ACC CardioCareer & CME Guide - March 2008v8 - (Page 21) they’ve completed their training, says Dr. Schaefer. “A lot of practices see hiring you well ahead of your start date as an opportunity to make plans and revise schedules before you start,” he notes. Plus, the extra time allows a cushion for you to obtain necessary licenses and credentials. Private Practice: The Deal’s in the Details If you’re headed into private practice, your contract may be extremely detailed, addressing everything from how the call schedule gets shared to the practice’s policy on family leave time. Before you sign, examine each detail, but don’t lose sight of the big picture. This is where the preparation you did pays off. With the proposed contract in hand, go back to your list of what’s important to you. Make sure that each item is addressed in the contract and that you can live with what you’re agreeing to. Many of the points you’ll be considering will be specific to your specialty, but there are questions that apply to almost all private practice contracts. We’ve highlighted a few common issues here, and the sidebar lists additional questions mentioned by our sources. Look carefully before you buy-in. Before you buy into any practice, take extra care to analyze the value of the partnership. “I found that if the buy-in is too high, the practice doesn’t have any real intention of having younger partners buy in because it is too burdensome for them,” explains Dr. Williams. It’s also a good idea to verify what will happen if you decide not to buy into the practice, adds Mr. Hertz. Get the scoop on rounds. Only you know what kind of lifestyle you want once you’re in practice, so think through just how much rounding you want to take on. “You may not want to spend a lot of your time driving from hospital to hospital,” says Dr. Schaefer. Keep compensation in perspective. It’s easy to fall into the trap of becoming too focused on the bottom line. Although compensation is important in all contract negotiations, the cardiologists we spoke with agreed that other issues should be tackled before discussing the pay package. “You’ll raise warning signs with the practice if you appear more interested in money than whether the practice is a good fit for you,” cautions Mr. Hertz. “You need to get what’s fair, and the practice needs to offer that, but look at everything in the contract, not just the paycheck.” If the salary seems too good to be true, it may backfire on you, adds Mr. Hertz. Be wary of huge guarantees that may turn out to be linked to challenging productivity requirements. Read these provisions with extra care, says Mr. Hertz, and make sure you understand whether the practice is offering a straight salary or a percentage of profits based on your productivity. Before agreeing to a percentage-based paycheck, make sure you’re very comfortable with the salary you’d be making if productivity falls off. (Continued on page 23) HEART FAILURE AND TRANSPLANT CARDIOLOGY The Department of Cardiology and Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation within the Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute is recruiting additional faculty members in Heart Failure/Cardiac Transplantation. Opportunities for clinical research are available and encouraged. An interest in teaching cardiology fellows is desirable. The salary and comprehensive benefits package are excellent. The Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute includes 35 staff cardiologists, 30 cardiology fellows, 8 interventional cardiology fellows, and 2 post-graduate CHF/Tx fellows. In addition to the Main Campus teaching hospital, OHVI includes 6 community hospitals, and 7 satellite clinics, all strategically located in the Southeastern Louisiana region. Ochsner (www.ochsner.org) is a non-profit, academic, multi-specialty, healthcare delivery system employing over 600 physicians. New Orleans is one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in America. Amenities include multiple universities and academic centers, professional sports teams, world-class dining and cultural interests, and renowned live entertainment and music. Please e-mail CV to: cwhite@ochsner.org to Christopher J. White, M.D., Chair of the Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, or call (504) 842-3717. Ref. # CARDTX1. EOE. American College of Cardiology CardioCareer & CME Guide 21 www.ochsner.org
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.