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Physician Contract Glossary · Termination

Notice Period

The notice period is how much advance written warning either party must give before a without-cause termination takes effect.

The notice period is the runway before a without-cause termination becomes final, typically 60, 90, or 120 days. It protects both sides: it gives you time to line up the next position and gives the practice time to cover your patients. A notice period that is too short leaves you exposed; one that is mutual and reasonable is a feature, not a constraint.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Make the notice period mutual and long enough to land elsewhere, and check whether the employer can place you on leave during it. Being walked out on day one of a 90-day notice can mean 90 days without the income you were counting on.

Related terms

Stop being recruited. Start choosing.

You are about to sign something the senior people in your program signed without reading.

They had no guide either. You do. Start with the option that costs you nothing: see every practice that is actually out there before anyone hands you a contract.

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