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LOCUMS ONE · LOCATIONS · CALIFORNIA

Locum Cardiology Jobs in California: 500+ Cardiologists in Our Network

Board-certified locum cardiologists for inpatient coverage, nocturnist programs, and clinic backfill. General and interventional subspecialties available for 21-day deployment. California facilities get verified, pre-credentialed locum cardiologists in 21 days — not 90 — at one transparent rate.

21-Day Average Fill
96% Retention Rate
89% First-Match Success
4.7/5.0 Satisfaction
Quick Answer

Direct answer: Locum cardiologists in California earn $275–$375/hr (1099, take-home) in 2026, sourced from LocumOS Physician Freedom Project 2026, AMN Healthcare, and NALTO benchmarks. Locums One is a physician-owned locum tenens agency placing cardiologists in California in 21 days, average. Rates vary by call type (24-hour, clinic-only, callback) and facility.

Pay rates per LocumOS Physician Freedom Project 2026, AMN Healthcare 2026, and NALTO benchmarks. Physician take-home, 1099. Updated May 2026.

500+

Cardiologists in Network

21-Day

Average Fill Time

96%

Retention Rate

89%

First-Match Success

$275–$375

Hourly Rate Range

2026 Compensation

How much does a locum cardiologist make in California?

Hourly Rate Range

$275–$375/hr

Range varies by coverage model — nocturnist and STEMI call command premium rates, and clinic coverage sits in the mid-range.

Rates updated monthly from live assignments

Annualized (2,080 hrs)

$572K–$780K

Full-time locum tenens equivalent. Most locums work 6–10 months per year and earn more per hour than permanent staff.

See full salary guide

Pay rates per LocumOS Physician Freedom Project 2026, AMN Healthcare 2026, and NALTO benchmarks. Physician take-home, 1099. Updated May 2026.

2026 Rate Benchmarks

Cardiology Rate Breakdown in California

Industry rate ranges from published sources (AMN Healthcare 2026, NALTO). Rates vary by call structure, facility size, and procedure mix.

Is locum cardiologist work 1099 or W-2 in California?

All Locums One placements in California are 1099 independent contractor agreements. We do not function as an employer of record. Physicians retain full autonomy over their schedule, retain their own professional liability coverage (which we verify at $1M/$3M claims-made), and receive 1099 income documentation. This is the standard structure for locum tenens nationwide and enables significant tax advantages — S-Corp election, business deductions, and solo 401k contributions typically save $30K–$60K annually versus W-2 employment.

Coverage Type
Industry Range (AMN / NALTO)
Notes

General IR (Day Shift)

$275–$320/hr

Standard vascular and diagnostic IR — published industry range from AMN Healthcare 2026 and NALTO benchmarks

Neurointervention / Complex Vascular

$315–$405/hr

Fellowship-trained, high-acuity — top of published range

Oncologic Intervention

$295–$355/hr

TACE, ablation, Y-90 — published industry range

24-Hour STEMI / Call Coverage

$325–$420/hr

Round-the-clock vascular intervention — published industry range

Source: LocumOS Physician Freedom Project 2026, AMN Healthcare 2026, NALTO benchmarks. Pay rates shown — physician take-home, 1099.

Get your specific Locums One quote.

One number, all-in. Malpractice + travel + lodging bundled.

Credentialing

How long does the California medical board take?

Is California in the IMLC compact for locum cardiologists?

Non-IMLC State

California is not an IMLC compact member. Locum cardiologists must obtain a separate California medical license. Processing takes 12–20 weeks. Locums One begins the full licensure process immediately upon engagement.

License Type Required

MD / DO Full License

State Medical Board

Medical Board of California

Typical Processing Time

12–20 weeks

Background Check

Live Scan (California DOJ + FBI)

Non-IMLC StateFCVS Not Required

FCVS not accepted; California conducts independent primary source verification.

California is NOT an IMLC member. Longest processing times in the country — plan 4–5 months ahead. Locums One begins credentialing immediately upon engagement.

Locums One handles the entire credentialing process.

Average turnaround: 21 days.

  • FCVS profile setup & submission
  • Primary source verification
  • State medical board application
  • Background check coordination
  • Facility privilege packet assembly
Why Locums One

Built Different. Here's How.

H

Your Locum Career, Managed End-to-End

Other agencies place you on one assignment, then you start the paperwork from zero on the next. We carry it forward.

Your credentialing packet, license expirations, malpractice tail coverage, tax-pro consult, year-ahead assignment planning — all tracked in one place by the same team. You stay focused on patients. We handle the rest of your locum career.

IMLC application service — for $99 refundable deposit we handle your full multi-state application, you get 40+ state licenses in 3–4 weeks

Nobody else in locum tenens does this end-to-end. We built it because every founder here lived through what didn't.

A

What's Bundled in Every Assignment

One number on every contract. Everything below included:

  • Malpractice — $1M/$3M claims-made with tail. No separate invoice.
  • Travel + lodging — round-trip + furnished housing within a 60-mile radius
  • 1099 tax-pro consult — a CPA on retainer for your 1099 questions, free for placed physicians
  • License-renewal tracking — we monitor your state expirations and prompt 90 days out
  • Same recruiter every assignment — see the next block

One contract. One bill. One number that already includes the things other agencies bill separately.

C

Same Recruiter Every Assignment

Other agencies hand you to a new recruiter every job. The first call is always "Tell me about your case mix..." — again. We don't.

Your recruiter knows your specialty, your case-mix preferences, your spouse's name, and which Tuesday you can't be on call. They stay with you across every assignment, every state, every year. The relationship compounds.

B

What We Won't Do

  • No name-clearing without your written approval.
  • No CV submissions to facilities you didn't review first.
  • No calls during shifts.
  • No surprise fees post-acceptance.
  • No "your rate just changed because the facility renegotiated."

Predictability beats every other selling point in locum tenens. We commit to it in writing.

G

We Optimize for You, Not the Facility

Most agencies measure success by placements made. We measure it by physicians who book a second assignment.

Same bid, two physicians? We push back to the facility for the better-fit candidate, not the one who'll close fastest.

Better-paying gig at a different agency? We tell you. (Then we work to win you back next round with a better one.)

We work for you. The facility relationships compound when you stay — that's the model.

F

Built by Physicians Who Got Tired of This

Locums One was built by physicians who spent years on the receiving end of opaque agencies. Every workflow — credentialing, contract review, rate negotiation, malpractice handling — was designed by someone who'd been a locum themselves and watched the system break in the same places, every time.

We're not a tech company that figured out staffing. We're a physician company that figured out tech.

D

The Cost of Opaque Agencies

The typical locum loses $40,000–$60,000/year to hidden agency markup. Most never see the bill rate, only the take-home.

We publish the math. Our gated rate sheet shows what facilities actually pay, what physicians take home, what we keep, and where every other line item goes.

Physicians who read it and switch see the difference inside one assignment cycle.

One Bill Rate. Everything Included.

What you pay. What they get. One number.

Every locum cardiology placement bundles malpractice, travel, lodging, and compensation into a single transparent bill rate.

Malpractice

INCLUDED

$1M/$3M claims-made professional liability coverage for every locum cardiology. No separate invoices. No surprise bills at month-end.

Travel & Lodging

INCLUDED

Round-trip travel and furnished lodging within 60 miles of the facility. We handle booking, not the hospital admin team. No expense reports to process.

Transparent Compensation

GUARANTEED

You see exactly what the cardiology earns and exactly what Locums One retains. Transparent markup — not the hidden industry standard.

What hospitals hire locum cardiologists in California?

Major systems hiring locum cardiologists across California include:

Kaiser Permanente

Largest managed care organization in the U.S. with hospitals throughout California

Sutter Health

Integrated health system with multiple acute care hospitals across Northern California

Dignity Health (CommonSpirit)

Faith-based health system with hospitals from Los Angeles to the Central Valley

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Academic medical center and major tertiary referral hospital in Los Angeles

Stanford Health Care

Academic medical center and Level I trauma center in the San Francisco Bay Area

UCLA Health

Academic health system with hospitals and clinics across Southern California

The Transparency Report

How is Locums One different from traditional staffing agencies?

The Old Way
The Locums.One Way

Industry-typical agency markup hidden in the rate

Transparent markup — you see exactly what the physician earns

60-90 day average fill time

21-day average fill — emergency deployment for STEMI coverage

Malpractice, travel, lodging billed separately

One bill rate — malpractice, travel, and lodging bundled

Providers presented before credentialing is complete

100% pre-credentialed with clean malpractice — before we present them

Opaque commission structure — you do not know who earns what

Transparent markup — you see the doctor's pay and our fee

No replacement guarantee

14-day free replacement if a placement does not work out

California isn't IMLC — but you can still go multi-state

Apply to the Locums One Bench. We'll surface gigs in your home state plus the IMLC compact states (40+ states) where you can fast-track licensure.

Already credentialed in California? Apply to the Bench to get matched on future Cardiology gigs across the country. Free signup.

Apply to the Bench
Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions — Locum Cardiology in California

What's included in a Locums One assignment?

Every Locums One assignment bundles malpractice ($1M/$3M claims-made with tail), round-trip travel, furnished lodging within a 60-mile radius, a 1099 CPA consult on retainer, and license-renewal tracking — all into a single transparent bill rate. No separate invoices. No surprise fees. One contract, one number.

Locum cardiologists in California earn $275–$375/hr in 2026. Range varies by coverage model — nocturnist and STEMI call command premium rates, and clinic coverage sits in the mid-range. Most locums work 6–10 months per year and earn more per hour than permanent staff in California.

Major health systems hiring locum cardiologists across California include Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, Dignity Health (CommonSpirit), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and others. These systems use locum cardiologists for coverage gaps, seasonal demand, and maternity leave. Locums One pre-credentialed providers are ready for 21-day deployment to any California facility.

The Medical Board of California typically processes licenses in 12–20 weeks. Locums One begins the credentialing process at engagement — not at placement — so your provider is ready before the start date. Average turnaround from engagement to deployment: 21 days.

The Locums One all-in bill rate bundles everything into a single transparent number: physician compensation, professional liability insurance ($1M/$3M claims-made), round-trip travel and furnished lodging, and our agency fee. There are no separate invoices. No surprise bills at month-end. What you see is what you pay. Contact us for your specific all-in quote.

No. All Locums One placements in California are 1099 independent contractor agreements. We do not function as an employer of record. Physicians retain full autonomy over their schedule, retain their own professional liability coverage (which we verify), and receive 1099 income documentation. This is the standard structure for locum tenens nationwide.

Locums One places credentialed locum cardiologists in California in an average of 21 days. For emergency coverage, we can mobilize pre-credentialed providers within 72 hours if the California license is already in hand. We begin the credentialing process at engagement, not at placement, which is why our fill time is one-third the industry average of 60–90 days.

Yes. Every locum cardiologist we place carries $1M/$3M claims-made professional liability coverage included in the single bill rate. No separate billing. No surprise invoices. We verify 100% clean malpractice history before presenting any provider to a California facility.

Start with 3–5 positions. If a placement does not work out in the first 14 days, we replace them at no charge. No long-term contracts required. No minimum volume commitments. The pilot is designed to let California facilities experience the Locums One 21-day fill time and transparent pricing without risk.

Yes. Locums One handles the entire California credentialing process from start to finish: FCVS profile setup, primary source verification, Medical Board of California application, Live Scan (California DOJ + FBI) coordination, and facility privilege packet assembly. Because California is not an IMLC member, we begin the full licensure process immediately upon engagement. Average turnaround: 21 days.

Traditional agencies use hidden markup structures that obscure what the physician actually earns. Locums One uses transparent pricing — you see exactly what the physician earns and what we retain. Traditional agencies bill malpractice, travel, and lodging separately. We bundle everything into one rate. Traditional agencies take 60–90 days to fill. We average 21 days. And if a placement does not work out in 14 days, we replace them free — something traditional agencies rarely offer.

Physician Path

Get the California Locum Rate Sheet

PDF with full California rate breakdown for locum cardiologists: $275–$375/hr by setting, call type, and subspecialty. Updated monthly from live assignments.

Facility Path

Calculate Your Cost of Unfilled Positions

How much revenue does an unfilled cardiologist slot cost your California facility per week? Use the ROI calculator — pre-filled with California cardiologist rates.

Run the ROI Calculator
Takes 90 seconds. No sign-up required.

How do I apply for a locum cardiologist role in California?

Submit your CV through our secure portal or email it directly. We respond within 24 hours with matching assignments. Your recruiter then handles credentialing, licensing, and scheduling — you just show up and practice.

Ready to fill your California Cardiology gap?

500+ board-certified locum cardiologists in our network. 21-day placements. One transparent all-in rate — malpractice, travel, and lodging bundled. No surprises.

Get the California Cardiology Rate Sheet PDF:

Zero-Risk Pilot — 3-5 positions to start
14-day free replacement guarantee