Resident Leave Policy

  1. Annual (vacation):
    1. Annual leave provides the resident with time for rest and restoration for an extended period in order to return to training with renewed vitality. This is beneficial for patient safety and resident well-being.
    2. All residents will receive 15 days of annual leave which will be based on a five day work week during the academic year.
    3. Annual leave which is unused will not be carried forward to the new training year. No lump sum payment will be made for unused leave upon termination.
    4. Annual leave must be requested in writing through the home Department on approved leave request forms in accordance with the home program's established procedure.
    5. If a scheduled vacation includes a national holiday, no additional time will be given for that holiday. Holidays will be balanced by program directors in a fair and equitable manner.
    6. Blocks of seven days are encouraged for residents to have a period of adequate rest.
    7. Residents have the responsibility to schedule leave in a timely manner. Annual leave for contract periods of less than a full academic year will be calculated on a pro rata basis.
  2. Sick Leave
    1. All residents receive 15 days of paid sick leave (which will be based on a five day work week) during the initial 12 months of service. Beginning 12 months after the starting date of the contract, the resident will begin to accrue additional sick leave at a rate of 1-1/4 days per full month of service to add to any remaining balance of unused sick leave from the first 12 months of service. Sick leave may be accrued from year to year not to exceed 15 work days at the last day of each month.
    2. Sick leave must be documented in writing through the Department on approved leave request forms.
    3. The sick leave policy is established in order to protect the resident from threats to their own health, for bona-fide medical conditions, and to prevent patient exposure.
    4. Absence from work to care for an ill or injured member of one's immediate family (spouse, children, parents, and grandparents) may be charged to sick leave and should be done in advance of the leave if possible.
    5. A Doctor's note may be required at the discretion of the Program Director.
    6. Unused sick leave may be carried forward to the next training year. No lump sum payment will be made for unused leave upon termination or completion of training.
    7. Sick leave for contract periods of less than a full academic year will be calculated on a pro rata basis.
    8. Use of sick leave may require make up time for purposes of Board eligibility which is determined by the specific policy of each Board specialty and should be discussed with the Program Director.
  3. Family and Medical Leave Act
    1. The Family and Medical Leave act (FMLA) of 1993 entitles eligible residents to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave in a rolling 12 month period for specified family and medical reasons.
    2. FMLA may be used for the birth of a child, and to care for the newborn child; for placement of a child with the resident for adoption or foster care; to care for the resident's spouse, parent or child with a serious health condition; or because the resident is unable to work due to a serious health condition.
    3. To qualify the resident must have been employed by the School at least 12 months.
    4. The appointing authority (the Dean) may require paid leave to be exhausted prior to an employee being placed on unpaid leave.
  4. Maternity/Paternity/Family Leave
    1. UNR Med Graduate Medical Education programs recognize the legitimacy of integrating child-bearing and adoption into the years of graduate medical training.
    2. Return to work after pregnancy and pregnancy - related conditions is to be determined by the resident's personal physician.
    3. Paid time off will not exceed the total of 15 days of sick leave plus available annual leave.
    4. Leave of absence without pay may be extended to bring time off (the sum of paid and unpaid leave) up to a maximum of four months.
  5. Administrative Leave/Educational Leave
    1. Residents are allowed up to five days for administrative leave each academic year.
    2. This leave is to be used for educational purposes such as attending conferences, presenting at scientific meetings or other educational activities approved by the program director.
    3. Each program must have a departmental policy that articulates what constitutes an educational activity and describes when this time may be used.
    4. This time will not be allowed to roll over from one academic year to the next.
  6. Bereavement Leave
    1. Residents may use three sick leave days per contract year for bereavement leave for immediate family members.
  7. Holidays
    1. Residents do not receive paid holidays; however, holidays are at the discretion of program leadership and department chairs.
    2. Holidays which fall within scheduled annual leave are counted as vacation time and cannot be made up.
  8. Judicial Leave
    1. Judicial leave is defined as an appearance in connection with one's official capacity as a university employee at a trail or other court proceeding, to include an arbitration or mediation hearing, whether it be as a party to the action, or as a witness for any party to the proceeding.
    2. This is considered a short-term leave and may be authorized by the appointing authority (the Dean) for periods up to 5 calendar days without loss of salary. In special cases, salaried leave will be granted to serve on a jury or if summoned to be a witness.
    3. Judicial leave also will be granted to serve on a jury or when summoned to be a witness.
    4. Judicial leave is not available for court appearances in connection with personal legal matters.
  9. Leave of Absence - Leave without Pay
    1. The Dean may grant leaves of absence, at his/her discretion, for periods of short duration. Such request must come from the Program Director and the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and state his/her concurrence prior to sending the subject request to the Dean
    2. Arrangements for the premiums of health and dental insurance and all other University obligations are the responsibility of the resident during these leave periods and must be made through the individual department and/or the Office of Graduate Medical Education. Insurance premiums are charged at full institutional cost to those working fewer than fifteen calendar days per month.
    3. Leave of absence without pay may, at the discretion of the Program Director with approval from the Dean, be extended up to a maximum of 12 months. This must be documented in writing with copies to the Office of Graduate Medical Education.
    4. Make up time for purposes of board eligibility is determined by the specific policy of each specialty board. Contact the Program Director for specific requirements for the specialty in question.
    5. Residents whose leave of absence extends beyond twelve months will be required to reapply for admission to their UNR Med residency or fellowship program should they wish to resume their GME training at UNR Med.
  10. Leave Records
    1. Each residency coordinator shall keep accurate and complete records of earned and used leave for each Resident Physician.
    2. Such records shall be kept as prescribed by the appropriate Human Resource office and reports shall be made available to the Human Resource office at end of each program year.
    3. Leave records are subject to examination by those persons in the employee's chain of command, by Human Resource officials, and by internal or external auditors.
  11. Military Leave
    1. Military leave will be granted upon presentation of official orders at a rate of three weeks per academic year.
    2. Any period beyond that time will be leave without pay.