Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013
For Residents
Building the best employment agreement for yourself
It's that time of year again when graduating resident physicians start preparing to enter their first employment agreements. Despite having completed years of medical training, many still might have knowledge gaps when it comes to the business of medicine.
American Medical News attempts to fill in some of those gaps by identifying five key issues physicians should consider when negotiating a new contract. Those issues include asking about pay for nonclinical duties, and finding a way to bring up retirement and other personal matters.
The story also highlights the top red flags in doctor employment contracts to watch out for. The top concern is provisions which allow employers to clawback money for any reason. This is especially important for residents negotiating their first contracts, which may promise money for the repaying student loans in return for a promise to stay with the employer for a certain amount of time.
The AMA's resource Succeeding from Medical School to Practice can help residents prepare to transition to being practitioners. The resource includes annotated model employment agreements and guides to liability and disability insurance, among many others.
AMA leadership opportunities offer ways to get involved
Residents and fellows have several ways through the AMA to become a leader and get more involved in organized medicine. Represent your colleagues on one of the following AMA councils and committees, all of which have open seats that will be filled this year:
- AMA Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) Governing Council
- AMA Council on Legislation
- AMA Council on Medical Service
- AMA Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues
- Resident position on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Residency Review Committee for Internal Medicine
Visit the AMA-RFS Web page to learn more about these opportunities and to access applications for each.
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