How Physicians Feel About Negotiating Their Employment Contracts: What the Data Shows

In our most recent On/Offcall newsletter, we put out an audience poll asking readers to weigh in on whether they had ever negotiated their employment contract, and if so, whether they were satisfied with the outcome.

The impetus for the post came from a recent quote from Dr. Eric Bricker on Offcall, in which he stated, "If you actually understood how the money works, then a physician would be much less easily manipulated." After interviewing over 35 physicians for the How I Doctor podcast, it's become clear that physicians are never taught how money actually flows in healthcare both on a macro level and on a personal one.

We suspect that this lack of knowledge leaves physicians woefully unprepared to enter the workforce, and it's also a big motivation behind Offcall. Mismatched financial expectations about things like salary and money are also contributors\ to burnout. For example, many physicians, and particularly women (h/t Dr. Resa Lewiss), don’t recognize that you can negotiate your first employment contract.

That was the spirit behind our newsletter poll: to gauge how many physicians are actually negotiating their contract, and it's higher than you might think! In fact, more than 75% of the respondents to our poll say they've negotiated their employment contract at some point in their career. Were they satisfied with the results? On that question, the answer was largely yes, with more than 75% of physicians reporting feeling either Neutral, Satisfied, or Very Satisfied with their negotiation outcome. Although, it is worth noting that 22% said they were Very Dissatisfied.

See the poll results below:

How do you personally feel in reaction to this data? Have you ever negotiated your employment contract? Were you satisfied with the results? Let us know in the comments and if you're looking for an employment attorney, reach out directly and we'll put you in touch (contact@offcall.com).