Dr. Ali Chaudhary is an emergency physician, entrepreneur, and one of the leading voices helping doctors reclaim control over their careers. After leaving a traditional W-2 job, he built Locums United and LocumOS - two platforms designed to bring transparency, fairness, and autonomy to how physicians are staffed and compensated. Having lived both sides of medicine, Ali shares how locum tenens work can transform burnout into balance and turn short-term contracts into long-term career freedom.
On this episode of How I Doctor, Dr. Graham Walker talks with Ali about what really happens when doctors leave the W-2 world, how to build stability as an independent contractor, and why locums can be the key to both financial freedom and professional fulfillment. They break down the myths that scare physicians away from 1099 work, the financial strategies that make it sustainable, and the mindset shift required to think like a business owner instead of an employee.
If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to make more, work less, and still love medicine again then this episode is your blueprint.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why the traditional W-2 model is burning out physicians and how locums flips the script.
- How to set up your locums life for stability.
- The real financial math behind 1099 work, and how to maximize your take-home pay.
- How to spot red flags in locums contracts and avoid being underpaid.
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