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JAMA. 1998;279:1138.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

As residents and fellows finish their programs and begin to seek employment, many of them will be negotiating contracts. When signing an employment contract, the physician agrees to all its terms. The law does not protect the physician from unsatisfactory contracts. The American Medical Association-Young Physicians Section (AMA-YPS) reviewed physician contracting experiences and prepared the monograph Contracts: What You Need to Know, a guide providing basic contract information. The following information is excerpted from the guide.

Contract Basics

• Investigate the financial standing of the contractor.
  
• Be prepared to negotiate the terms of your contract.
  
• Always have an attorney review the contract. For legal referrals, AMA members can contact AMA Solutions, Inc (800) 366-6968, a national network of legal and business advisors.
  
• Obtain an explanation for anything in the contract that you do not understand and revise the contract accordingly.
  
• Avoid provisions that allow the contractor to change rules, policies, and procedures that . . . [Full Text of this Article]