Featured Article

• Physician compensation outlook: Mostly positive

Physicians eyeing initial or new practice opportunities this year, especially in primary care, can expect competitive compensation, sign-on bonuses and possibly additional assistance to help with their educational debt load. The outlook overall is bright. But uncertainty on the national front, particularly regarding how health reform will play out and the extent to which Medicare initiatives will affect reimbursement, are creating a cautionary hiring environment—especially in specialties that derive the majority of their revenues from ancillary services or procedures. Industry observers expect that pent-up demand for specialists will even out the hiring picture soon. In the interim, candidates should be somewhat flexible in their compensation requirements as employers adjust to a changing marketplace and reimbursement climate.

Trends

• Social Media and Physicians
• Physician Wellness
• Hospitalist Movement Still on Fast Track
• Women in Medicine
• Postponing the Fellowship
• First Year of Practice
• Ensuring — and Tracking — Physician Competence
• Palliative Medicine Career Paths
• Specialists: The Newest Entrants in the Hospitalist Movement
• Patient-Centered Medical Home Debuts

Practice Setting

• Locum Tenens: Lifestyle, Opportunities Attracting More Physicians
• Physician Volunteer Work
• Fellowship Track
• Military Medical Careers
• Here Come the Hospitalists
• Locum Tenens and Movable Medicine
• Differentiating Among Practice Settings

Compensation, Contracts, Insurance

• Dealing with Medical Education Debt
• Physician Employment Contracts: Recent Developments Spell Good News, Problem Areas
• Physician Pay-for-Performance Programs Taking Hold
• Physician Employment and Compensation Outlook for ’07
• Physician Compensation
• Coping with Medical Malpractice Insurance Rates
• Anatomy of a Contract
• Contract Pitfalls

Practical Job-Seeking Skills

• Background Checks
• Cover Letters
• Medical School Debt
• In-house Recruiters
• Search Firms
• Relocation Resources
• Interviewing Skills
• Networking Know-How can Boost Physician Job Search Success
• Moving On: Issues to Consider When Making a Career Move