Resident Time Off and Leave

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES 

Department of Neurological Surgery – Residency Program Policy

Policy: Resident Time Off and Leave

Program Chair: Michael Rosner, MD

Last Revision: March 11, 2020

PURPOSE:

To ensure that there is an adequate resident work force to cover all clinical sites in the interest of patient care; to prevent resident overwork and fatigue; and to afford time to secure alternative coverage arrangements.

DEFINITION:

Resident time off will include all the following:

  1. Vacation (Paid Time Off)
  2. Sick Leave
  3. Educational / meeting Leave
  4. Personal / Family Leave
  5. Temporary disability leave
  6. Jury duty
  7. Required military leave
  8. Maternity leave
  9. Paid parental leave
  10. Bereavement leave

POLICY:

  1. Residents will be allowed three weeks of paid time off per academic year.  No more than two weeks may be taken in any 6 month rotation, and no more than 1 week may be taken in a three month rotation. 
  2. The academic year will be defined as July 1 through June 30.  Requests for vacation time or educational time off must be submitted during the first month of the academic year, and will be allotted on a first come basis.  Additional requests will not be considered if there is less than two full calendar months’ notice for approval.
  3. Time off requests for the neurosurgery resident team are submitted to the Program Coordinator by the chief resident for posting on MedHub.
  4. All time off must be approved by the Program Director, with the acknowledgement of the chief resident, in advance. Time off should also be approved by the Site Director for rotations outside of George Washington University Hospital.  Sick time off or emergency personal time off must be documented and approved retroactively.
  5. Residents accrue sick leave in addition to paid time off.  This includes major illness or surgery, and should be discussed on an individual basis with the Program Director and GME if requiring more than one week of absence if possible. 
  6. Total time off must conform to ABNS guidelines. Each resident must receive no less than 54 months of core training during the seven year residency. Thus, any unpaid leave reducing the total 84 month training period must be deducted from elective training requirements. 
  7. Personal time off that cannot be scheduled in advance will be considered on an individual basis.
  8. Priority in scheduling will be given to the required academic time off such as intern and resident boot camp, the RUNN course, and national conference presentations.  This required academic time off will not count against the allotted three weeks of paid time off.  Interviews for future outside fellowships and employment should also be scheduled in advance with the Program Director.

Approved by GMEC: 4/20/2020