Smart Starts: Understanding Employment Contracts and Physician-Friendly Mortgages

Starting the next step of your medical career post-residency can bring major decisions—from signing your first employment contract to purchasing your first home. In November 2025, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians held a webinar to equip members with the knowledge and strategies to make informed, confident choices in both areas.

Watch the on-demand webinar below to learn how to understand the key components of a physician employment contract, recognize red flags, and understand when to seek legal guidance with speaker Barbara Bawer, MD, assistant professor at The Ohio State University Medical Center (OSU). She also shared strategies for effective negotiation to help you assess offers, advocate for fair terms, and align your career opportunities with your personal priorities and lifestyle goals.

In addition, gain valuable insight into building a strong credit foundation and the unique advantages of physician mortgage loans from Mortgage Banking Consultant John Anderson. He also covered qualification guidelines, timelines, and key benefits compared to traditional loan options.

Questions

For questions regarding this webinar, please contact Caitlin Laudeman.

This webinar was created with a focus on family medicine residents and those completing a fellowship, but the event is open to anyone interested in the content including medical students and physicians already in practice. 

About the Speakers 

Barbara Bawer, MD is currently an assistant professor at OSU Medical Center and a family medicine physician in Westerville, OH. She is also the lead physician for her clinic and the chief of quality for the Department of Family and Community Medicine at OSU. She is responsible for helping her department provide high quality patient care, reduce burnout for medical professionals, mitigate conflicts, and improve workplace inefficiencies.

From a clinical perspective, Dr. Bawer is passionate about women’s health and is inspired by her patients and her colleagues to always provide the best care possible. She also loves to work with residents and medical students, especially when helping them improve their own work-life balance and consider personal finances and personal health when they make decisions for their future. 

 

 

John Anderson has been passionate about originating mortgage loans for over 25 years, and for the past decade has specialized in working with medical professionals. As the parent of a family physician, he has a deep understanding of the unique journey that medical professionals navigate—from undergraduate studies and medical school, to residency, fellowship, and ultimately becoming an attending physician.

Physician financing can be complex depending on your individual circumstances. John’s focus is on educating borrowers about their available loan options and helping them find the solution that best meets their needs. He is eager to leverage his experience to identify financing solutions tailored to your specific career stage. Buying a home can be a stressful experience, and John’s goal is to ensure you feel that your loan is his top priority throughout the entire process.

Contact John by sending an email to doctorloanjohn@gmail.com or calling 614.496.9620.

 

Resources

OAFP Resident Employment Contract Review Reimbursement
We understand and appreciate how complex it is to be a graduating resident and we want to help make the transition to practicing full-time family medicine as easy as possible. To help ease that burden, the OAFP provides its resident members with financial support to have their Ohio employment contract reviewed by an attorney of their choosing. Consider it our commitment to the next generation of family physicians beginning their journey in the Buckeye State! For additional information and to apply, visit the program webpage.

AAFP Contracting Resources
Understanding the terms of your contract and knowing how to negotiate to protect your interests are central to ensuring your career success and well-being as an employed physician. A physician employment contract defines conditions of your employment. Read your contract carefully because it can greatly impact your professional satisfaction, as well as your personal happiness.

Visit the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Employment Contracting webpage for guides and checklists including:
  • A Family Physician Guide to Employment Contracts
  • Employment Contract Checklist
  • 10 Physician Employment Contract Red Flags
  • How to Choose a Lawyer for Contract Review
  • How to Negotiate a Contract.

AAFP Family Medicine Career Benchmark Dashboard
Imagine arming yourself with real data specifically for family physicians, including compensation, benefits, and job satisfaction details, as you make future career decisions. That’s exactly the information you’ll get from the family medicine career benchmark dashboard, available for free to AAFP members.

The family medicine Career Benchmark Dashboard is a first-of-its-kind tool for the specialty. It provides comprehensive compensation and job satisfaction data for free to AAFP members. Use this dashboard to see how your income, benefits, career satisfaction, and more compare to that of peers in similar roles by state. You’ll see data like compensation structure, satisfaction by career path, amount of paid time off, funding for continuing medical education and sign-on bonus amount.

AAFP Finance and Career Articles

The White Coat Investor
Jim Dahle, a practicing emergency physician, founded The White Coat Investor as a blog to educate and support physicians in strengthening their financial literacy and outlook. Now a blog, book, courses, podcast, and more, The White Coat Investor is utilized by many medical students, residents, and physicians as a resource in building their financial knowledge. Visit the Contracts and Compensation page for advice on how to choose a contract review attorney, when to have a contract reviewed, and what a contract review attorney can do for you.

FIRST (Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools) from the American Academy of Medical Colleges
FIRST provides you with unbiased and reliable guidance about paying for medical school, managing money, and successfully repaying your student loans.

Physician on FIRE
Physician on FIRE is a personal finance website created to help physicians reach Financial Independence and Retire Early with free tools and resources. They publish insightful and relevant weekly articles to help you build future wealth and confidently live the life you want today.

OAFP Career Center
Looking for a family physician job in Ohio? Create an account today and discover hundreds of exciting physician opportunities on the OAFP Career Center.

The OAFP Career Center also provides:
  • Access to relevant career insights to assist with career development
  • Materials to help prepare for job interviews and build better resumes
  • Job search guidance and tips.