OHSU Neurology Residency Paid Time-Off Guidelines
INTRODUCTION This policy will serve to define the process for obtaining vacation, medical, educational, family, or personal leave during Neurology residency. The policy includes elements to ensure that it meets OHSU institutional guidelines, Oregon and Federal laws, and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) certification requirements. It should be noted that the ABPN will not grant credit for training completed in less than 1 year blocks except in special circumstances that must be approved by the ABPN credentials committee. GUIDELINES A. Vacation: Each resident will be granted three weeks of vacation leave each academic year. For purposes of these guidelines, a week is defined as a typical workweek for the resident. Unused vacation will not carry over from year to year. Vacation is not paid to the resident upon separation from the residency program. Vacation requests should be sent as early as possible (minimum 60 days, 6 months preferred) to the Neurology program coordinator, for review and approval by the Program director. Vacation time must be approved before you make plane reservations. B. Vacation Scheduling: Residents will be allowed the opportunity to schedule up to seven (7) consecutive days off at any one time, three (3) times per year. The resident and the department may mutually agree to vacation schedule variations, e.g. split a seven day period, two consecutive seven-day periods, etc. Regularly scheduled days off contiguous to approved time off will not count against the resident’s annual vacation allotment. The department will establish a method for the equitable distribution of time-off among residents, keeping in mind the need to provide backup during the resident’s designated time-off. With rare exception, vacations will be staggered so that only one resident is gone at a time. PGY-2 residents should take vacation during the rotation blocks specified on the rotation schedule. PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents should take vacation during elective rotations. C. Sick Leave: Residents are eligible for up to 15 days off with pay each academic year for qualified absences. Sick leave will carry over from year to year. Unused sick leave is not paid to the resident upon separation from the residency program. Sick leave may be used for absences related to the health of the individual or family member as defined by federal and Oregon family medical leave laws. Sick leave may also be used for resident and dependent medical, dental or other health care appointments. D. Sick Leave Scheduling: Predictable absences should be requested in advance. Those covered by medical leave laws require 30 days advance notice for foreseeable leaves. Residents should work with the HR Benefits Department (503) 494-6476 and the GME Office to request leaves protected by law. Residents will communicate
unforeseeable absences in accordance with Department reporting requirements as soon as practicable given the circumstances. E. Education Leave: Residents will be granted five (5) days off with pay to pursue educational opportunities, unless, as determined by the Program Director, the resident’s educational needs would not be best served by the requested leave. This discretionary leave is typically reserved for senior residents, and generally does not apply to interns and junior residents. Additional time off may be granted at program level in the sole discretion of the Program Director, taking into consideration program requirements and needs and, to the extent practical and reasonable, distributed comparably among program participants. Time away from work for education purposes will not count against the individual’s vacation allotment for the year. Cross coverage by other residents must be arranged if the resident will be away during a non-elective rotation. F. Job Interviews: The Program Director may grant time off with pay for the resident to attend job interviews. Cross coverage by other residents must be arranged if the resident will be away during a non-elective rotation. G. In all instances, the resident is responsible for notifying other residents, attendings, paging operators, and clinic coordinators of his or her absence. The resident is responsible for confirming clinic closures at both OHSU and VA during their absences. H. The Leave of Absence form can be found in the Program Coordinator’s office, OHSU & VA ward work rooms, OHSU Call Room and on the Neurology Website www.ohsu.edu/neurology/residency (Program Documents tab). Completion of the entire form is necessary to be considered for review. The form must be faxed or emailed to the Program Coordinator (Carolina Mann Main mannca@ohsu.edu, Fax 503-418-8373). Signatures must be obtained from both the VA Department Chief and the Chief Resident. If another resident has agreed to provide coverage, then they must also initial the form. In general, the consult resident in each hospital will provide coverage for vacationing resident’s outpatients. I. It is the department’s responsibility to manage discretionary time off in a manner that does not jeopardize the resident’s ability to satisfy board certification requirements. If necessary, residency training will be extended for residents to compensate for time loss due to absence in excess of that allowable to satisfy requirements of the ACGME, RRC or the Board specific to their training. J. Residents are encouraged to work with their program director or coordinator to resolve concerns related to paid time off work. In the event a solution is not reached, the resident may direct concerns regarding these or program specific guidelines to the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education.