Your first job after residency sets your income, your schedule and often where you’ll live for years. Recruiters will tell you every job is “high demand”; public data lets you check. Here’s a practical framework, with the maps and tools on contact.doctor that help at each step.
1. Measure local demand for your first job after residency
- Doctors per capita: the county map shows how many physicians in your specialty practice per 100,000 residents. Fewer can mean more patients and more leverage.
- An aging workforce: where many physicians graduated 35+ years ago, retirements will open patient panels (aging doctors by state).
- Growth: see who is joining the workforce on new doctors.
2. Check shortage-area incentives
Federal Health Professional Shortage Areas matter for money: National Health Service Corps and many state programs repay student loans for clinicians who work there, and Medicare adds a 10% bonus for services in geographic primary care shortage areas. Our map shows the share of residents in each county who live in one.
3. Understand the practice
Look up the employer on our hospital and medical group pages: how many clinicians, which specialties, where they work, and the hospital’s quality ratings. A large group with many advanced practice clinicians may expect you to supervise; ask how that is credited in your pay.
4. Test the productivity target
If pay depends on work RVUs, compare the threshold with what clinicians in your specialty typically generate. Our work RVUs by specialty analysis shows Medicare-only figures by specialty and state; ask the employer for incumbents’ actual production too. Then read how to negotiate an RVU contract.
5. Read your first job contract after residency in full
Non-compete, tail coverage, call, termination, signing bonus repayment and benefits often matter as much as salary. Have a health-care attorney review it; this article is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
Shortage areas: HRSA (opens in a new tab). Loan repayment: National Health Service Corps (opens in a new tab). Medicare bonus: CMS HPSA bonus program (opens in a new tab).