters, specialties, and geographic focus areas.
There are several reasons a clinician might choose to work through CHG rather than a smaller staffing agency or direct-hire arrangement:
That said, working as a CHG provider isn't without trade-offs. Some clinicians report that the large corporate structure can feel impersonal, and pay rates may occasionally be lower than what smaller, specialty-focused agencies offer for the same assignment. I always encourage candidates to compare offers carefully and negotiate — something that's true regardless of the staffing company you choose.
One of the most common questions I see from clinicians considering locum tenens work is straightforward: how much will I actually earn? The answer depends heavily on your specialty, the assignment location, the urgency of the facility's need, and your experience level.
Locum tenens physicians generally earn daily rates rather than annual salaries, and these rates can be quite competitive — often exceeding what the same clinician would earn in a permanent position on a per-day basis. Emergency medicine, psychiatry, and anesthesiology tend to command some of the highest locum rates, while primary care and internal medicine assignments are more moderate but also more abundant.
For advanced practice providers — nurse practitioners and physician assistants — locum rates through CHG and similar agencies are typically quoted as hourly rates and vary significantly by specialty and geography. Rural and underserved areas frequently offer premium rates to attract providers.
To put locum tenens compensation into context, it's helpful to compare it to other healthcare career tracks that require similar levels of education and commitment. For example, many people ask how much does a pharmaceutical scientist make — and the answer illustrates an interesting contrast. Pharmaceutical scientists, who typically hold doctoral degrees and work in drug development, regulatory affairs, or clinical research, earn salaries that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports as competitive within the broader life sciences field. Depending on their specialization and employer — whether that's a major pharmaceutical company, a biotech startup, or an academic institution — their compensation can be substantial but follows a more traditional salary structure rather than the per-diem or hourly model of locum tenens work.
The point isn't that one path is better than another — it's that healthcare offers remarkably diverse compensation models, and the CHG provider route offers a particular kind of flexibility and earning potential that appeals to clinicians who value autonomy over predictability.
One thing I find fascinating about CHG's staffing ecosystem is how it touches specialties that many people don't immediately associate with temporary staffing. While most people think of locum tenens as a physician or NP phenomenon, CHG's brands also place allied health professionals, including perfusionists.
Perfusionists — the specialists who operate heart-lung machines during cardiac surgery — are in consistently high demand, and some work through staffing agencies like CHG's allied health brands. If you're a student or early-career professional exploring this field, understanding the landscape of perfusion schools is your critical first step.
Accredited perfusion education programs in the United States are relatively few — there are roughly two dozen programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. These programs typically result in a master's degree and prepare graduates for certification through the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion. The limited number of training programs, combined with steady demand for cardiac surgical services, creates favorable employment conditions for perfusionists — including opportunities for temporary or locum-style work through staffing agencies.
If you're considering perfusion as a career, I'd recommend researching accredited perfusion schools through the Accreditation Committee for Perfusion Education and understanding that the investment in education — typically two to four years of graduate-level training after completing prerequisite coursework — leads to a career with strong earning potential and genuine clinical impact.
If you're seriously considering locum tenens or temporary staffing work through CHG, here's a practical framework I recommend for evaluating whether it's the right move:
Locum tenens work tends to be most rewarding for clinicians who have enough experience to walk into an unfamiliar facility and perform competently with minimal orientation. If you're a new graduate, you might benefit from a year or two in a permanent position first to build your clinical confidence and skills.
As a CHG provider in a locum tenens role, you may be classified as an independent contractor rather than an employee. This has significant tax implications — you'll likely need to make quarterly estimated tax payments, and you won't receive employer-sponsored benefits like retirement plan matching or health insurance. Some clinicians form S-corporations or work with accountants who specialize in locum tenens finances. Factor these costs into your compensation comparison.
Travel assignments sound glamorous, but the reality involves being away from home, adjusting to new clinical environments every few weeks or months, and managing logistics that can be exhausting over time. Some clinicians thrive on the variety; others find it isolating. Be honest with yourself about what you need.
This sounds obvious, but I've seen clinicians sign locum tenens contracts without fully understanding the cancellation policies, call responsibilities, or non-compete clauses. CHG's contracts are generally well-structured, but every assignment is different. Ask questions about anything you don't understand, and don't hesitate to negotiate terms.
The best information comes from clinicians who've actually worked through CHG's brands. Online forums, professional associations, and social media groups for locum tenens physicians and APPs are good places to get candid feedback about the experience.
Healthcare staffing agencies like CHG aren't going anywhere. The combination of physician shortages, an aging population, clinician burnout driving early retirements, and geographic maldistribution of providers means that temporary staffing will remain a critical part of the healthcare delivery infrastructure for the foreseeable future. The Association of American Medical Colleges has projected significant physician shortages in the coming decade, and locum tenens providers are one of the key mechanisms facilities use to maintain patient access during these gaps.
For clinicians, this means the CHG provider pathway will likely continue to offer competitive compensation and flexibility. For facilities, it means staffing partners like CHG will remain essential — though the cost of temporary staffing is an ongoing tension point in healthcare budgeting.
CHG Healthcare's family of brands places a wide range of healthcare professionals, including physicians across virtually all specialties, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, CRNAs, dentists, travel nurses, and allied health professionals such as perfusionists, physical therapists, and lab technologists. The specific opportunities available depend on which CHG brand you work with.
Pharmaceutical scientists and locum tenens physicians operate on very different compensation models. Pharmaceutical scientists typically earn traditional salaries that vary based on their specialization, employer type, and experience — with the Bureau of Labor Statistics categorizing related roles among well-compensated life science occupations. Locum tenens physicians earn daily or hourly rates that can translate to high annualized earnings but come without traditional employee benefits. The two career paths require different educational investments and offer different lifestyle trade-offs.
Yes, admission to accredited perfusion schools is competitive. There are a limited number of accredited programs in the United States, and they typically require strong prerequisite coursework in sciences, clinical experience, and often previous healthcare credentials. The small class sizes and high demand for perfusionists mean that programs can be selective. I'd recommend connecting with program admissions offices early and gaining relevant clinical exposure — such as shadowing perfusionists in cardiac surgery — to strengthen your application.
There's no universal answer. CHG offers scale, infrastructure, and a wide range of assignments, which is ideal for clinicians who want variety and logistical support. Smaller agencies may offer more personalized service and occasionally higher pay rates for specific assignments. Many experienced locum tenens clinicians work with multiple agencies simultaneously to maximize their options. I recommend trying both and comparing the experience firsthand.
It depends on the specific arrangement and brand. Some CHG assignments, particularly longer-term or permanent placements through CompHealth, may include benefits. However, many locum tenens assignments classify clinicians as independent contractors, which means you're responsible for your own health insurance, retirement savings, and tax obligations. Always clarify the employment classification and benefits structure before accepting an assignment.
Becoming a CHG provider can be a smart career move for clinicians who value flexibility, competitive pay, and exposure to diverse clinical environments. But like any career decision in healthcare, it requires careful evaluation of your financial situation, career goals, and personal priorities. Whether you're a physician weighing your first locum tenens assignment, an allied health professional exploring how perfusion schools might lead to staffing opportunities, or simply curious about how healthcare compensation compares across fields — including questions like how much does a pharmaceutical scientist make — the key is making informed choices based on real data and honest self-assessment. We built healthcareers.app to help you do exactly that, and I encourage you to explore the opportunities and resources available as you plan your next career step.
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