Are you currently working pursuant to an employment or contractor agreement that you signed immediately upon receipt? Did you receive an agreement to sign on your first day at your current position with no meaningful time to review or consider the agreement? Too many individuals sign employment and contractor agreements either without reading them (either due to lack of time or misunderstanding as to enforceability) or, once having read them, making the incorrect assumption that all terms are “non-negotiable”. More often than not, the terms are definitely negotiable and, even if they truly are not, a dialog about what the terms mean and the reasoning behind their inclusion in the agreement can provide critical insight into the employer’s motivation and practices.

This session will provide an overview of how to read and interpret a typical physician or health care provider employment or contractor agreement. It is critical that any agreement that an employee or contractor is required to sign be provided to the employee or contractor well in advance of the start date with plenty of time and opportunity to review and revise as needed. The presenter will begin by outlining the difference between being an employee and a contractor, and what the ramifications are of each classification, as well as providing a general overview of other basic business considerations when considering an employment or contractor position of any kind. Attendees will learn how to interpret basic agreement terms and learn how to eliminate the term “boilerplate” and “legalese” from their vocabulary when considering such contracts. Every single word in a contract is there for a reason, just because the reason is legal compliance does not mean an employee or contractor should brush off the need to understand those words!