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Locum Tenens Credentialing Checklist (2026)

Every new assignment means a new facility file. Most of it is the same file each time. Here is what physicians, NPs, PAs and CRNAs are usually asked for, grouped the way a medical staff office reads it. Tick the boxes on screen or print the page. Each facility has its own list, so treat this as the base and add what they ask.

Licenses and registrations

License in the assignment state, active or with the application in progress
Every other state license you hold, with number and expiration date
DEA registration for the assignment state
State controlled-substance registration, if the state has one
Prescription monitoring program account in the assignment state
NPI number
APPs: collaboration or supervision agreement, where the state requires one

Board and training

Board certification certificate, or board-eligibility letter
APPs: national certification (for example NCCPA, ANCC, AANPCB, NBCRNA)
Professional school diploma
Residency and fellowship certificates, or program completion letter
ECFMG certificate, if you trained outside the US
CV with month and year for every position, and gaps explained
CME certificates for this cycle, including each state’s required topics (by state)

Certifications

BLS card
ACLS card
PALS, NRP or ATLS, if your specialty or the facility requires it
Any other training the facility lists, such as moderate sedation

Insurance and history

Malpractice certificate of insurance, or the agency’s coverage letter for this assignment
Claims history letters from prior carriers
A short written explanation of any claim, settlement or board action, kept up to date
Work and hospital affiliation history, with dates and contacts

Health and screening

TB screening result, in the form the facility asks for
Immunization records or titers (MMR, varicella, hepatitis B, Tdap)
Flu vaccine in season, and any other vaccine the facility requires
Drug screen, if required
Respirator fit test, if required
Background check authorization and a government photo ID

Facility paperwork

Privileging application, complete, signed and dated
Delineation of privileges for your specialty
Peer references, with current email and phone
Signed attestation and release forms
Case logs or procedure counts, if requested
CAQH (DataSpring) ProView profile attested and current, for payer enrollment
Facility orientation, EHR training and compliance modules

What expires, and when to start

Start renewals about 120 days out. A file is only as current as its first expired item.

State licenses: each board runs its own cycle. Our state pages list each board’s CME rules, checked against the board’s rules, with the date shown.
DEA registration: every 3 years. Renew before the date on the certificate.
Life-support cards: American Heart Association BLS cards are valid for two years. For ACLS, PALS and the rest, use the date printed on the card.
Board certification: on the board’s own schedule. Check the board portal once a year.
Malpractice: by the policy dates. Ask for the new certificate the day it renews.
TB, flu, drug screen: the facility decides how recent they must be, so do these last, close to the start date.

Common questions

When should a locum start credentialing?

As soon as you accept an assignment. A new state license and facility privileging are usually the slowest parts, so have everything else ready before anyone asks.

Who does locum tenens credentialing?

The agency usually collects your documents and builds the file. The facility’s medical staff office reviews it and grants privileges. You supply the documents and sign the attestations.

Which items on the checklist expire?

State licenses, DEA and state controlled-substance registrations, board certification, life-support cards, malpractice coverage, and health screening such as TB and flu. Diplomas and training certificates do not.

Keep it ready once, reuse it for every assignment

The Interstate Medicine Ledger holds your licenses, DEA and state registrations, board certifications, life-support cards, malpractice coverage, work history and CME in one record. Drop in a document or forward the email; AI reads it and you confirm. Alerts come at 120, 60, 30 and 7 days. When a facility asks, send a credentialing packet: your documents named in hospital order plus a Word profile, shared by a link that expires in 7, 30 or 90 days and that you can revoke.

Start your Ledger: 30 days free

For agency coordinators

You assemble this file for every clinician on every assignment. The Interstate Medicine Roster puts everything due in the next 90 days, across every clinician, on one Due list. Import your roster from Excel or CSV (name, email, NPI, specialty). Documents you add for any clinician are read, checked against their name and added to their record. Each clinician chooses your access level and can revoke it. For each facility, the packet is checked against the record: ready, expiring or missing. It organizes and flags; it does not verify credentials.

Start your Roster

General credentialing guidance, checked October 17, 2026. Not legal or compliance advice. Each facility, state board and agency sets its own requirements; follow theirs.