@MGMA Publishes 2013 Physician Compensation & Production Survey

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Every year the Medical Group Management Association ("MGMA") publishes its annual Physician Compensation and Production Survey. The data contained in this survey is widely used by physician groups and employers in setting compensation, from minimum salary guarantees to bonus and production metrics. Access to the MGMA survey is crucial to physicians who are job searching and who are reviewing their job offers, because knowing market compensation standards can give you the leverage you need to negotiate compensation that is on target for your practice and specialty.

For more information about the MGMA compensation survey and how this information can be beneficial in your contract negotiations, please contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.

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@Adventuresinmed Publishes 2013-2014 Guidebook

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Adventures in Medicine is a company that focuses on providing medical residents with the tools and resources they need to transition smoothly from training to practice.  Each year AIM publishes its annual "Guidebook" that is full of content that is useful and engaging for residents transitioning out of training. The 2013-2014 AIM Guidebook has just been published!  Click here to read more about what AIM does and to check out the new guidebook. See page 213 for the Lauth O'Neill Physician Agency feature.

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Is a Legal Review of your Physician Employment Contract Worth the Cost?

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The answer to this question may, in some cases, depend on the particular circumstances at hand, but in all cases, a physician attorney can provide you with a strong array of value when they review your employment agreement.  For instance, most physician employment agreements are drafted by lawyers, not by a physician. This means that the agreement is likely to be full of terms of art and legal language, all of which can have special meaning, beyond the basic reading of the words. In fact, the language of physician employment contracts often contain terms and phrases that have special meaning not to just any lawyer, but specifically health care lawyers trained in the area of physician contracts. In many cases a lawyer who focuses on contract law in general will not have the background or expertise to advise a physician client accurately with respect to a physician employment agreement. In other words, a health care lawyer is best-suited to translate the legal terms in your employment agreement and help explain any parts of the agreement that may be unclear.

Additionally, a lawyer with physician employment contract law expertise is able to suggest meaningful changes to your agreement that may benefit you in the long run in two (2) ways. First, your physician lawyer can point out harmful legal terms to which you perhaps should not agree. Second, your physician contract lawyer can also point out areas of the agreement where the potential employer may not be offering you market standards, which can result in a change to the agreement that is favorable to you. This would include changes to benefits, compensation, and working condition specifics.

If you are curious about the value that can be added by a physician attorney, please contact us at 317-989-4833 or visit our website at www.lauthoneill.com.

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Physician Job Searching and Contract Negotiations: What's the Rush?

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I have addressed this issue before, and it always bears repeating: when it comes to finding your ideal job, and making sure it is appropriately shaped to meet your needs and expectations, physicians need to start the process early. Every experience with a new client proves that this process is a long one- and the expense of rushing it along or not beginning it soon enough is always the physician selling himself or herself short. In the end, once the employer knows you are committed, they are likely to feel as though they can take their time in making changes to your employment agreement and answering questions you may have. If you're not far enough along in the process in advance of your start date, the likely result is that you end up settling by accepting legal terms that are unfavorable to you, because the alternative is not starting your new job on time, and therefore not getting paid. These should not be the extent of the options available to you. Instead, physicians should begin their job search process early, and plan on spending months in the negotiations so that ample time is left for the employer to incorporate the legal changes you need them to make. Waiting until the last minute will ensure more unfavorable and costly legal terms in your physician employment contract.

For more information on the physician job search and contract review and negotiation process, please contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.

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Physician Job Searching: Comprehensive is the Key

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When it comes to the job search process, I am often asked by physicians "when is the right time to start?" In my experience, finding the best job for you is less about starting your job search at the right time, than it is about doing it all comprehensively.

In order to find the best job for you, your job search has to be thorough and wide-reaching. That isn't to say you have to look for jobs all over the country, but you must consider all markets in which you are potentially interested. Stopping at the jobs you have heard are open through word of mouth will not cut it- not if you want the leverage and bargaining power it will take to land the employment deal you deserve. When you are ready to begin your physician job search, you must ensure you have considered all possible options that may work for you and your desires. Accepting a job while wondering if something has been left on the table is a less-than-desirable situation to land. Ideally you sign your employment contract knowing that no stone has gone unturned, and you will not face any unpleasant surprises along the way.

For more information on your job search and physician contract reviews, please contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.

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Physician Contract Review Issue: Will I Tap Into My Bonus Structure?

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When physicians finish up their post-graduate training and look forward to their first job, it is typical to see contract offers that include a minimum base salary, as well as an incentive or bonus compensation structure. In many cases physicians are underwhelmed by the minimum salary guarantee amount, but this disappointment is somewhat tempered by the notion that they have the potential to tap into their bonus compensation, and achieve a higher total compensation. However, it is difficult to know how likely you are to reach the production levels required to earn income under your bonus structure. One way to find out how likely you are to reach your bonus structure's production levels is to access the Medical Group Management Association's ("MGMA") physician compensation survey. The MGMA data includes several metrics which are sortable by region of the country, years in practice, and many other factors. Once you narrow in on the specific metrics applicable to you, you will be able to identify measures such as median total collections and average wRVUs and RVUs. This information will give you an idea of what your first years in practice will look like in terms of achieving the production levels necessary to break into your physician employment contract's bonus structure.

To learn more about your individual bonus structure and overall physician contract compensation, as well as the MGMA data, please contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at loneill@lauthoneill.com or 317-989-4833.

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Physician Job Search: 2014 Grads, Your Job Search Time is Here

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For those of you residents and fellows who will be finally finishing up your training next summer 2014, now is the time you must begin your job search if you haven't already.  As we all know, the start of the medical fiscal year on July 1 is marked with much activity and learning new roles, so it is crucial to begin your physician job search early, leaving you with ample time to catch the attention of the top private and academic programs, and line up interviews.

At Lauth O'Neill we pride ourselves on relieving you of the immense job search burdens. To that end, we provide concierge-style job search services so that you can rest easy knowing that all potential employment options are being explored on your behalf, and you're not missing a hidden gem in the job search world. Your final year of medical training will be full of clinical responsibilities, and hopefully some celebrating as your mark your significant achievements, and we do our part to make sure your job search is thorough, comprehensive, and successful, allowing you to enjoy your friends and family, while benefiting from the enormous value offered by your physician agent.

To learn more about how we can help, visit us at www.lauthoneill.com or contact Leigh Ann O'Neill directly at loneill@lauthoneill.com or 317-989-4833.

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Physician Salary Negotiation Tips: Know the Facts

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Many times when I speak with physicians in residency about their upcoming physician job search, the notion of a fair salary and other benefits is still somewhat abstract.  Residents obviously know that they want to make more than they are currently in residency, but many are not sure what exactly is a fair market value salary for the specialty they're going into. And the specifics of other benefits like vacation days, health coverage, signing bonuses, and CME reimbursement are even more unclear.

In my early career as a health care attorney I embraced the enormous amount of useful information that is found in physician benchmark surveys, such as the Medical Group Management Association's ("MGMA") Physician Compensation Survey. This survey is jam-packed with national standards on compensation and benefits for each and every different specialty and sub-specialty. If you can access the MGMA survey, you will be faced with a wealth of information that will demonstrate the fair market compensation for your physician employment arrangement, and you will have the facts you need to know whether you should be asking for an increase in compensation as part of your physician contract negotiations.  Having this simple, yet sometimes hard-to-come-by data, can make your negotiations process much smoother, and can help you achieve a higher salary and better benefits.

For more information on the MGMA survey and how Lauth O'Neill Physician Agency can assist you in negotiating a higher salary and better benefits, contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.

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Attention Residency Coordinators: Free Physician Contract Review and Negotiation Educational Sessions for Residents and Fellows

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Lauth O'Neill is proud to now offer free web-based educational sessions to residency programs that wish to provide their residents and fellows with important information on the job search and physician contract review and negotiation process.

As a health care attorney, Leigh Ann O'Neill has significant experience in physician employment contract reviews and negotiation, and is able to provide a live web conference for your residents to fit in with your program's conference schedule.  Leigh Ann will cover the basics of physician contract reviews and negotiation tips, and will answer any questions your residents and fellows may have.

To schedule a live web conference, contact Leigh Ann at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.

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Physician Job Search: Cast a Wide Net

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In working with physicians who are embarking on their job search, and young physicians just out of training especially, I find it is very common to have an instinct of staying close to home, or close to their residency program, or simply settling on one geographic region in general.  I cannot emphasize how big of a mistake this can be.  In beginning a physician job search, it is crucial that physicians realize that casting a wide net can benefit them hugely in the long run.

The  medical field and physician employment contracts can vary greatly based on geographic region.  As I have discussed here before, geographic regions can impact physician salaries, medical malpractice coverage, and other important benefits.  So when a physician is looking for his or her first or next job position, they owe it to themselves to see what the market has to offer.  It may seem like a given that your hometown is the best place for you land, but you may think very differently once given concrete job offers that provide much more in the way of compensation and benefits, even if only a few states away from "home."

To learn more about how Lauth O'Neill can assist in the physician job search process, visit our website or contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.

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@KHNews Reports Physician-Owned Hospitals Among Big Winners Under ACA

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I saw this headline and had to laugh- to be clear, it's a joyful and satisfied sort of laugh.  The Affordable Care Act amended the Whole Hospital exception to the Stark Law, which had previously been the vehicle through which physicians were allowed to own a portion of a hospital.  When amending the whole hospital exception, Congress outlawed future physician ownership in hospitals, leaving previously-owned shares legally in tact.  The irony here comes with the fact that the Affordable Care Act also created the various incentive and quality payments that result in payment increases to hospitals if they meet certain quality measures.  The irony being, the very law that made physician hospital ownership now illegal is also the one rewarding physicians for their good work in running hospitals.

Now this blog article is off-topic compared to what I usually write about, but I felt especially compelled to bring light to the fact that physician-owned hospitals are doing well under the Affordable Care Act quality incentive provisions.  You see, I have spent a fair amount of time in my career, and in life in general, as a proponent of physician-owned hospitals.  Time and time again they have come under attack for a multitude of reasons, and time and time again they have proven to provide more efficient and higher quality care.  So I am thrilled to see this result and merely had to share my delight in the irony here.  Cheers to the physician hospital owners our there!

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When to Not Use a Physician Recruiter: A View From the Other Side

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It's nice when someone else advocates for what I'm doing, and I didn't even have to ask them to do so. I just came across a great 2011 article on kevinmd.com written by a physician recruiter.  Now, he's not exactly advocating for what I do, but he's making an excellent point about how using a physician recruiter may not be in a physician's best interest. And that demonstrates how the services I provide are in physicians' best interests.  This article is an interesting read for any physician embarking on their job search and who is bombarded by physician recruiters' emails and phone calls.

The gist of this article goes to the fact that if a physician is searching for a job in a particular market that is already saturated with physicians, chances are the employers in that market aren't going to pay a recruiter's fee because they don't need to do so in order to recruit the physician employees.  In this type of scenario, having a recruiter job searching for you may actually hurt your chances because if you're put up against a guy who doesn't have a recruiter representing him, the employer may very well pass you up and hire the candidate who doesn't also cost him a $20,000+ recruiter's fee.

The real take-away point of this article, for me, is that physician recruiters work for the physician employers.  They're not really working for the physicians.  While they may help you in searching around for open spots, one thing is for sure, they're not going to hook you up with an employer who hasn't agreed to pay them for placing you there.  In other words, physician recruiters cannot actually be serving your best interests, and this is true for 2 reasons: 1) they are being paid by your potential employer, not by you, and that means they work for your potential employer, not you; 2) they will not explore employment options that may be the best fit for you, if the employer is unwilling to pay a recruiter's fee.

All in all, this article indirectly advocates for what I do: truly represent physicians in their job search.  Physician agents are hired by and paid by physicians.  As a physician agent, I don't get paid unless my client signs an employment contract- and if my client chooses, I don't get paid until my client literally starts getting paid him or herself.  My job is to do all that it takes to find the ideal employment arrangement for my physician clients, and to do so in a concierge manner.  Anyone in the medical field knows that doctors, particularly those who are still in training and taking Q4 call, don't have time to be Googling all over looking for potential employers, fine-tuning their CVs, and marketing themselves to all potential employers who might be right for them.  If they do have time for these tasks, they would much rather spend that free time doing something they enjoy, like eating or sleeping, or visiting with friends and family.  And that is the difference between physician recruiters and physician agents.  A physician recruiter is happy to place you with one of their clients who is going to pay them for bring you to the employer.  A physician agent is going to work tirelessly to uncover all potential employment matches, and shape your employment arrangement so that it meets your every expectation.

To learn more, visit our Premier Opportunity webpage to see how we provide concierge physician job search services.

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Physician CV Tips: Fonts, Underline, and Bold

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The idea of having to play around with the underline, bold, and italics functions as you're drafting your CV may seem elementary and outside the realm of what you should be troubled with on a given day. However, you would be surprised how making a few adjustments to how your CV is styled can make all the difference in its attractiveness and readability. After all, when you're beginning your physician job search and you're about to send out a stack of cover letters to potential employers, the last thing you want is your CV to be stuck at the bottom of the "no" pile only because it looked boring or was too hard to read.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "I'm a doctor. My potential employers are sophisticated enough to not discount my CV just because it looked boring." Don't fool yourself. At the end of the day, all potential employers are only human. Just the same as anyone else, they are likely to respond to a CV that is more visually pleasing, and formatted in a way that makes it easier to read.

Consider a few simple ways to increase the appeal of your CV:

1. Set the headings apart by using a font that is different from the rest of the content; also, try using all capital letters in your headings.
2. For each component of each item (such as your degrees), find a way to style each line of text differently so that they all stand out and are easily separated in the reader's mind. For example, use bold letters for the name of your school; italicize the degree that was earned; and use a similar, but slightly different font when listing achievements and awards under the particular degree- repeat with the next educational degree.
3. Use a thin line at the top of your CV to separate your contact information from the body of your CV.

Don't overlook these small details. The physician job market can be incredibly competitive, and it never hurts to set yourself apart from the crowd, even if in a seemingly small way.

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Physician Contract Negotiation Power: Be Willing to Walk Away

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In my experience with younger physicians who are finishing up residency or fellowship, the crowd is pretty much split down the middle in terms of folks being settled on practicing in one location, versus feeling as though they can take a good look around and find their perfect job.  Some younger doctors are starry-eyed and wish to peruse the country for that perfect fit, and others are more settled in a particular location due to family, friends, and sometimes mere comfort with their current surroundings.  This observation dove-tails into a common question I am asked: "Will I really be able to negotiate better terms under my physician employment agreement?"  Many physicians worry that they don't have any leverage in their employment contract, and that they may be negotiating with a large hospital system or academic center that is holding all of the cards.  The physician's bargaining power rests in two important factors:

1. How badly does the employer want you above other candidates?
2. Are you willing to walk away from an offer?

If you're a superstar with outstanding qualifications that put you at the top of any employer's recruitment list, you're likely to get much of what you ask for.  And if you're willing to shop around a bit, and walk away from an employment offer, you've set yourself up for negotiation success.  Nothing can replace impeccable training, solid references, and other outstanding CV features, but if you're not dead set on one practice or hospital (or if you at least don't let anyone know that you are), you're much more likely to find success in your physician job search and employment contract negotiation.  Thus, the importance of locating multiple job offers that may be right for you.

It is true that "you don't know what you don't know."  And it's impossible to know what the market may have to offer you if you only entertain one job prospect.  By doing so, you sell yourself short right from the get-go.  Imagine the possibilities that may exist when you are offered 2, 3, or even 4 jobs. Not only will you gain experience in what various employers will put on the table, you also position yourself favorably with the ability to walk away from any given employer who isn't willing to "play hard ball" in your negotiations.  By the time multiple employers have invested resources getting to the point where they will make you an offer, they are likely to go the next mile to make sure you accept their offer.

Of course, locating multiple potential jobs that may be right for you, and then negotiating them all to find the best fit takes months and months worth of focus, tedious work, and valuable free time away from your clinical duties.  A physician agent can take on this enormous task on your behalf, and deliver considerable expertise along the way. To find out how Lauth O'Neill Physician Agency can help, click here to learn about our Premier Opportunity Service, or contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at loneill@lauthoneill.com.

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Factors to Consider in Choosing Potential Employment Locations

As physicians begin their job search, or as they narrow in on accepting an employment contract, there are a variety of factors that should be considered in order to reach a decision that will help increase your chances of a long-lasting career.  While certain features such as the practice setting, compensation, and benefits are all important, it is also worth emphasizing the less-obvious aspects of various locales that could have a major impact. One geographic feature that is often ignored or disregarded in the face of more glamorous perks is the cost of living in a particular city or region.  It is easy to be impressed by the dazzling night life and art scene offered in a city like New York; but if you chose Denver, Colorado instead, you could maintain the same lifestyle for about 54% of your New York income. Specifically, it would only cost you about $46,000 per year to live your life in Denver; but for that same lifestyle in New York, it'll cost you $100,000.  The general cost of living, of course, takes into account the cost of housing, but when you look at the cost of housing specifically, the cost savings of living in smaller metro area can be even more dramatic than the general New York/Denver example.

A second important feature to consider in your physician job search is how progressive are the different states in their medical malpractice laws?  Being named in a lawsuit is not something any physician ever wants to think about, but the hard reality is that by the later stage of their careers, roughly 61% of physicians have been sued.  With those odds, it makes a lot of sense to consider how much a state's medical malpractice laws may help or hurt you in that scenario.  For instance, some states, have placed award caps on medical malpractice lawsuits to disincentivize patients from bringing the lawsuit to begin with.  Others have shorter statutes of limitations, shrinking the amount of years within which a patient can decide to bring a law suit.  On the other hand, some states have famously high malpractice premium rates, making those states considerably less attractive.

Other factors may be more important to certain physicians, while of little or no consequence to others.  For physicians who have a family, which cities are known for impeccable public schools? For the golfers out there, which areas have the highest number of quality courses close to work? What is the climate like in the regions you're considering? A higher average of sunny days could make work a lot more enjoyable (I'm assuming, perhaps incorrectly, of course, that you start work late enough, or end work earlier enough to see the sun at all).  If you'll be living away from your extended family, which cities have direct flights that can easily connect you for holidays?

While some of these factors may seem silly or elementary, when all considered together, they can make a significant impact on how much you enjoy the job and life you end up choosing.  When it comes to selecting from many different areas of the country, carefully consider all of the small things as much as the bigger ones.

Click here to read about the best and worst places for physicians to practice.

Physician Employment Contract Tip #3: Get It In Writing

Remember that scene from Jerry McGuire when the star football recruit's dad shook Jerry's hand, promising that his son was Jerry's newest client, and refused to sign a written contract because his word was "stronger than oak"?  While that sentiment was charming, we all know Jerry suffered a major lapse in judgment in letting that one go. It's common for dealmakers to talk a good game, and even though they may not be doing so maliciously, or with any harmful intent, it's just that it's easier to make verbal promises, than to go through the hassle of putting it on paper.  In the world of physician employment contract negotiations, this is also a common occurrence.  Many physicians will find themselves assured by the word of a potential employer that certain benefits will, in fact, be given in an employment arrangement.  However, when you go to read the contract, there's no trace of those 5 extra vacation days that you were promised. The employer may have sworn up and down that those 5 extra days were a shoe-in, but unless it's spelled out in your physician employment contract, you can't count on it.

Another alarming example is when a term may even be in writing, but it's inconsistent.  For instance, what if your salary is written in the contract to be "Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($150,000)."  What if the employer told you in an interview that the salary is $200,000, but now there is an inconsistency in the actual agreement? Which version of this number is controlling?

Examples such as these make it easy to see the importance of physician employment contract legal reviews.  You must be certain that every feature you have come to expect from your physician employment arrangement is set out in writing, so that if push ever comes to shove, you have a signed, written agreement, with the terms you want clearly spelled out.

Physician Recruitment Agreements: Free Money?

When a private practice wants to hire a new physician, but they don't have the capital to pay the new physician's salary on their own, they often partner with a hospital to fund the deal.  The physicians, who are many times straight out of residency or fellowship, are often told of the recruitment agreement, "it's like free money."  Well, not exactly. While physician recruitment agreements often work out for all parties involved, there are some instances where the ending is not so happy.  Along with the various legal concerns that come with physician recruitment agreements - key among them being meeting the applicable Stark law exception requirements - there are also very serious considerations that physicians must take into account that have the potential to spiral into disaster.  First, the recruitment agreement will provide that the hospital will offer "support" in the form of a monthly salary guarantee to the new physician, and in exchange, the physician agrees to remain practicing in the community for a specified length of time- the "forgiveness period."  As the specified length of time passes, the amount of money the hospital has loaned in the form of the salary guarantee will be incrementally forgiven. The ratio of the "support period" to the "forgiveness period" typically ranges anywhere between 1 support year in exchange for 1 forgiveness year, and 1 support year in exchange for 3 forgiveness years.  Point being, when physicians accept a recruitment agreement, they must be prepared to stick around and practice in the community if they are not otherwise able to pay off the amounts they have borrowed from the hospital.  This can be a gamble, as physicians may be recruited to a community that does not have the volume of patients needed to support the addition of the new physician.  In these cases, physicians can end up "upside down" in their recruitment agreements, where they cannot afford to stay in the community following their support period, and are forced to move elsewhere to find business, and therefore are stuck with a hefty loan to pay back.

For this reason, among others, it is also important for recruited physicians to carefully consider what amount of salary is reasonable for them to accept from the hospital each month; in other words, physicians must be reasonable in calculating what you are able to live on each month, and don't overdo it.  The more you accept from the hospital, the more you will potentially be liable for following the support period if for any reason you are not able to continue practicing in the community.

Above all, it is essential that you have a physician contract lawyer review your physician recruitment agreement and your accompanying physician employment contract, as various regulatory requirements must be met.  Beyond that, because physician recruitment agreements carry some amount of risk, recruited physicians should carefully select a physician contract attorney who practices in this area regularly and who can adequately protect your interests.

Physician Contract Negotiation Tip #2: Know What You Want Out of Your Job

Many physicians, especially those fresh out of training, are hasty about accepting the first job offer that comes their way because they have enormous student loans to pay off, and they haven't yet endured a horrific employment experience that has taught them to tread carefully into any given employment arrangement.  After all, when you're out there looking for your first job, the potential employers are great salespeople- reassuring you that your wants and needs will be met. It's hard to make sure your wants and needs are going to be met when you're unsure about what they are exactly.  It is not uncommon for young physicians to feel that they don't have much wiggle room in terms of defining their employment arrangement.  To most, it seems as though you should just take what is offered, and don't rock the boat.  It is hard to know what you truly want from your employment when you've never been asked to define your ideal job.

But as a newly practicing physician, you have many more options than you think, and so it's important that you carefully consider what aspects of your employment are most important to you.  Maybe you have hundreds of thousands of dollars of student loans to pay off, so the highest salary possible, or even employer-funded repayment of the loans, is most important to you.  Or maybe you're into research, and so funding for your research work, and maybe even having one research day per week are important to you.  Or maybe you have a family, or want to have one soon, so a more flexible schedule is paramount to whatever salary is offered.  With employers growing more and more progressive in terms of flexible employment arrangements, it is important for physicians in their job search to carefully craft what their ideal employment opportunity will look like.  Knowing this crucial information up front will save you and your potential employer time and money down the road by ensuring that you will be happy in your employment arrangement, thereby limiting the possibility of needing to change jobs later.

Working with a physician agent in your job search process helps ensure that you have vetted all potential opportunities, and especially ensures that the employment arrangement you accept has been carefully shaped and molded to meet your needs and secure your financial and legal interests.  Contact Lauth O'Neill Physician Agency today to see how we can provide you valuable services, without you paying a dime until you start getting paid.  317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.

Physician Job Search: How to Make Sure You're Not Missing A Better Offer

Many physicians who are nearing the end of their job search and are ready to sign a contract, often worry that they may be missing a better offer.  Maybe they have an offer in hand, but they only looked for jobs in one market, or they only paid attention to the job offer that came to them without having to go out and look.  After all, it is nice to be wanted, and who wants to rock the boat by continuing to look around when a perfectly good offer is sitting right here?

This is a classic mistake that is often made- undervaluing your worth, and then stopping at one offer when there are countless other offers that may be better suited for you.  The real mistake comes, however, in failing to orchestrate your job search such that this type of doubt remains.  Hiring a physician agent to complete your job search for you will ensure that your specific needs and desires in a job search are accounted for and are used in shaping your ideal employment arrangement.  Physicians have plenty to worry about with their patients and other professional responsibilities- it doesn't make sense to add the additional worry that comes with tackling your job search on your own.  Lauth O'Neill Physician Agency specializes in determining the employment arrangements that suit your needs, and marketing your interest and qualifications to potential employers.  Your physician agent can ensure that all viable employment options are explored, and that your employment offers are structured to meet your needs and protect your interests.  A physician job search that is tailored to your every expectation will allow you to rest easy, knowing that you have found the physician employment agreement that is right for you to sign.

A Good CV Is Powerful: Increasing Compensation In Physician Employment Offers

While a great many factors go into the strength of a physician employment contract, one that is typically of utmost importance is the salary offered.  When you've spent years and years in residency, fellowship (and maybe you're even out there practicing already), you deserve the compensation that your qualifications have earned.  One way to demonstrate to employers just how valuable an asset you are, is your CV.  Sounds simple and obvious, right? Well, it may be, but CVs are often neglected and under-developed. A great CV not only includes all of the obvious content such as education, training, prior work experience, and publications, but it should also include those items that you, yourself, may not pay much mind to when thinking of your accomplishments.  When properly linked together and displayed within your CV, these, perhaps minor, achievements can add up to higher compensation, and certainly a higher regard paid to you by potential employers.

For instance, be sure to include all awards, speaking engagements, poster presentations, and any research project involvement you've had.  It is also important to include the professional organizations you belong to, and all volunteer work you have done- medical and otherwise.  Such added items not only increase your value in the eyes of your potential employers, but they also give employers the justification they may need in order to compensate you at a level higher than what similarly-trained physicians may be paid.

Last, but not least, the placement of special accomplishments or experiences may be the difference in why you receive an offer, and someone else does not.  If you have a particularly unique and impressive experience in your life, no matter how random, chances are good that a potential employer will find your experience to be intriguing and impressive as well.  As long as your CV remains professional and polished, if it contains a "stand-out" element, you will have served yourself well as someone the employer is not likely to soon forget.