I know a resident who has signed a contract with a small town for anesthesiology who is receiving 2 grand per month from them starting from intern year through forth year.
the problems with this include:
1.usually people who do this have a large family to support right from the beginning and feel compelled to bring in more cash during residency.
2.you are giving up any right to compare other job offers at the end of your training when job opportunities may be different or your goals and desires may have changed.
3.I have heard that these contracts usually have an escape clause, but the cash changes into a loan and if you break the deal, you are charged interest just like any other student/residency loan.
4. Most people who sign something like this in med school, are locked into a primary care field from the get-go, and these people usually express regret later.
5. Residents who sign these deals are in the specialty of their choice, but usually tend to express envy at their cohorts who tell about their job offers/choices at the end of residency.
6. Also, before you sign up for this, be sure you know the group VERY well, typically this the UNCOMMON way for people to get "the good jobs", so the odds of having wonderful working conditions seems low.
7. Places that tend to pay what may seem to be exhorbitant sums should red flag you that something else is factoring in, whether it be a unpopular to undesirable location, or small town where they "own you."
8. Read over any contract with an attorney who specializes in medical contract review. I have heard this service only costs around $200. Cheap vs years of misery for a simple understanding.
Hope this helps.