Resident Resources

Policy Manual


Resident Annual Leave / Sick Leave Policies

  1. All residents will have 15 working days of vacation per year. Weekends are not included as working days. Leave slips must be filled out prior to vacation. If vacation is not requested, vacation will be included in your schedule by the chief resident.
  2. Residents must submit a vacation request at least 2 months ahead of the requested date. If vacations are requested later than that they may not be approved because of difficulty rescheduling continuity care patients. All vacation requests must be approved by the chief resident. If the schedule for that rotation has already been written, then the resident is responsible for covering any backup or weekend assignments.
  3. Vacation cannot be taken during the following rotations: NICU, WARDS, PICU, newborn nursery, PAH/acute, ER, Adolescent, Development. Vacation may be taken during elective time, although each resident must complete 4 core electives (of 4 weeks each) in order to graduate. Vacation time may also be taken during the night float rotation and the advocacy rotation. Vacations are allowed the last week of June under special circumstances only. This must be approved by the program director and the chief resident.
  4. Vacation may be carried from one year to the next to a maximum of twenty-five days (5 weeks).
  5. Each resident is allowed 10 days of paid sick leave annually. The chief resident must be contacted when a resident is sick and a leave slip must be filled out upon return.
  6. Sick Leave may be carried from one year to the next to a maximum of fifteen days (3 weeks).
  7. The "back-up" system is set up so that residents on non-call months are occasionally on back up call in case a fellow resident on a call month gets sick. If a resident is called in on back up for a night call, holiday, or weekend, then that call must be paid back prior to completion of the program. Only the chief resident calls in back-up.
  8. Residents arranging a change in the schedule must email your request to the chief resident. All switches must be approved by the chief resident.

Maternity/Paternity Leave Policy for Residents/Clinical Fellows

  1. The duration of maternity leave before and/or after delivery will be determined by the resident and her physician. Requests for leave in excess of three months must be approved by the Program Director and Department Chairman.
  2. It is an option for the employee to use vacation time prior to the employee being placed on leave without pay. Any illness caused by or contributed to by pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, childbirth, and recovery from (including uncomplicated pregnancy), shall be treated as a temporary disability, and the house officer shall be allowed to use sick leave. Beyond available annual and sick leave, leave will be unpaid.
  3. While on unpaid leave, the resident's insurance benefits will be maintained by the department for two months.
  4. Annual leave may be advanced to a resident proportionate to expected service, not to exceed the amount of his or her leave earning rate. The amount of advanced leave cannot exceed that which can be earned during the remainder of the housestaff year. Caution: Annual leave which has been granted and which has not been earned by the postgraduate trainee at the time of separation from the department will require an appropriate reduction for the value thereof in the final stipend payment.
  5. The total time allowed away from the program in any given year or for the duration of the residency program will be determined by the requirements of the American Board of Pediatrics. The current requirement is completion of 33 months total training. Thus, if a total of more than three months is missed, an explanation to the ABP by the program director is required. Make-up training may be required by either the residency program or the ABP credentials committee.
  6. The resident will be paid for make-up or extended time, and fringe benefits will be maintained during this period.
  7. Changes in the rotation schedule may be made for a resident who is pregnant if these changes are approved by the Chief Resident, Program Director and Department Chairman.
  8. Paternity leave of two weeks can be granted with the same provisions as maternity leave (see #2, #3). Residents who will want to take paternity leave must notify the Chief Resident as early as possible.
  9. Maternity and Paternity leave policies also apply to adoptions and foster care.
  10. Domestic Violence Leave: Housestaff are eligible up to 3 days leave in a twelve-month period if the housestaff member or a family or household member is a victim of domestic violence. The fiscal year of July 1 to June 30 will be considered the 12 month period. Except in case of imminent danger to the health or safety of a housestaff member, or the health or safety of a family or household member, a housestaff member seeking leave from work under this section must provide his or her program director advanced notice of the leave. The housestaff member is required to use accrued sick or annual leave. In the event that the employee does not have sufficient leave hours to cover the event, the leave that is not covered will be unpaid.
  11. Bereavement Leave: Housetaff shall be granted, upon request to the program director, up to 5 days off for funeral of an immediate family member. Housestaff members are granted 2 days of bereavement pay and for the other 3 days, the resident may use their sick or annual leave time. Immediate family shall include spouse, cohabiters, registered same sex domestic partners, children, step children, parents, parents of spouse, and the stepparents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, and sisters.
  12. Military Leave: Absences for temporary military duty (e.g. two-week annual training) will not be taken from sick or annual leave but will be considered leave with pay for up to 17 days. If activated from reserve to active duty status, the housestaff member will receive thirty (30) days full pay before going on leave without pay. Insurance policies will remain in effect for dependents during the period of active duty for one year. Additional extensions require special approval from the Dean of the College of Medicine.
  13. Jury Duty Leave: Housestaff who are summoned to jury duty will be granted paid leave for all hours required for such duty. If jury duty does not require absence for the entire workday, the employee should return to work immediately upon release by the court. The university will not reimburse the employee for meals, lodging, and travel expense while as a juror. This type of leave must be approved by program director in advance. Any absences must be made up in accordance with specialty board policy. The housestaff will be paid for makeup or extended time.
  14. Educational Assignment: Housestaff shall be eligible for absence pertaining to educational and training provided it is allowed by the appropriate board and agreed to, in writing, by the program director. This should not be charged as either annual or sick leave.
  15. Licensure Examination Leave: Housestaff taking American specialty board and state licensure examinations will be authorized leave at the discretion of the program director. The amount of absence authorized will not exceed the time actually required for taking the examination and for travel to and from the place of examinations. Only one licensure exam shall be authorized per housestaff member (Two Days for USMLE III). Any additional absence will be charged to annual leave or leave without pay if annual leave is not available.
  16. Holidays: Housestaff shall be entitled to observe all official holidays designated by the Department of Administration for state employees except when they are on call for clinical responsibilities. Please refer to the UF College of Medicine Leave policy for housestaff for further questions. www.med.ufl.edu/benefits
University of Florida and Shands Updated: Friday, July 10, 2009, © 2005 University of Florida