Medical migrants

While the recession forces cuts in some areas of health care staffing, demandis strong for traveling fill-in doctors
By Keith Darcé 3:00 a.m. March 8, 2009

Dr. Matt Dorner consulted with nurse Brenda Potts at Kaiser Permanente in Clairemont, where he is on assignment. - Howard Lipin / Union-Tribune

While most young physicians must work long days to establish themselves in a practice and pay off medical school debt, Dr. Tara Pernot's unconventional path has provided plenty of time for other priorities.

In recent years, Pernot has renovated her home in Temecula, taken a four-week tour of national parks and baby-sat her niece on a regular basis.

She is among a growing number of doctors doing locum tenens work, a Latin phrase that roughly translates to temporary travel assignments.

“It has a certain amount of freedom that is hard to give up once you have it,â€