It is the policy of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine to grant a Leave of Absence to eligible residents, with proper approval, after the reason is determined to be satisfactory, and appropriate consideration is given to the operating requirements of the department.
This policy applies to all eligible residents at PCOM.
A Leave of Absence is a pre-arranged period of time in excess of seven calendar days which a resident is authorized to be absent from active employment in accordance with the procedures stated herein.
A resident (PGY-1 and higher) who has signed an AOA/ACGME contract for the current academic year.
Residents returning from a Leave of Absence will continue in their training program from the level at which they left.
Any resident intending to return to work must contact the residency program director as soon as possible to be placed back on the rotation schedule. The return date will be agreed upon, and the DIO will make the final determination.
Residents shall be responsible for the effect of leave(s) and his/her ability to satisfy requirements for completion of the residency program.
Residents shall be responsible for the eligibility requirements related to specialty board examinations. Residents should discuss with the program director and/or contact the certifying board of his/her specialty.
The effective date will coincide with the first day that the resident has ceased active employment.
The return date will coincide with the first day that the resident returns to active employment.
Failure to return on the specified date will be considered a voluntary resignation.
In the unfortunate event of bereavement leave, the resident must inform their Program Director, the Rotation Director, and the Graduate Medical Education office ASAP.
Three days paid leave shall be granted for the death of a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, mother-in-law, or father-in-law.
One day of paid leave shall be granted for the death of an aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, cousin, brother-in-law, sister-in-law or grandparents-in-law.
Verification may be required in the form of a death notice, obituary, or a house of worship announcement.
Family leave includes maternity and paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child during residency.
Residents may take up to 12 weeks for family leave.
Residents may use a combination of their paid time off (PTO) and unpaid leave to adequately meet their needs.
PTO time may be carried over from one year and/or taken from a subsequent year to cover the leave, unless otherwise specified by the specialty certifying board (see your residency handbook for specifics on your program).
Depending on the residency program, the time may have to be made up at the end of the residency training period (see your residency handbook for specifics on your program).
Each resident must abide by the requirements for board certification in their specialty, which are outlined in your residency handbook. Otherwise the resident risks being ineligible to sit for their specialty board certification exam.
A leave of absence for medical reasons can be granted for a period of up to six months, provided that a physician’s certification stating that the leave is medically necessary is furnished.
Health benefits (one year of service required) for employees eligible for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act will continue for a period of six months from the effective date of the leave, otherwise, benefits will be maintained for 60 days. Health benefits for leave due to worker’s compensation will continue for a period of six months.
Prior to returning from a medical leave of absence, an employee must submit a physician’s return to work certificate.
Residents may use a combination of their PTO and unpaid leave to adequately meet their needs
PTO time may be carried over from one year and/or taken from a subsequent year to cover the leave, unless otherwise specified by the specialty certifying board (see your residency handbook for specifics on your program).
Depending on the residency program, the time may have to be made up at the end of the residency training period (see your residency handbook for specifics on your program).
Each resident must abide by the requirements for board certification in their specialty, which are outlined in your residency handbook. Otherwise the resident risks being eligible to sit for their specialty board certification exam.
Under Federal Law, employees subject to military duty are eligible for a leave of absence for a period equal to the period of service plus ninety (90) days.
Medical, dental, and life insurance benefits will remain in effect until the last day of the month coinciding with or following the start of the leave of absence. All other benefits will be canceled as of the first day of the leave of absence.
In accordance with federal law, an employee on military leave of absence must apply to be reinstated to his previous job within ninety (90) days after discharge from active military service.
Residents returning from active reserve or National Guard duty are subject to the provisions of the active military leave as stated above.
Residents regularly enrolled in a military reserve or National Guard program will be allowed an absence without pay for regularly scheduled training periods. Residents will be eligible for this coverage for regularly scheduled periods of up to two weeks in duration (10 working days).
A personal leave of absence may be granted for a period of time deemed appropriate by the DIO and the Director of Human Resources.
Health, prescription, and dental insurance benefits will remain in effect until the last day of the month coinciding with or following the start of the leave of absence.
All other benefits will be canceled as of the first of the leave of absence.
Residents must notify the GME department of their intent to return to work within two weeks prior to the expiration of their leave of absence.
The leave of absence application form must be utilized.
All applications and personnel action forms must be submitted to the Graduate Medical Education office.
A resident may obtain approval of a leave of absence request in advance by timely submission of the application without the personnel action form. In those cases when the approved request is returned to the DIO, the personnel action form may be submitted.
The DIO may initiate a request for a leave of absence on behalf of the resident in the absence of a specific employee request, where such action is appropriate for the protection of the rights of the resident.
If approval is not obtained in advance or is not practical, the application form accompanied by the personnel action form is submitted by the DIO for processing.
If the resident is granted a leave of absence, the current salary will be discontinued during the leave.
Twelve (12) months of training must be completed as stated on the AOA/ACGME contract.
Salary, medical benefits, and malpractice insurance will be paid during the make-up period.
Residents may not miss more than 20 days during an academic year.
