Leave of Absence for Residents and Fellows

It is the policy of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine to grant a leave of absence to residents and fellows with proper approval.

Personal Leave of Absence

A personal leave of absence may be granted for a period deemed appropriate by the program director and the designated institutional official (DIO).
Health, prescription and dental insurance benefits will remain in effect until the last day of the month coinciding with the start of the leave of absence.
All other benefits will be canceled on the first day of the leave of absence.
Residents/fellows must notify the program director and the GME department of their intent to return to work at least two weeks prior to the expiration of their leave of absence.
Residents/fellows returning from a leave of absence will continue in their training program at the level in which they left.

Parental leave includes maternity and paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child during residency. Medical leave is for the resident/fellow's own care. Caregiver leave is for the care of the resident/fellow’s family member.
Residents/fellows may take up to twelve weeks of leave.
Residents/fellows may use a combination of their paid time off (PTO) and unpaid time off to meet their needs adequately.
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).

Under federal law, residents/fellows 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 the start of the leave of absence. All other benefits will be canceled on the first day of the leave of absence.
In accordance with federal law, a resident on military leave of absence must apply to be reinstated to their previous job within ninety (90) days after discharge from active military service.
Residents/fellows returning from a leave of absence will continue in their training program at the level in which they left.

Residents/fellows returning from active Reserve or National Guard duty are subject to the provisions of the Military Leave – Active Duty as stated above.
Residents/fellows actively enrolled in a Reserve or National Guard program will be allowed absence without pay for regularly scheduled training periods. Residents/fellows will be eligible for this coverage for regularly scheduled periods of up to two weeks in duration (10 working days).

The resident/fellow must meet with their program director to review their planned leave dates, and to review potential impacts on their ability to graduate on time and to take their certifying board exam. The program director will review clinical assignments they will be required to make up, if necessary. All discussions will be documented by the program director and placed in the resident/fellow's personnel file.
The resident/fellow will then inform Human Resources (HR) in writing to inform them that they require a leave of absence and the category of the leave they are requesting.
The resident's program coordinator will contact the DIO and the GME office manager to inform them that a resident is requesting a leave of absence.
The resident/fellow must complete the appropriate forms and provide the appropriate documents to HR.
Once HR approves the leave, they will contact the resident, program coordinator, program director, GME office manager and DIO to inform them of the leave approval and dates of the leave.
During the leave, the resident/fellow will work with HR to verify the return-to-work date. Once verified, this will be communicated to the program director, program coordinator, GME office manager, and the DIO, a minimum of 14 days prior to returning to work.