Medical Employment Contract Review for Nurse Practitioners
Seasoned Attorney Provides Detailed Medical Employment Contract Review for Nurse Practitioners Nationwide
Nurse practitioners who start working for hospitals, medical groups, or individual health care providers will likely have an employment contract to govern their relationship with their employer. But because most healthcare employers have legal departments or outside counsel to draft proposed employment agreements that likely benefit the employer to a significant extent, nurse practitioners should also seek legal help to ensure they understand the terms of a proposed contract and what clarifications or revisions may be needed to protect their own interests. That’s why Chelle Law offers knowledgeable medical employment contract review for nurse practitioners.
Don’t sign an employment contract without first having it reviewed by an attorney who can discuss the effect of the contract terms and advise you as to how the contract affects your professional, financial, and personal interests. When you turn to our firm for an employment agreement review, you’ll get help from founding attorney Robert Chelle, who brings years of experience with the healthcare industry that includes prior work with medical practice groups and in the legal departments of some of the top hospital groups and healthcare providers in the country.
When you have been offered an employment contract for a nurse practitioner position, reach out to our firm for an initial consultation. Let an experienced attorney sit down with you to discuss how we can guide you through the employment contract review process to protect your interests.
What We Look for During Medical Employment Contract Review for Nurse Practitioners
As nurse practitioners often work within a traditional employer-employee relationship with a hospital, healthcare facility, or medical practice, it is important for nurse practitioners to ensure that they have contracts that cover all the critical terms of their employment. Having a detailed employment agreement can help avoid later conflicts with an employer.
At Chelle Law, we closely review essential terms of medical employments contracts for nurse practitioners such as:
- Duration of the agreement, including renewal requirements or provisions for automatic renewal
- Required duties and work schedule, including on-call obligations
- Facilities the nurse practitioner will be expected to work from
- Rights to pursue additional employment opportunities, whether that be moonlighting for other medical providers or taking a teaching position
- What oversight is being provided, if any is required by state law
- What training will be provided during on-boarding, especially with billing or electronic medical records software used by the employer
- Compensation package, including base compensation and when pay periods occur, automatic or discretionary salary/wage increases, potential performance bonuses, insurance benefits, retirement package, PTO, and fringe benefits such as signing bonuses or contributions towards relocation expenses
- Whether the employer will provide time off and financial contributions for the nurse practitioner’s continuing education requirements
- What liability insurance is the employer offering, or is the nurse practitioner obligated or allowed to obtain their own coverage?
- Grounds for termination, including whether the nurse practitioner is considered an at-will employee or whether they can only be terminated under express circumstances
- Dispute resolution mechanisms, including whether arbitration or a collective bargaining grievance procedure is required
- Restrictive covenants, including non-solicitation, no-hire, and confidentiality provisions
Why Turn to Chelle Law to Review an Employment Agreement You Have Been Offered?
When joining a hospital, healthcare provider, or private practice as a nurse practitioner, you should insist on having a well-drafted employment agreement to not only protect your own professional interests but to ensure that your relationship with your new employer is properly spelled out. This can help avoid confusion or disputes down the line. Because your prospective employer likely has legal counsel looking out for their interests in your contract negotiations, you need an experienced attorney in your corner as well.
Healthcare professionals turn to Chelle Law for medical employment contract review for nurse practitioners because:
- Our firm works with professionals across the country
- We offer flat-rate pricing for employment contract review, so nurse practitioners need not worry about surprisingly high bills or hidden costs
- Your proposed employment agreement will undergo a detailed review by one of our knowledgeable attorneys
- Firm CEO Attorney Robert Chelle will have a phone consultation with you to go over the contract term by term
- We provide guidance for the negotiations process by following up with the clarifications and revisions that are needed to protect your interests
Before you sign an employment agreement, let Chelle Law help you to understand the terms and implications of your contract.
Contact Us Today for a Consultation to Discuss Your Case
When you need experienced legal assistance to ensure that the terms of an employment contract you have been presented with serve your best interests, contact Chelle Law to speak with a knowledgeable member of our legal team. We are ready to provide the help you need in a medical employment contract review.
Frequently Asked Questions about Medical Employment Contract Review for Nurse Practitioners
While some states generally prohibit non-compete provisions in employment contracts with health care professionals, out of concerns over ensuring the availability of trained professionals to work in the state and wanting to protect patient choice of providers, most states will allow non-compete clauses so long as the scope of the clause (including with respect to geography and time) is the minimum needed to protect the employer’s legitimate interests and the restriction does not unduly burden the nurse practitioner. A non-compete that would require a nurse practitioner to move to another community or even another state to find work in the healthcare profession might be voided by a court as unenforceable.
Although you might think that an employment contract presented to you by a prospective hospital or healthcare practice employer is a “take-it-or-leave-it” proposition. A proposed employment agreement that an employer deemed non-negotiable might not be enforced by a court. In review and negotiation of an employment contract, it is important to identify which provisions in the contract are most important so that negotiations can focus on those points. Employers may be more willing to negotiate when prospective employees identify the specific terms important to them.