Resident physicians spend years learning the intricacies of their specialties in graduate medical education (GME), but all that training does little to prepare them to navigate their first employment contracts. The AMA has an educational module for residents who are in search of their first job but are also unsure of how their first contract should read.
“Physician Employment Contracts” is just one of the AMA GME Competency Education Program offerings, which include 40 courses that residents can access online through their residency program’s subscription, on their own schedule.
The AMA GME Competency Education Program delivers education to help institutions effectively meet Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) common program requirements. Current program subscribers have access to award-winning online education designed for residents on the go. It’s easy to use and saves time with simple tracking and reporting tools for administrators. Learn more.
Expert insights on vital topics
Among the program’s experts are several who contributed to the AMA’s Health Systems Science textbook, which draws insights from faculty at medical schools that are part of the Association’s ChangeMedEd® initiative.
The program’s modules cover five of the six topics within the ACGME’s core-competency requirements—patient care, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism and system-based practice. The sixth requirement, medical knowledge, is one that is typically addressed during clinical education.
Dive deeper:
- What I wish I knew in residency about being an employed physician
- 4 keys for a physician’s first employment contract
- What doctors must know about their first employment contract
- In transition to practice, know these 8 steps for evaluating jobs
- To know whether physician job pays enough, assess goals, values
Contracts are complex
An employment contract is a legal document that lays out binding terms and conditions of an employment relationship between an employee and an employer. Each contract is unique, so the goal of the module is to help residents solve the contract puzzle. The module also reviews the various types of environments residents work in during their first year after residency training, which may require different provisions.
Provisions of an employment contract include:
- Basic terms of employment.
- Compensation package.
- Professional expenses.
- Billing.
- Employee benefit programs.
- Partnership options.
- Facilities support.
- Professional liability insurance.
- Termination clause.
Residents and fellows will learn what to look for in each contract provision, as well as considerations if you decide to pursue a different opportunity down the road. Find out more about AMA learning and CME to help your professional growth.
Get tips on your transition to practice
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Hire a lawyer
The complexities and technicalities of physician employment contracts are why residents can benefit from having an attorney review any contract before agreeing to its terms and conditions. There are lots of attorneys with different backgrounds, but a lawyer with physician contract experience will know what to look for in a contract—and potentially have a good understanding of the market in question.
“Hospital employment is a very different animal because hospitals can have doctors do things differently,” said Elizabeth A. Snelson, president of Legal Counsel for the Medical Staff PLLC, which specializes in working with medical staffs, medical societies and medical staff professionals. “This is a new age in the practice of medicine.”
Snelson is the author of the AMA Physicians’ Guide to Hospital Employment Contracts (PDF), free for AMA members, which provides expert guidance to physicians contemplating, entering into or working under employment contracts with hospitals or related entities.
“I know employment contracts are boring,” Snelson said. “But if you don’t get yours the way you want it, it could clash dramatically with what you thought you’d be doing with your life.”
The “Physician Employment Contracts” module provides tips around what to look for should you move forward with hiring an attorney and also empowers residents to ask questions along the way if something isn’t clear.
The AMA GME Competency Education Program covers topics including well-being, quality improvement and patient safety, residents as teachers, navigating health systems, health equity, professionalism and faculty development. Residency program directors have access to dashboards and reports that provide a view of progress at the program and institution levels. In addition, customizable reports make it easy to track learner performance and demonstrate compliance for accreditation.
Faculty access is included at no additional cost. Schedule a meeting to discuss your organization’s needs.
