What Practices Value in Locums (and How to Excel)
After every completed shift, the practice completes a structured review of your performance. The results feed directly into your star rating, your visibility in search results, and whether the practice adds you to their Favourites list for repeat bookings.
Understanding exactly what practices are asked means you know in advance what to aim for — not guessing after the fact.
The Seven Review Questions
These are the exact questions a practice answers about you after each shift. Each one maps directly to a specific behaviour you can control.
# | Practice is asked… | How to score well |
1 | Did the locum arrive on time? | Aim to arrive 10–15 minutes early. It allows for unexpected delays and signals professionalism before you’ve said a word. |
2 | Was the locum’s appearance professional? | Wear clean, pressed attire that matches or exceeds the practice’s dress code. When in doubt, dress more formally. |
3 | Did the locum have a positive attitude towards their work and the team? | Engage with the team during breaks. Join colleagues in the staff room rather than spending time alone on your phone. |
4 | Did the locum proactively offer help or take initiative during downtime? | Ask the practice manager, dentist, or a team member if there is anything you can do. Don’t wait to be asked. |
5 | Was the locum largely worth their hourly rate? | Deliver excellent clinical and professional standards throughout. Practices are willing to pay more for locums who consistently exceed expectations. |
6 | Did the locum use their time productively, avoiding distractions like personal phone use? | Keep your phone silent and out of sight during work hours. Save messages and calls for breaks. |
7 | Would you have this locum back for future shifts? | A ‘Yes’ here adds you to the practice’s Favourites list. Meeting all of the above consistently is the most reliable way to earn it. |
How Your Review Affects Your Profile
Each review feeds into three things that directly affect your future bookings:
What changes | What it means for you |
Star rating | Your overall rating is visible to all practices searching for locums. Higher ratings increase trust and move you up search results. |
Matching score | Your star rating is one of the four factors Airlocum’s algorithm uses to rank you. A higher score means earlier booking wave notifications and more shift opportunities. |
Favourites list | A ‘Yes’ answer to question 7 adds you to that practice’s Favourites list. Practices can book Favourites directly and preferentially — bypassing the general search entirely. |
Written feedback | Practices can leave optional written comments on your performance. These are visible on your profile and give future practices more confidence to book you. |
⭐ The Favourites list is the most valuable outcome of a great shift Being added to a practice’s Favourites list means they can book you directly for future shifts — you don’t need to compete in the general booking wave. Locums who build a strong Favourites network across multiple practices fill their calendars consistently and with far less reliance on availability and distance scores. Question 7 is the gateway. Everything else on the review form leads to it. |
Star Ratings Explained
The overall star rating uses a standard 1–5 scale:
5 stars | Excellent |
4 stars | Good |
3 stars | Acceptable |
2 stars | Below expectations |
1 star | Poor |
💬 Want personalised advice on improving your profile or performance? The Airlocum support team can review your profile and advise on specific improvements to your rating, skills section, or booking strategy. Contact support via live chat at airlocum.co.uk — response time is under 2 minutes. |
Related Articles
• How Airlocum Matches Locums with Practices
• How to Build and Use Your Favourites List
• The Check-In Feature
• How Ratings and Reviews Work
Last updated: March 2026 | Category: For Locums — Getting Started