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Just started my second year as an IR attending in radiology private practice. I feel like I’ve been tricked and am quite upset.
I’m currently salaried at 250k (below average for my region) for 2 years. My agreement for partnership is 80% for first year, 90% for second and full partner salary my third year of partnership. I agreed to this structure understanding that the historic partner salary has been around 500k. I was told this directly by my group President when offered the job. Was willing to take a low starting salary for a promise of a reasonable one in a few years.
Fast forward one year into being with the group. Job is going well, but I’m realizing we are having a hard time filling a vacancy in our group. I asked one of the partners why this is and I’m told it is because of our low partnership salary. Well it turns out partners actually make around 350k.
When I took the job, I was operating on the information I was told. Im very upset that new candidates are getting this info and I was blatantly given false info about salary. For what it’s worth, our candidates thus far have not been as attached to this location as I am.
I decided that I need to renegotiate my contract. One of our partners is leaving which means I will have to take more call (Q4 now, about to be Q3). Regardless of what I was told about partner salary, I feel I should be paid more for having to take more call.
Having brought up my concerns regarding call compensation (I haven’t brought up being lied to-figure that’ll just make things ugly) I have been offered a 50k increase in associate pay and change from 80% partnership salary to 90% my first year as partner and 100% my second year as partner. 300k is what they are offering new applicants.
The job is in a LCOL area that’s good for my spouse and I. I wiped out our 100k student loan burden in 8 months. We have a 50k emergency fund, 250k in Roth and our only debt is our mortgage at 200k 3.6% interest. We save about 70% of our take home pay. My spouse is a surgical resident with several years of training left.
The job is far from perfect, but it’s tolerable. I probably would not want to be doing this for the rest of my life, but I can deal with it until my spouse completes training. I feel like I’m being used because my group leadership realizes that I am somewhat anchored to this area because of my spouse (I moved cross country for this opportunity). I’m not excited about being increased to the pay of what they’ve offered new applicants (including reapplicants I beat out for the same spot a year ago). I’m also not excited about a graduated path to partnership when the partner salary is significantly below the average for my region. I also feel that I am above average in my line of work and have accomplished a lot more in one year than a typical new grad would. I unfortunately have a very restrictive non-compete in place which kills any chance of taking another job in my area. I also have a very strict moonlighting restriction which hinders my ability to earn more money on vacation weeks.
In short, I want to be paid what I’m worth, but I feel my group is low-balling me. Even worse, I was lied to and have a real sour taste in my mouth. Part of me is hesitant to enter into a potential partnership with people I can’t trust. On the flip side, having been long distance with my spouse during training, this location works for us. Not really sure what leverage I have. I am interviewing for other jobs in the region (would require me to move if I took one of those opportunities about 2-3 hours away). What would you do? Suck it up and be grateful for the opportunity? Be more aggressive in negotiation? Threaten to leave? Leave and do locums? Take another job in my market and fight out the non compete?
Im on good terms with my group leadership even though inside I’m livid. It upsets me that physicians would lie to other physicians like this. Curious what you all think I should do. Thanks
I’m currently salaried at 250k (below average for my region) for 2 years. My agreement for partnership is 80% for first year, 90% for second and full partner salary my third year of partnership. I agreed to this structure understanding that the historic partner salary has been around 500k. I was told this directly by my group President when offered the job. Was willing to take a low starting salary for a promise of a reasonable one in a few years.
Fast forward one year into being with the group. Job is going well, but I’m realizing we are having a hard time filling a vacancy in our group. I asked one of the partners why this is and I’m told it is because of our low partnership salary. Well it turns out partners actually make around 350k.
When I took the job, I was operating on the information I was told. Im very upset that new candidates are getting this info and I was blatantly given false info about salary. For what it’s worth, our candidates thus far have not been as attached to this location as I am.
I decided that I need to renegotiate my contract. One of our partners is leaving which means I will have to take more call (Q4 now, about to be Q3). Regardless of what I was told about partner salary, I feel I should be paid more for having to take more call.
Having brought up my concerns regarding call compensation (I haven’t brought up being lied to-figure that’ll just make things ugly) I have been offered a 50k increase in associate pay and change from 80% partnership salary to 90% my first year as partner and 100% my second year as partner. 300k is what they are offering new applicants.
The job is in a LCOL area that’s good for my spouse and I. I wiped out our 100k student loan burden in 8 months. We have a 50k emergency fund, 250k in Roth and our only debt is our mortgage at 200k 3.6% interest. We save about 70% of our take home pay. My spouse is a surgical resident with several years of training left.
The job is far from perfect, but it’s tolerable. I probably would not want to be doing this for the rest of my life, but I can deal with it until my spouse completes training. I feel like I’m being used because my group leadership realizes that I am somewhat anchored to this area because of my spouse (I moved cross country for this opportunity). I’m not excited about being increased to the pay of what they’ve offered new applicants (including reapplicants I beat out for the same spot a year ago). I’m also not excited about a graduated path to partnership when the partner salary is significantly below the average for my region. I also feel that I am above average in my line of work and have accomplished a lot more in one year than a typical new grad would. I unfortunately have a very restrictive non-compete in place which kills any chance of taking another job in my area. I also have a very strict moonlighting restriction which hinders my ability to earn more money on vacation weeks.
In short, I want to be paid what I’m worth, but I feel my group is low-balling me. Even worse, I was lied to and have a real sour taste in my mouth. Part of me is hesitant to enter into a potential partnership with people I can’t trust. On the flip side, having been long distance with my spouse during training, this location works for us. Not really sure what leverage I have. I am interviewing for other jobs in the region (would require me to move if I took one of those opportunities about 2-3 hours away). What would you do? Suck it up and be grateful for the opportunity? Be more aggressive in negotiation? Threaten to leave? Leave and do locums? Take another job in my market and fight out the non compete?
Im on good terms with my group leadership even though inside I’m livid. It upsets me that physicians would lie to other physicians like this. Curious what you all think I should do. Thanks
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