How to negotiate locum tenens contracts as an NP

Sophia Khawly, ARNP, MSN, shares her tips on how to negotiate the best locums contract as a locum tenens nurse practitioner.

Nurse practitioner locum tenens contracts aren’t just about the pay rate. These agreements shape your entire experience—from housing and travel logistics to licensing reimbursements, schedule flexibility, and exit strategies. Many aspects of a locums contract are negotiable. Here’s my advice on negotiating the most optimal contract as a locum tenens nurse practitioner.

Maximize your locums pay potential

The pay listed under a locum tenens job description is almost always negotiable. Sometimes, there will be a pay range that depends on experience. If you are a seasoned locum, be sure to ask for the higher end of that range. If you are a new locum NP, make sure you are getting at least $10 – 20/hour more than you were making at your full-time permanent job. 

Do not be afraid to ask for more pay than your recruiter offered before you were presented to a client. If you want to look competitive and get presented at a similar rate to other providers, consider renegotiating after the interview.

Typically, following the interview, the site will determine if they are really interested in working with you and will want to move forward. 

This is a great time to negotiate pay. For instance, you may realize the job is more work than you expected after speaking with the interviewer, so you’ll want the pay to match the level of work. Or perhaps you have multiple job offers, so you can pit them against each other now that you have leverage. 

When asked to extend your assignment, you also have additional time to negotiate pay. You should request an additional $5 –10 per hour increase in pay for the extension duration. Most of the time, the site will grant this, but if they don't, you can tell them you no longer want to extend your assignment. This almost always causes them to give you the bump in pay you requested.

Maximize pay

Maximize pay tip:
Rates are negotiable; especially with experience or multiple offers.

How does pay work? All about locum tenens pay for NPs

Customize travel and housing benefits

In a typical locum tenens assignment, housing and travel are provided. You can negotiate whether you need a rental car or prefer to use your vehicle and be reimbursed for mileage instead. A standard round-trip economy flight is offered to and from the site. However, you can sometimes negotiate an extra flight to return home in the middle of the assignment, or even a business class upgrade if the flight is over four hours. 

Locum NPs can also negotiate housing arrangements in their contracts. The standard is to live at extended-stay hotels while on assignment, but you can negotiate a housing stipend or a stay at a furnished apartment or a nicer hotel. There is some flexibility with housing, which is great when traveling with family. If you are doing a local assignment, you can try to negotiate higher pay since the agency won’t need to cover housing. 

Travel & housing

Travel & housing tip:
Request stipends, extra flights, upgrades, or family housing.

Licensing and certification reimbursements

Some agencies will proactively license you for an assignment. 

If you are already licensed in a particular state and accept an assignment there, be sure to ask to be reimbursed for that license. Make sure this is specified in your contract before accepting the assignment. 

Having your DEA certification renewed and covered by the agency is also negotiable. This license is expensive to renew, so it’s ideal if the agency can cover the cost. Some agencies may say they won’t cover it up front, but after your interview with the site, you can negotiate it into your contract as a ‘deal breaker.'  

Licensing costs

Licensing costs tip:
Negotiate coverage for licenses and DEA renewals.

Design the schedule that works for you

Although most sites are looking for full-time coverage, you may be able to negotiate alternative schedules. 

You can negotiate a part-time schedule, working 10-hour shifts instead of 12-hour shifts, working 7 days on and 7 days off, etc. Some sites even allow admin time or remote work; be sure this is stated in the contract.

If the site normally requires clinicians to see an exorbitant number of patients per day, you can negotiate the maximum number of patients you are willing to see in your contract.

Scheduling

Scheduling tip:
Define shifts, admin time, patient caps, and remote options.

Negotiate fair contract termination terms 

The standard locum tenens contract will state that you need to give the site a 30-day notice before ending an assignment before the scheduled end date. This means that if you do not like an assignment or feel like it is not safe to practice, you have to wait 30 days before you can leave. Depending on the site and agency, you may be able to negotiate this time frame down to two weeks. Two weeks seems fairer for both parties, that way you won’t feel like you are stuck in a bad situation.

Termination terms

Termination terms tip:
Reduce 30-day notice to two weeks if possible.

Make every assignment work for you

Negotiating your NP locums contract is about more than pay—it’s about creating an assignment that works for you. From housing and licensing to scheduling and exit terms, don’t hesitate to ask for what you need. A thoughtful negotiation sets the stage for a more fulfilling locum experience.

CompHealth can help you find the perfect nurse practitioner job and negotiate the best contract terms for you. Give us a call at 800.453.3030 or view today’s NP job opportunities.