Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

Summary: As discussed in other chapters, when choosing your next employer, it’s important to evaluate all aspects of a position beyond compensation. Finding a well- run practice will help ensure the compensation will be the best it can be in the situation. Below is a list of questions that will help you evaluate the non-compensation aspects of a position: Is the practice or health system stable? Stable is preferable, but if they are growing, some instability maybe expected. What is its business outlook? Do they have a plan to expand or are they in a solid niche? Is the practice or the system a market leader? Are the current physicians busy? If so, that’s good, but make sure they’re not too busy, indicating there could be issues. How is the leadership structured? Is the practice run by physicians or non- physicians? Are there administrative expectations for the physicians? What EMR will I have to work with? What are the organization’s expectations/stan- dards for behavior? And do those expectations/ standards involve physician and practice leaders alike? We’ve covered a lot of ground with respect to compensation. The fact is it’s an important subject, and one that will be present your entire career. Be prepared to weigh compensation among other practice factors discussed in this book. It doesn’t always have to be about the money, but you owe it to yourself to be knowledgeable and to protect the biggest investment you’ve ever made - you. Physician Compensation 235 WWW.PHYSICIANCAREERPLANNING.COM