The contract provisions that quietly cost you.

No guaranteed OR block time

Without contractually guaranteed block time, the employer controls your income by controlling room access — case volume drops without breach. Specify hours per week and protected vs. shared block.

wRVU rate with no named benchmark

A dollar-per-wRVU rate with no reference to 2025 national benchmarks gives the employer full discretion to call any rate market without contractual standard.

Claims-made malpractice, no tail commitment

Silence leaves who pays unresolved. Ask for employer-paid tail in writing for resignation, termination and nonrenewal; confirm the policy terms.

Termination without cause under 90 days

Hospital privileging and payor enrollment run 90–120 days. A 30- or 60-day without-cause window leaves no time to credential, relocate, or replace income.

Compensation model not clearly specified

If salary vs. wRVU vs. collections vs. hybrid is ambiguous, the model can shift at renewal — a guaranteed base silently converting to production-only is the classic pattern.

Call burden uncapped or undefined

Specify number of call days per month, weekend/holiday rotation, in-house vs. home, per-call rate, and trauma activation differential. Uncapped surgical call is one of the largest unpaid-work exposures in the field.

Trauma or unassigned coverage at base rate

Trauma activation, unassigned ED admissions, and transfer center coverage carry higher acuity and liability. Without a differential or per-activation payment, you absorb risk the employer monetizes.

First assistant fees not credited to surgeon

Without a written allocation of first-assistant or co-surgeon fees, those collections flow to the employer. Specify the split or credit in the compensation schedule.