What is a Nurse Practitioner Contract Review?
A nurse practitioner contract (NP) is a legally-binding contract that’s signed by a nurse practitioner and healthcare employer. It contains important information to govern their working relationship, such as roles, duties, benefits, compensation, and more.
It’s crucial to review this contract before signing it because it could increase your risks, such as with restrictive non-compete clauses or a lack of benefits.
Read the rest of this article to learn more about nurse practitioner contracts and how to review them. We’ll also feature some important ways in which a professional lawyer can identify risks and issues in this agreement.
What’s Included in a Nurse Practitioner Contract?
An NP usually contains key terms, which include the following:
- Payment. Compensation needs to be clearly defined, such as if it’s an hourly, monthly, or productivity-defined salary.
- Scope of work. Duties that have to be completed by the nurse practitioner must be explained, such as their non-clinical duties and patient loads per day.
- Benefits. Besides compensation, the NP contract will include benefits that the nurse practitioner will obtain, such as health insurance, paid time off, and so on.
- Malpractice insurance. This is an important part of the contract to ensure adequate coverage.
- Termination. Should either party want to end the contract, this clause needs to define how it can occur, such as what notice periods must be given prior to termination.
- Restrictive covenants. These clauses include non-compete and non-solicitation information that restrict where a nurse practitioner can work if they terminate the agreement.
How Should You Review Your Nurse Practitioner Contract?
Before signing an NP contract, you should review it closely. Here are some tips to follow.
Get it Legally Reviewed
While it’s important to review your NP contract yourself, highlighting important terms that you might want to negotiate with your prospective employer, you should get the contract legally reviewed.
A lawyer will be able to spot any red flags, such as vague or incomplete explanations, that can put you at financial risk in the future. The process will ensure you properly understand everything the NP contract contains, so there are no misinterpretations due to complex phrasing or legal jargon.
Do Your Research
You should take some time to do research before reviewing your NP contract so that you can confirm that it’s fair and reasonable, such as regarding the salary and compensation you stand to gain.
Research similar roles in the job market and what salaries or benefits they usually include, so you can get an idea of whether or not the offer in your contract is good enough.
Think About Your Goals
Even if the salary is great, you want the contract to meet your professional goals. For example, you might want to achieve a healthier work-life balance. The contract, however, might require you to commit to extra shifts that eat into your personal time. It’s worth reviewing your NP contract with a clear idea of what you hope to achieve, both personally and professionally, so that you can ensure they’re aligned.
Check the Employer Expectations
It’s common for your NP contract to have a clause about what your employer expects of you during your job role. Scrutinize this so that you can ensure your expectations are aligned in terms of clinical duties, on-call hours, admin, and others.
Highlight anything written in a vague way that doesn’t properly define what’s expected of you so you can seek clarification from your employer.
Look Closely at How You’re Protected
You want to ensure that the NP contract protects you. Check it closely for clauses related to post-termination compensation, and identify any broad or harsh non-compete clauses that can harm your chances of getting employment if your contract is terminated.
It’s also important to check the malpractice insurance section of the contract, such as who will be responsible for tail coverage.
Do You Need to Hire a Lawyer for a Nurse Practitioner Contract Review?
Although it’s not always necessary to hire a lawyer for a nurse practitioner review, such as if it’s straightforward and you’re happy with all its terms, there are good reasons to hire a lawyer for a nurse practitioner review. These include if the contract is complex, filled with legal jargon, or you’ve identified red flags that you’d like to negotiate but you seek legal assistance with the process.
A lawyer can help you in many other ways when reviewing your NP contract. These include the following:
- A lawyer will use their legal expertise to help you interpret all the relevant laws, such as healthcare and employment rules, to ensure compliance.
- They’ll check the contract for fairness, accuracy, and transparency.
- If there are any issues you’ve identified in the contract, a lawyer can provide clarity on them and help you explore your options for negotiating a better deal.
- They’ll protect your rights so that you don’t sign a contract which increases your risks or hampers your career prospects.
- They’ll assess the big picture beyond the contract, such as how it could affect your promotions or salary negotiations in the future.
Where Can You Find a Lawyer for a Nurse Practitioner Contract Review?
If you want to have your nurse practitioner contract legally reviewed, you should connect with a lawyer from ContractsCounsel, one of the largest online legal marketplaces that connects clients with vetted lawyers. Getting a legal review of this essential contract will give you peace of mind that it’s legally sound.
Here are the easy steps to follow if you want to organize a review from a professional lawyer.
1. Go to the ContractsCounsel marketplace page.
2. Post a project on the platform - it’s free. Include details about what you need regarding your NP contract review so that lawyers know what you require.
3. Once you post your project, lawyers will send you multiple bids.
4. Review the lawyers’ profiles before you select one for your contract review, based on factors such as their client reviews, years of experience, credentials, and similar projects they’ve completed on the ContractsCounsel platform.
