9 Steps to a Career-Enhancing PA Contract

How healthy and career-enhancing is your employment contract? At its best, a PA employment contract offers not only important protections, acting as a kind of preventive professional medicine, but also includes career-boosting elements that reflect your professional priorities.

3 Poison Pills to Avoid in Your PA Contract

All kinds of career-altering clauses can lurk in an employment contract, so I’d like to discuss some of the most important ones to keep an eye out for. As much as a particular position may appeal, and as eager as you may feel to sign the contract, look before you leap, for buried in the fine print can lurk some very consequential clauses. Here are three of the most common:

1. Career-binding restrictive covenants

Read very carefully if your contract contains a restrictive covenant, also known as a covenant not to compete. Assume that the employer will seek to enforce it exactly as written—otherwise, you may end up in court to litigate its enforceability. I’ve spoken to many PAs who only realized just how limiting the terms of a non-compete were when leaving a position (as they were reminded of its terms by an employer unhappy with their departure). Make sure not to sign away your future career options by agreeing to unfair restrictions on the location or specialty of your future practice; analyze practice radius and specialty restrictions carefully and assume the employer will seek to enforce them.

2. Inadequate malpractice coverage

Malpractice coverage agreements could cost you thousands. What does your contract stipulate concerning responsibility for “tail” coverage when you leave a position (assuming you have claims-made rather than more inclusive occurrence coverage)? While some tail coverage costs may be unavoidable, try to change contract clauses that make you responsible for paying for tail coverage if you are terminated without cause.

3. Terms that automatically renew each year

If the terms of your contract state that they will automatically renew each year, consider negotiating a change to that language in which the contract is open to yearly renegotiation (so that you’re not stuck with your initial contract terms forever). It’s in your interest to be able to renegotiate essential contract issues like your schedule, responsibilities, pay, and benefits.

6 Career-boosting contract elements

Now for the positive potential of your employment contract, which can be the means through which you ensure fair compensation, a schedule that supports work-life balance and the other benefits that you value most.

1. A competitive salary with a transparent and understandable bonus structure.
2. Adequate paid time off, vacation, sick leave, and family leave.
3. A clear delineation of your work schedule and locations.
4. A job description that reflects your aptitudes and provides room for clinical growth.
5. Any other “fringe” benefits that are important to your quality of life and practice.
6. A yearly review process in which you receive feedback on your performance and, ideally, in which the day-to-day dynamics of the clinical team are assessed and open to adjustment and improvement.

Of course every contract, like very employment situation, comes stamped with the (at times limiting or short-sighted) expectations of an employer, and I recognize that it can be a challenge to have your interests reflected in it. But through knowing your professional priorities, researching compensation data, and framing the negotiation discussion in terms of long-term mutual benefit, most contracts can be improved to enhance your professional wellbeing.

About the Author: Jennifer Anne Hohman is Founder of PA Career Coach and has worked as a passionate advocate for PAs career growth for over 15 years.