If you have the contract as a PDF, the contract checker finds these clauses and quotes them with page numbers, in your browser. The questions below are written for an employment lawyer licensed in your state, because how each clause applies depends on your state and your facts.
How the contract ends
Contracts usually separate two ways of ending early: for cause, after a failure the contract lists, and without cause, after a notice period. Which one applies often decides who pays for tail coverage and whether the non-compete still binds you, so it comes first.
Questions to ask
- Is the notice period the same length for you and for the employer?
- If the employer ends the contract without cause, does the non-compete still apply?
- Who pays for tail coverage if the contract ends without cause?
Notice, time off and the last paycheck
The notice period sets your last day. Whether unused paid time off is paid out, and whether retirement contributions have vested by then, depends on the contract and the employer's policies, which is why they matter before the notice is given.
Questions to ask
- When does retirement matching start, and what is the vesting schedule?
- Is CME time separate from vacation?
- Are licensing, board and DEA fees covered?
Signing bonus and buyout repayment
A signing bonus or loan repayment is usually tied to a period of service, and leaving early can mean paying some or all of it back. Some contracts add a buyout for the non-compete. The repayment calculator works out what you would owe at each month of leaving, how much of the tax withheld on the bonus comes back, and the exit total with a buyout.
Tail coverage
If your malpractice policy is claims-made, a claim filed after you leave is covered only if someone buys tail coverage. The contract says who pays, and the answer often changes with who ended the contract.
Questions to ask
- Is the policy claims-made or occurrence?
- Who pays for tail coverage, and does the answer change depending on who ends the contract?
- What are the per-claim and aggregate limits?
Tail coverage costs by specialty Malpractice in the clause library
The non-compete and non-solicitation
A non-compete limits where and for how long you can practice after leaving, and many states now limit or ban physician non-competes. A non-solicitation clause limits contact with patients and staff. Both shape where your next job can be.
Questions to ask
- Is the radius measured from your practice site or from every location the employer owns?
- Does the restriction apply if the employer terminates you without cause?
- Is there a buyout, and how is the amount calculated?
- What does your state's law say about physician non-competes?
- Does the clause stop you from accepting patients who seek you out, or only from contacting them?
- Can you tell your patients where you are going?
- Does it cover staff you hire after leaving, or only people you recruit?
Non-compete laws by state Non-solicitation in the clause library
Running an exit session for graduating residents? The graduation exit checklist is the program director's version of this page.