Physician careers: what physicians say about jobs, contracts, and leaving clinical practice, in their own words

Last updated September 24, 2026.

Read together, the 158 KevinMD posts on physician careers say that doctors are trained for one job and then left to work out every other part of a career alone: how to read a contract, what a signing bonus costs, what a non-compete does to a family, when locum tenens makes sense, and whether leaving clinical medicine is a rescue or a loss. The physicians who left describe relief; the physicians who stayed describe what leaving costs patients; and a growing share of the record, 30 percent of posts since 2024, mentions coaching, sometimes as the answer and sometimes as the next thing burned-out doctors are sold. Non-competes appear in 10 percent of the posts before 2014 and 26 percent since 2024. Both sides of each argument are on this page under their own names.

This page is a maintained record of what physicians have written about jobs, contracts, and leaving clinical practice on KevinMD.com, a physician-authored publication founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, a board-certified internal medicine physician in Nashua, New Hampshire. It draws on 158 essays and podcast transcripts with nonclinical careers, leaving or quitting medicine, locum tenens, side gigs, physician contracts, non-competes, signing bonuses, recruiters, or the physician job search in the title, published between October 2008 and September 2026 by 90 named contributors, 93 of the posts bylined by physicians. Of the 158, 64 were published from 2023 onward and 13 in 2026 alone. Every claim is attributed to a named author with the month it was published, quoted in the author’s own words, and linked to the original.

Many authors on this subject sell something related to it: coaching, contract review, recruiting, staffing, books, or financial planning. They are cited where they make a specific claim and identified as sellers where they are cited; posts bylined by staffing firms, contract review firms, and other vendors are counted but not cited. Money after the paycheck, including debt, investing, and retirement, is on the Physician personal finance: what physicians say, in their own words record, and why physicians burn out is on the Physician burnout: what physicians say, in their own words record. Each section opens with a direct answer, then what named authors have said, in the order they said it. Where authors cite figures, the source is named alongside the author and the figures are theirs as of the date they wrote.

Why do physicians leave clinical medicine, and what does it feel like?

Physicians on KevinMD who left clinical medicine describe exhaustion, an employer or a lawsuit that made staying impossible, and a profession that treats leaving as a betrayal; several describe years of trying to make it work first. What they did next ranges from law school to industry to a different kind of practice. Leaving or quitting medicine appears in 27 to 45 percent of posts in every period.

Joseph Kim, MD, MPH, a physician executive who blogged about nonclinical jobs, wrote in January 2010 that “The vast majority of physicians are actually not aware of non-clinical career options,” in “How doctors can look for the right non-clinical medical job.” Errin Weisman, DO, a family physician, wrote in March 2016 that “I was five months out of residency, and I was leaving medicine,” in “This doctor quit medicine. It saved her life.” Rebecca Reyes, MD, JD, a psychiatrist, wrote in March 2016 that “I could quit the hospital but quitting psychiatry was out of the question,” in “This doctor quit medicine. But she really tried to make it work.” Lisa Herbert, MD, a family physician and executive leadership coach, wrote in November 2018 that “The response, which could be leaving medicine, is based on a feeling and may not be well thought out,” in “Make sure your decision to leave medicine is not based on an emotional response.” Elijah Sadaphal, MD, an emergency physician, wrote in April 2021 that “Medicine is hard to quit because it is easy to stay,” in “Why quitting medicine is hard.” An anonymous physician who left medicine wrote in June 2022 that “We fear that leaving medicine is a waste of the past ten to fifteen years of our lives,” in “5 reasons physicians are afraid to leave medicine.” Chelsea Turgeon, MD, a former OB/GYN resident and physician coach, wrote in February 2025 that “Anytime I speak publicly about leaving clinical medicine, I am met with an odd mix,” in “Why does leaving medicine feel like escaping a cult?” Michael Geller, JD, MBA, PA, a physician assistant who became an attorney, wrote in June 2026 that “I’m writing this because clinicians reach out to me regularly asking about leaving medicine for law,” in “Why leaving medicine for law is rarely about medicine.” Jordan Grumet, MD, an internal medicine physician, wrote in July 2026 of a vow: “If ever sued, guilty or not, justified or not, I would leave medicine without hesitation,” in “Why doctors leave medicine after a malpractice suit.” Prianca Naik, MD, wrote in September 2026 that “I knew I could not tolerate clinical medicine for one more day,” in “Leaving clinical medicine when doing right became a battle.”

Are nonclinical jobs a good option? What physicians say about utilization review, industry, and consulting.

Physicians on KevinMD describe nonclinical work as real and varied, from consulting and medical-legal work to industry and a cruise ship, and one physician who took the most common entry job, utilization review for an insurer, warns others away from it. In 2026 a family and addiction medicine physician described applying for years and being sold coaching instead of hired. Nonclinical appears in 22 percent of posts since 2024.

Cory Fawcett, MD, a general surgeon and author of physician career books, wrote in May 2018 that “one hour in a well-paid ED would be in the ballpark of one day’s pay on a cruise ship,” in “What to do if you want to be a cruise ship doctor.” Sylvie Stacy, MD, MPH, a preventive medicine physician and author of a book on nonclinical careers, wrote in May 2020 that “nonclinical roles share a broad goal: to improve health or reduce the disease burden of individuals or populations,” in “Physicians with nonclinical careers can do as much good for humanity as those with purely clinical careers.” Armin Feldman, MD, a medical consultant to attorneys who has trained more than 1,600 physicians in the work, wrote in December 2020 that “There is a unique non-clinical consulting opportunity any physician can learn to do full-time,” in “An introduction to medical-legal consulting.” Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA, who left practice for the health insurance industry, wrote in October 2021 that “Our medical education is unique and precious. Why throw it away on a thankless job,” in “For doctors leaving clinical practice: Do not consider utilization review jobs.” Jawaria Suhail, MD, a family physician, wrote in March 2025 that “Leaving clinical medicine does not mean leaving your expertise behind,” in “Physicians are not quitting medicine, they are expanding their impact.” Carlos N. Hernandez-Torres, MD, a family medicine and addiction medicine physician, wrote in January 2026 that a thriving transition industry sells burned-out physicians “paid coaching programs, expensive courses, exclusive boards, and memberships,” in “The hidden costs of the physician non-clinical career transition.”

What should physicians know about employment contracts and non-competes?

The contract posts on KevinMD agree on one thing: new physicians sign what they are handed. Physicians and the attorneys who write for them describe negotiable terms left unnegotiated, notice provisions left out, and non-competes that force a doctor to move a family or stop practicing; since 2023 the posts describe state reforms and a national fight over non-competes. Negotiation appears in 20 to 45 percent of posts in every period.

Linda Brodsky, MD, a pediatric surgeon, wrote in August 2013 that “Physicians are notoriously naive and incredibly cavalier about contracts and negotiations,” in “Physician contracts and the female doctor.” Tate Hinkle, MD, then a family medicine resident, wrote in May 2016 that “pretty much everything in a contract is negotiable,” in “What I learned from negotiating my first physician contract.” Christina Arnold, MD, a pathologist and career coach, wrote in January 2021 that “Negotiating in place can be a powerful mechanism to make your current job a better fit,” in “14 tips when negotiating a physician job.” Amanda Hill, JD, a health care attorney, wrote in July 2022 that “Without fail, every contract should have a notice without cause provision,” in “Know your worth: Negotiating employment contracts from a place of strength.” Dennis Hursh, Esq, an attorney who sells physician contract review, wrote in September 2022 that “I have seen some truly horrendous results after physicians have signed agreements they did not understand,” in “Physician contract horror stories.” Harry Severance, MD, an emergency physician, wrote in March 2023 that “non-compete clauses increasingly limit physician movements within health care, profoundly decrease satisfaction, increase burnout,” in “An unspoken truth about non-compete clauses in medicine.” Tod Stillson, MD, a family physician and author of a book on physician employment, wrote in January 2024 that for 15 years of traditional employment “my employment contract did not contain any non-compete language,” in “Freedom to roam: Breaking down the boundaries of non-competes.” Stanley Liu, MD, a cardiologist and fee-only financial planner, wrote in March 2025 that “In 2025, I celebrated a monumental milestone: I saw a patient within 20 miles of my home,” in “5 steps to ride out a non-compete without uprooting your family.” Sharisse Stephenson, MD, MBA, a neurologist, wrote in December 2025 that “I was forced out of my role under a two-year non-compete,” in “Physician non-compete clauses: a barrier to patient access.”

How do signing bonuses and physician pay really work?

Physicians and the planners and recruiters who write for them on KevinMD describe the signing bonus as a loan with conditions, pay tied to productivity thresholds that can turn a salary into a draw, and repayment terms that follow a physician out the door.

Bo Claypool, a physician recruiter, wrote in October 2011 that “it very well may be in your practice’s best interest to offer a signing bonus,” in “The use of a signing bonus as tool for physician recruitment.” Ore Ogunyemi, MD, a urologist, wrote in January 2022 of signing bonuses that “you may have to repay the bonuses if you break your contract,” in “Physician job search: 4 things I wish I had done differently.” Paul Morton, CFP, a certified financial planner, wrote in September 2024 that “in some situations, a higher signing bonus may result in a lower guaranteed salary,” in “The secrets of physician signing bonuses.” Shane Tenny, CFP, a financial planner, wrote in April 2025 citing a 2023 AMN Healthcare survey that “the average physician’s signing bonus was $37,473, representing a 21 percent increase from the prior year,” in “Signing bonuses and taxes: What physicians should know.” Dennis Hursh, Esq, a health care attorney, wrote in November 2025 that when pay can be cut for missing a production threshold “the physician does not really have a salary at all,” in “wRVU threshold risks in physician contracts.”

What do physicians say about recruiters and the job market?

Physicians on KevinMD describe a job market that favors them in some specialties, and recruiters writing on KevinMD describe their work candidly. The posts also describe what the market does not fix: first jobs that do not last and interview questions that should not be asked. Recruiter appears in 23 to 50 percent of posts in every period.

Bo Claypool, a physician recruiter, wrote in September 2011 of recruiting physicians: “I ultimately do it because it is lucrative,” in “When not to use a physician recruiter.” Ore Ogunyemi, MD, a urologist, wrote in January 2022 that “Over half of physicians leave their first job within five years,” in “Physician job search: 4 things I wish I had done differently.” A radiologist writing anonymously wrote in October 2024 that “these forces have handed radiologists the best job market in medicine,” in “Radiologists need to be realistic about the job market.” Dr. Damane Zehra wrote in November 2024 that, after interviewers asked about her marriage plans, she wondered whether it was “standard practice to ask every young female physician these types of questions,” in “How this young physician’s job search uncovered hidden sexism in health care.” Brian Hudes, MD, a gastroenterologist, wrote in September 2026 that most physicians run a passive search: “We wait for recruiters to surface things and react to what arrives,” in “AI was the chief resident for my physician job search.”

Is locum tenens, part-time work, or a side gig worth it?

Physicians on KevinMD who work locum tenens describe freedom, better pay, and a way to test jobs before committing; they also describe bad assignments and a staffing industry that takes a large cut. Part-time work and side gigs are described as protection against burnout and against an employer. Locum tenens appears in 26 percent of posts since 2024, and side gigs in 16 percent of the 2019 to 2021 posts.

Edwin Leap, MD, an emergency physician, wrote in August 2013 that for many patients “locum doctors may be the only chance they have for surviving a terrible injury or illness,” in “Locums tenens physicians change the face of medicine for the better.” Val Jones, MD, wrote in June 2017 that “boutique agencies can be home to some of the most depressing assignments in America,” in “Interested in being a locum tenens physician? Read this first.” Nisha Mehta, MD, a radiologist and founder of the Physician Side Gigs group, wrote in January 2018 that “Side gigs allow access to additional retirement plans and tax deductions,” in “Why physicians need side gigs.” Passive Income MD, a physician who writes under a pen name and sells real estate courses, wrote in July 2019 that “After a certain income, your time working is actually valued less and less,” in “The pros and cons of being a part-time physician.” Cory Fawcett, MD, a general surgeon and author of physician career books, wrote in July 2019 that “there are some groups of physicians who should not even consider doing locums work,” in “Considering locum tenens? Think about these factors first.” Aaron Morgenstein, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and founder of FlexMedStaff, wrote in April 2023 that “This country has over 200 locums agencies, pulling in about $6 billion in gross revenue from physicians’ services,” in “Start your own locums agency today: a step-by-step guide.” Kirk Heath, MD, a former general surgeon and founder of Modio Health, a division of the staffing company CHG Healthcare, wrote in July 2024 of retiring physicians that “Locum tenens lets them re-engage with medicine without the full-time grind,” in “The role of locum tenens in bridging the physician shortage gap: Can retiring physicians save the day?” Trevor Cabrera, MD, a pediatrician, wrote in September 2025 that while some see locum physicians as unstable wanderers “many, such as myself, have taken this intentional path in search of independence and freedom,” in “Locum tenens: Reclaiming purpose, autonomy, and financial freedom in medicine.”

What do physicians disagree about?

On whether to leave at all, Suneel Dhand, MD, an internal medicine physician, wrote in December 2014 that “Many physicians may be unhappy with their career choice, but leaving medicine completely and quitting would be a sad outcome,” in “Don’t quit medicine. Here are 5 reasons why.” Barbara Lazio, MD, a neurosurgeon, wrote in May 2022 that “They should leave because they do not like the profession not because external factors are making the job miserable,” in “Never let a bad job or bad people convince you to quit medicine.” Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA, a physician executive, wrote in July 2025 that “There is no obligation to practice,” in “Why more doctors are leaving clinical practice and how it helps health care.” Jordan Grumet, MD, an internal medicine physician, wrote in July 2026 of one patient: “My decision to leave medicine undoubtedly contributed to her premature death,” in “Why doctors leave medicine after a malpractice suit.” On coaching, Lisa Herbert, MD, and Chelsea Turgeon, MD, write as coaches and Carlos N. Hernandez-Torres, MD, describes a market built on burned-out physicians. On locum tenens, Edwin Leap, MD, calls locum doctors a lifeline for patients and Aaron Morgenstein, MD, describes an industry that takes a cut of every hour. The record does not resolve these; it dates them.

What would fix it? What physicians propose.

Asked what would make physician careers work better, physicians on KevinMD propose teaching contracts and negotiation in residency, having every contract reviewed, banning or limiting non-competes, building savings before leaving a job, and treating a physician who leaves as a colleague rather than a deserter.

Cindy Tsai, MD, an internal medicine physician, wrote in September 2021 of coaching: “I didn’t have to leave a challenging work situation or cut ties with people to feel better,” in “Should you stay or leave medicine?” Jawaria Suhail, MD, a family physician, wrote in March 2025 with this advice: “Set up informational interviews, attend industry conferences, and join physician career transition groups on Facebook,” in “Physicians are not quitting medicine, they are expanding their impact.” Stanley Liu, MD, a cardiologist and fee-only financial planner, wrote in March 2025 that “As soon as I seriously considered leaving my job, my wife and I started building a side fund,” in “5 steps to ride out a non-compete without uprooting your family.” Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, MPH and Peter Baum, DO, wrote in June 2025 that “Some residents and fellows receive formal preparation for reviewing and negotiating contracts, but far more do not,” in “The most overlooked skill in medicine: contract negotiation.” Carlos N. Hernandez-Torres, MD, a family medicine and addiction medicine physician, wrote in January 2026 that “Wanting out does not mean a physician should have to pay yet another toll,” in “The hidden costs of the physician non-clinical career transition.”

How has the physician careers conversation changed since 2008?

The record starts with nonclinical job advice and recruiters writing about recruiting, from 2010 to 2013, along with the first locum tenens guides. From 2014 to 2018 the posts are about quitting and side gigs: physicians who left, and physicians building income outside the hospital. From 2019 to 2021, through the pandemic, nonclinical careers and locum tenens return. From 2022 to 2023 it is contracts, non-competes, and burnout. Since 2024 it is the cost of leaving, the coaching market, locum tenens as a career, and physicians using AI to run their own job searches. Kevin Pho’s short early commentaries, 2 of them, are counted here but not cited.

One thing did not change. Physicians in every period describe learning about contracts, pay, and the job market on their own, after residency.

Term 2008 to 2013 (20 posts) 2014 to 2018 (28 posts) 2019 to 2021 (31 posts) 2022 to 2023 (33 posts) 2024 to 2026 (46 posts)
Nonclinical 25 percent 4 percent 32 percent 36 percent 22 percent
Leaving or quitting medicine 45 percent 36 percent 35 percent 27 percent 43 percent
Locum tenens 35 percent 18 percent 39 percent 27 percent 26 percent
Non-compete or restrictive covenant 10 percent 0 percent 3 percent 21 percent 26 percent
Negotiation 20 percent 25 percent 26 percent 45 percent 41 percent
Signing bonus 5 percent 4 percent 3 percent 15 percent 20 percent
Recruiter 50 percent 36 percent 23 percent 30 percent 33 percent
Burnout 15 percent 32 percent 32 percent 52 percent 54 percent
Side gig or side hustle 0 percent 18 percent 16 percent 3 percent 15 percent
Coach or coaching 0 percent 14 percent 23 percent 15 percent 30 percent

Term frequencies are the share of posts in each period whose text contains the term at least once, computed on the September 24, 2026 corpus of 158 posts with one stored expression per term.

The KevinMD physician careers corpus by the numbers

These figures describe the set of KevinMD posts this page draws on. They are counts of what KevinMD has published, not a survey of physician opinion.

Measure Value
Posts in the corpus 158
Published 2023 or later 64
Published in 2026 (through September) 13
Named contributors 90
Posts bylined by physicians (MD or DO) 93
Podcast episodes with transcripts 26
Written anonymously 3
Kevin Pho’s early commentaries, counted but not cited 2
Posts not indexed, counted but not cited 10
Most frequent contributors Dennis Hursh, Esq (7); Joseph Kim, MD, MPH (5); Cory Fawcett, MD (4); Val Jones, MD (4); Bo Claypool (4)
Posts bylined by vendors, counted but not cited 13, from staffing firms, contract review firms, and other companies selling to physicians

How this page was built and how it is updated

The corpus was assembled from title searches for nonclinical careers, leaving medicine, quitting medicine, locum tenens, side gigs and side hustles, part-time physicians, physician contracts, employment agreements, non-competes, signing bonuses, physician recruiters, and the physician job search. Posts whose text mentioned the subject fewer than four times were excluded. Term frequencies were computed against the full text of each post. Posts are counted whether or not they are indexed; citations on this page are limited to posts that are indexed and can be verified at the link. 10 posts in the corpus are not indexed; they are counted but not cited. Sponsored posts and posts bylined by vendors, including contract review firms, staffing and locum tenens companies, and job boards, are counted but not cited. Authors who sell into the subject are identified where they are cited: Lisa Herbert, MD, Christina Arnold, MD, and Chelsea Turgeon, MD, are coaches; Dennis Hursh, Esq, sells fixed-fee contract review; Bo Claypool is a physician recruiter; Paul Morton, CFP, Shane Tenny, CFP, and Stanley Liu, MD, are financial planners; Cory Fawcett, MD, Sylvie Stacy, MD, MPH, and Tod Stillson, MD, sell books on physician careers; Armin Feldman, MD, trains physicians in medical-legal consulting; Aaron Morgenstein, MD, founded FlexMedStaff; Kirk Heath, MD, founded Modio Health, part of CHG Healthcare; Nisha Mehta, MD, founded Physician Side Gigs. Quotations are taken verbatim from the original posts and were checked against the source text by script. Author credentials are as they appeared in the byline at publication; where the byline gave none, the credential is the one the post itself states. Every source is linked in the sentence that cites it, and the full list appears at the end of the page. No careers tag exists on KevinMD; the closest archive is the Physician category. Related records: Physician personal finance: what physicians say, in their own words, Physician burnout: what physicians say, in their own words, Physicians and administrators: what physicians say about who runs medicine, in their own words, Private equity and corporate medicine: what physicians say, in their own words, Residency: what residents and physicians say, in their own words, and Board certification: what physicians say about the boards and MOC, in their own words.

This page is updated as new essays on physician careers are published on KevinMD. When it is updated, the date at the top changes, the counts in the tables are recomputed, and new named claims are added to the relevant section. Nothing is removed unless the original post is removed. An author who believes a quotation on this page misrepresents them can write to Kevin Pho and the page will be corrected.

To cite this page: Pho K. Physician careers: what physicians say about jobs, contracts, and leaving clinical practice, in their own words. KevinMD.com. Updated September 24, 2026. https://kevinmd.com/physician-careers

The 47 KevinMD posts cited on this page, in order of publication