FAQ

Break the information into sections with clear title headings. If you have published medical papers, title them as “publications.” If you have medical research that has been submitted or is in progress, use the title “research experience.” People who review lots of CVs—including organizations that are regular users of locum tenens practitioners—are used to seeing the information in the following order. We recommend that you follow it. Personal information (Full name, address, phone numbers, email address) Professional work Practice specifics Hospital affiliations Military service Academic history Graduate training Fellowship Residency Internship Medical school Undergraduate training Licensure Certifications Recertification dates Professional associations Honors Volunteer work, community service, additional accomplishments Publications, presentations, research

As a general rule, list your most current activity first. Include month/day/year for all dates. Any gap in time must be explained. If you took a sabbatical, for example, spell it out in your CV. Otherwise, it will generate a red flag in the mind of the reviewer. Keep your CV short and compact, not to exceed two pages if possible. Include your full name and make sure you can be reached at the address, telephone number and e-mail address that you include. Check this each time you send your CV out. If you are an International Medical Graduate (IMG) or a Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG), make sure you list your visa status. Finally, there are a few items best left out of your CV. These include social security numbers, licensure numbers and examination scores. You will have the opportunity to supply them at a later date in a more secure way. Do not include race or religion. Marital status and number of children are optional.

Claims-made policies cover a physician for incidents that occur after the retroactive date and are reported to the insurer while the policy is in force.

Occurrence malpractice policies cover a physician for incidents that occur while the policy is in effect, regardless of when the incident is reported to the insurer.

A tail is also known as an extended reporting period (ERP). An ERP may need to be purchased if a physician ceases to practice due to retirement, disability, or death, or changes carriers and is unable to maintain their original retroactive date. The ERP essentially extends coverage to all claims that arise from care rendered during the policy period (and prior acts period, if applicable), to include those made during the reporting period. It is preferable to purchase an unlimited ERP. Some carriers may limit the ERP and only allow claims to be reported for a specific period (12 months, 36 months, etc.). The carrier will usually charge an additional premium for the ERP. In some cases, the carrier will provide a free tail to the physician upon disability, death, or retirement. To obtain the free tail, the physician generally needs to be insured by the same carrier for a minimum of five years.

For coverage under a claims-made policy to apply, the incident or claim must have occurred after the retroactive date of the policy. For most physicians, this retroactive date is the first date they purchased claims-made professional liability coverage. The retroactive date should remain the same as the policy is renewed.

Under a claims-made policy, the prior acts period, also known as “nose” coverage, is the period of time between a physician’s retroactive date and the current policy period. If there is prior occurrence coverage, or this is the first claims-made policy that is being purchased, then there should be no nose exposure.

In addition to a physician’s primary malpractice policy, some doctors also purchase umbrella policies. The limits for an umbrella policy apply on top (in excess) of the physician’s primary malpractice policy. For example, a primary policy may provide the physician with a limit of $1 million per claim. The umbrella policy may provide an additional limit of $2 million. If a $2.5 million claim occurs, the $1 million policy will pay its full limit of $1 million, and the umbrella policy will pay the remaining $1.5 million of the claim. Some umbrella policies have the same terms, conditions, and exclusions as the underlying primary policy. Other umbrella policies have their own separate terms, conditions, and exclusions.