Top In‑Demand Locum Specialties in 2026

The Most In‑Demand Locum Specialties This Year

Below are the specialties that are consistently experiencing high need right now, and where locum-savvy physicians are finding the best opportunities:

Psychiatry

Psychiatry continues to be one of the most constrained specialties nationwide. The need for care is growing because:

• Behavioral health access is mandated and expanding
• Outpatient and tele‑enabled care still requires on-site coverage
• The residency pipeline hasn’t expanded enough to keep up

Psychiatrists with multi-state licenses or experience across inpatient, outpatient, and telehealth settings remain in especially high demand. As a result, they often have greater leverage to structure schedules, choose settings, and negotiate rates.

Anesthesiology

Anesthesiology coverage is critical to keeping surgical services running. As surgical volumes increase, facilities are turning to locum anesthesiologists for:

• Maintaining block schedules
• Covering CRNA supervision needs
• Supporting Ambulatory Surgical Center(ASC) expansion without permanent hires

Shorter assignments with premium pay and flexible call options are common, meaning more freedom and higher earning potential for anesthesiologists in the locum space.

Emergency Medicine

Emergency Medicine demand is consistently high, especially during coverage gaps, giving physicians options to choose where and how they work:

• Community and rural hospitals are actively recruiting locum coverage
• Many systems are open to Family Practice (FP) or Internal Medicine (IM)‑trained physicians in lower‑acuity settings
• Nights, weekends, and rapid‑response coverage pay more

Physicians who understand how acuity, volume, and coverage pressures intersect can secure assignments that are both sustainable and more highly compensated than traditional ER staffing models.

Primary Care

Primary care might not be the first specialty physicians think of in the locums space, but it's been consistently ramping up:

• Value‑based care initiatives are expanding
• Coverage gaps are growing in rural and semi‑rural markets
• Burnout is pushing Primary Care Providers(PCPs) out of full‑time roles

Locum PCPs who can maintain continuity of care, particularly during physician turnover, leave coverage, or practice transitions, are playing a critical role in keeping systems operational. Facilities rely on this type of coverage to avoid care disruptions and patient access issues.

Geographic Hotspots

In 2026, demand won’t be uniform across the country; it’s specific to regions and facilities that feel pressure now. Keep an eye on these hotspots:

• Rural Midwest and Plains states have chronic staffing gaps.
• In Southern community hospitals, demand is high and immediate.
• Fast‑growing suburban markets with aging populations, coverage needs are rising faster than recruitment can keep up.

Physicians who are flexible with location and hold multi‑state licenses will have a clear advantage in the locums space.

How to Find High‑Demand Opportunities on Sendit

Are you a doctor in one of these specialties? Here’s where Sendit changes the game. Instead of chasing open roles or navigating long, repetitive conversations with multiple locum agencies, Sendit is a fast, interactive marketplace that brings the right opportunities directly to you.

Just create your account, upload your credentials, set your rates and preferred locations, and watch matched opportunities come to you, complete with the details you need to decide whether an assignment truly fits. Unlike static job boards, Sendit reflects how physicians actually make career decisions.

Final Thoughts

In 2026, successful locum physicians are aligning their specialty with real market demand, leveraging geographic opportunity, and using insight to work on their own terms.

With Sendit, you’re not reacting to stale listings. You’re choosing the right opportunities, on your terms. That’s the difference between chasing shifts and building a locum career that actually works.