The American Medical Association laid out four red flags young physicians should keep an eye out for when signing employment contracts in an Oct. 6 blog post.
Here are the four red flags:
1. Overly broad noncompete language
Noncompete clauses are standard in physician contracts, but young physicians should be concerned about contracts that apply the restrictive covenants even if the employer terminates employment without cause.
2. Unreasonable expectations
Physician compensation is based in part on productivity, but young physicians should have an understanding of what a reasonable level of compensation and production is before signing.
3. Muddled compensation formula
Physicians should be able to look at the contract and understand how they get paid, the blog post reads. If this isn't the case, young physicians could ask employers for an example of how the model works within their specialty.
4. Disproportionate call responsibilities
Call duty should be evenly distributed among the employed physicians. If this isn't the case, some physicians negotiate call limits.