General Internal Medicine Fellow, Department of Medicine, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell; Physician, Internal Medicine, Allina Health.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School.
MedEdPORTAL. 2020 Jun 18;16:10910. doi: 10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10910.
Contract negotiation is a high-stakes interaction, yet most physicians are never taught negotiation skills. Studies suggest that women, as compared with men, display a lower propensity to initiate negotiations and negotiate less competitively, highlighting a need for training to help level the playing field for female physicians.
We devised a learner-centered workshop for female physicians that included a mini-didactic on negotiation principles, a question-and-answer time with a lawyer, an interactive role-play on contract negotiation style, and guided reflection. The workshop was intended for women in medicine from the level of medical student to full professor. The workshop was evaluated by pre- and postworkshop surveys with quantitative questions assessing perceived comfort with and knowledge of negotiation skills and strategies, as well as qualitative questions assessing lessons learned and areas for improvement.
After the workshop, participants ( = 34) reported significantly improved comfort with contract negotiation ( < .01) and with negotiation skills and strategies ( < .01). Through qualitative evaluation, we discovered that participants gained an appreciation for the self-advocacy in negotiation, as well as a better understanding of negotiation logistics. We also received positive feedback from participant comments, with most learners reporting that the topic was useful and worthwhile.
We believe that this workshop fills a gap in the literature regarding contract negotiation training for physicians while also helping to level the playing field with regard to female physicians and the gender pay gap.
合同谈判是一种高风险的互动，但大多数医生从未接受过谈判技巧的培训。研究表明，与男性相比，女性表现出较低的谈判意愿，谈判也不那么有竞争力，这凸显了培训的必要性，以帮助女性医生获得公平的竞争环境。
我们为女性医生设计了一个以学习者为中心的研讨会，其中包括关于谈判原则的小型讲座、与律师的问答环节、关于合同谈判风格的互动角色扮演，以及引导反思。该研讨会面向从医学生到正教授级别的女性医生。通过会前和会后的问卷调查，评估研讨会的效果，其中包括评估对谈判技巧和策略的舒适度和知识的定量问题，以及评估学习经验和改进领域的定性问题。
研讨会结束后，参与者（n=34）报告称在合同谈判方面的舒适度（<0.01）和谈判技巧和策略方面（<0.01）有显著提高。通过定性评估，我们发现参与者对谈判中的自我倡导有了更深的理解，对谈判的后勤工作也有了更好的了解。我们还收到了参与者的积极反馈，大多数学习者表示该主题很有用且值得学习。
我们相信，这个研讨会填补了关于医生合同谈判培训的文献空白，同时也有助于在女性医生和性别薪酬差距方面实现公平竞争。
