Contracting while still in residency

Ps I find it really weird that a hospital would put out an offer to somebody who's been a doctor for less than three months...

The places we would consider have "performance" clauses that follow you through your training. You are subject to review etc. Typically, from what I have seen, they only take the risk on a few top scoring people this early. I hope that puts your mind at ease

[diggitydot]

A fellowship is still on the radar but any rural place will bend over backwards for someone wanting to do such.

I don't think signing a contract during residency is a bad idea, but not every rural area has the facilities or ability to support a surgeon. Depends on the area and specialty. Definitely not "any rural place". Not by a longshot. Also, a lot of those locations that qualify for loan repayment require dealing with underserved populations like the homeless, veterans, migrant farm workers, etc. Typically, they don't even offer loan repayment to surgeons in rural areas. They're short on docs, in general, but are usually looking hard for family med docs who will see a large patient pool, not just the ones who need to be cut.

So long as you've both done your research and have had the contract checked out by an attorney familiar with this type of arrangement and know exactly what is and is not going to happen, I say sign away! Just be cynical of what you're told unless you see it in writing.

Good luck!

[ladymoreta]

I agree about having it looked over by an attorney. It sounds great, since you're pretty sure that's where you want to be. A monthly stipend will help a lot!