Leave of Absence for Residents | PCOM GME Policies
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POLICIES

Leave of Absence for Residents and Fellows

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

  1. A personal leave of absence may be granted for a period deemed appropriate by the program director and the designated institutional official (DIO).
  2. 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.
  3. All other benefits will be canceled on the first day of the leave of absence.
  4. Residents/fellows must notify the program director and the GME department of their intent to return to work within two weeks prior to the expiration of their leave of absence.
  5. Residents/fellows returning from a leave of absence will continue in their training program at the level in which they left.
  1. 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.
  2. Residents/fellows may take up to twelve weeks of leave .
  3. Residents/fellows may use a combination of their paid time off (PTO) and unpaid time off to meet their needs adequately.
  4. 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).
Active Duty
  1. 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.
  2. 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 on the first day of the leave of absence.
  3. 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.
  4. Residents/fellows returning from a leave of absence will continue in their training program at the level in which they left.
Reserve and National Guard
  1. Residents/fellows returning from active Reserve or National Guard duty are subject to the provisions of the Military Leave – Active Duty as stated above
  2. 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).

Process

  1. The resident/fellow must meet with their program director to review their leave dates, and to discuss potential impacts on their ability to graduate on time and to take their certifying board exam. The program director will review and determine any necessary clinical assignments that must be made up. All discussions will be documented by the program director and placed in the resident/fellow’s personnel file.
  2. After notifying the program director, the resident/fellow must submit the Leave Request Form to the GME office. This form must be submitted at least six months before the planned leave. The GME office will then contact the resident/fellow to schedule a meeting with them.
  3. The resident/fellow must complete the appropriate forms, and provide the appropriate documents to Human Resources.
  4. During the leave, the resident/fellow must work with HR to verify their return-to-work date. Once verified, the return date must be communicated to the program director, program coordinator, the DIO, and GME office manager, a minimum of 14 days prior to returning to work.
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