Healthcare & Life Sciences · Offer worksheet
Type in the cash terms of two offers and read them side by side: what’s scheduled for Year 1, what recurs after that, and what depends on production. The worksheet adds up what you enter. It doesn’t tell you which offer to take.
Published by Colwyn Group LLC. We recruit physicians, so we’d like to hear from you, and the arithmetic works the same whether you get in touch or not. The figures below are a made-up example: replace each one with the terms in your own offers.
01 · Worksheet
Type each term as it’s written in the offer. If an offer doesn’t mention a term, leave it blank: the worksheet treats blank as unknown, not zero. Enter 0 where the offer says there’s none.
02 · Line by line
Both columns cover the same 12 months, with each offer’s terms assumed to hold all year. Fixed and conditional cash are never added together, except on the one line marked as a scenario.
| Measure | Offer A | Offer B | A − B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled cash | |||
| Scheduled Year-1 fixed cashBase + other fixed cash + sign-on. Assumes you stay and each payment condition is met. It is not a promise of employment or of payment. | $350,000 | $225,000 | +$125,000 |
| Recurring fixed cash, Year 2 onBase + other fixed cash, if the terms continue. Check how many months each base is guaranteed. | $320,000 | $200,000 | +$120,000 |
| Conditional, as you typed it | |||
| Production pay at targetNot included in either line above. | $0 | $250,000 | −$250,000 |
| Scenario: recurring fixed + conditionalA scenario only. Not a guarantee and not an offer total. | $320,000 | $450,000 | −$130,000 |
| Per paid clinical hour | |||
| Paid clinical hours a yearHours a week × paid weeks a year. | 1,920 | 2,160 | −240 |
| Fixed cash per paid hourRecurring fixed cash ÷ paid hours. | $166.67 | $92.59 | +$74.08 |
| Scenario per paid hourScenario line ÷ paid hours. A scenario, not a guarantee. | $166.67 | $208.33 | −$41.66 |
| Listed, not added | |||
| RelocationLump sum or reimbursement, and repayment terms vary. Confirm in writing. | $15,000 | $10,000 | +$5,000 |
| Weekend callAs entered. Call pay isn’t added unless you entered it as fixed cash. | No weekend call | 1 in 6 weekends, about 8 in 48 paid weeks | — |
Per-hour figures convert the cash you entered using each offer’s own hours. They say nothing about what either role is worth. Benefits, equity, reimbursements and paid leave already inside base are not added to any line.
03 · Sign-on and loans
Optional. Enter what you owe today and any loan stipend an employer or program has put in writing, then choose what to apply. The panel subtracts those amounts from principal and does nothing else.
Applied over three years$80,00036.4% of opening principal
Applied over three years$75,00034.1% of opening principal
| Principal | Offer A | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| Opening principal | $220,000 | $220,000 |
| Year 1 · sign-on applied | $30,000 | $25,000 |
| Year 1 · stipend applied | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| After Year 1 | $165,000 | $170,000 |
| Year 2 · stipend applied | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| After Year 2 | $140,000 | $145,000 |
| Year 3 · stipend applied | $0 | $0 |
| After Year 3 | $140,000 | $145,000 |
| Total applied | $80,000 | $75,000 |
04 · Pay models
Most offers use one of these structures, or a blend. Each one puts the risk somewhere different.
01
A fixed salary that doesn’t move with volume.
Where the risk sitsIn how long the guarantee lasts, and whether base can be reset or treated as an advance.
Confirm in writingMonths guaranteed · whether base can be reset · any bonus on top
02
Salary plus a set rate for every wRVU above a threshold. Below the threshold you’re paid base only.
Where the risk sitsThe threshold and the rate decide what the bonus is worth.
Confirm in writingThreshold · rate per wRVU · who credits and audits wRVUs · how often it’s reconciled
03
A headline that adds base and production pay at some level of volume. It’s a target or a ceiling, not a salary.
Where the risk sitsPostings rarely say how much of the headline is guaranteed.
Confirm in writingWhich part is base · what volume reaches the headline · whether any of it is guaranteed
04
A minimum income for a set period while you build a panel, then production pay or an ownership buy-in.
Where the risk sitsIn what happens when the floor ends: repayable shortfalls, how production is measured, how a buy-in is priced.
Confirm in writingLength and amount · whether a shortfall is repayable · buy-in method, timing and exit terms
Same band, different promise
A bigger headline can sit on a smaller base. Compare what each offer guarantees before you compare the totals.
05 · Before you sign
An LOI sets out the main terms before the full agreement is drafted. Take these to the employer, and ask for every answer in writing.
Exit cost: money you could owe, or have to spend, if you leave.
Which parts of this letter are binding?
An LOI can carry exclusivity or confidentiality terms. Ask what binds you, and for how long.
TermsWhat is the base, and for how many months is it guaranteed?
A base with no guarantee period can’t be compared with one that has it. Ask what happens when the period ends.
Scheduled cashHow is variable pay calculated?
Ask for the wRVU threshold, the rate per wRVU or the collections formula, who audits production, and how often it’s paid.
Conditional cashIs the base an advance against production?
If it is, ask whether a shortfall is carried forward, taken from later pay or reset, and what you owe if you leave.
Exit costWhat are the schedule and call terms?
Clinic days, the hours counted as full time, call frequency (1 in 6 weekends, say), call pay and holidays. Get them in the agreement.
WorkloadWhat are the sign-on and relocation terms?
The amount, when it’s paid, the forgiveness schedule, and which ways of leaving make it repayable.
Exit costWhich malpractice cover applies, and who pays tail?
Claims-made or occurrence, the limits, the retroactive date, and who pays for tail in each way you might leave.
Exit costWhat restrictive covenants apply?
Radius, duration, scope, and whether they still apply if you’re let go without cause. Have your attorney read the clause.
RestrictionWhat support and benefits are stated?
Staffing, CME money and time, paid leave, retirement match, when health cover starts, and any loan repayment program.
Listed, not addedWhat’s the timeline, and which documents will I get?
Ask for the full draft agreement and the compensation exhibit, a named contact, and time for your own attorney to review it.
Documents06 · Method
Hypothetical example$200,000 annual base + $20,000 first-year sign-on = $220,000 scheduled first-year cash, then $200,000 a year if the terms continue. An optional $50,000 productivity scenario stays separate.
Hypothetical example$100 an hour × 32 paid hours a week × 48 paid weeks = $153,600 at those assumptions. Different guarantee periods aren’t like for like: if one offer guarantees base for 12 months and the other for 24, note it before you read the two columns as equals.
Gross cash arithmetic only. Not tax, legal or financial advice. Everything on this page is the figures you typed, added and divided. It isn’t market data, a comparison across specialties or a recommendation, and it leaves out taxes, benefits, equity and contract terms such as repayment, tail coverage and restrictive covenants. Have an attorney who represents physicians review any agreement before you sign.
05 · Worksheet Q&A
Scoped strictly to the arithmetic and browser-only execution on this page.
