Contract

ARTICLE XII. VACATION/PAID TIME OFF

SECTION A. LENGTH OF VACATION

81

Except as provided in paragraph 83, House Officers shall be entitled to twenty-eight (28) days of vacation time per twelve (12) months of employment, inclusive of weekends (Saturday and Sunday). Therefore, a maximum of twenty (20) of these twenty-eight (28) days will occur on a Monday through Friday schedule. In the event a Program assigns and schedules vacation time by the month, no more than thirty-one (31) days of vacation time, inclusive of weekends, will be provided.

82

The underlying principle is equity among all House Officers at all levels, with each being eligible for four (4) weeks of vacation time per academic year.

83

A House Officer with a part-time appointment, either by FTE effort or employment within the twelve (12) month vacation period, will be entitled to vacation time, in direct proportion to their appointment.

SECTION B. ASSIGNMENT OF VACATION

84

Vacation shall be scheduled to meet the requirements of the Employer on a departmental basis with due consideration given to the Employee's wishes as to time and duration. The actual scheduling of vacations shall be the responsibility of the Program Director or equivalent level of supervision. Such vacations will be scheduled as a regular and routine part of service assignments over the course of the year. Once a vacation request is approved, the Employer shall not unilaterally change or cancel the approved vacation unless the Employer has implemented its Emergency Operations Plan pursuant to UMHS Policy 01-02-000. Either the Employee or the Program Director may initiate a request for a change to previously approved vacation, but any changes must be mutually agreed upon. Vacations are not cumulative and can only be taken during the current vacation period. Nothing herein shall be interpreted to limit vacation entitlement as outlined in this Article.

85

Vacation time may be requested for job interviews. Vacation time may also be requested for medical conferences that have not been approved by the Program Director pursuant to paragraph 92. Such requests will not be unreasonably denied.

86

Any request for time off beyond the allotted vacation days, that is not subject to any other applicable article of this agreement, will be without pay and subject to approval from the Program Director.

87

Paid vacation time may be used to off-set deficits in training due to a Leave of Absence (LOA), to the extent allowed by the national certifying Board and following the processes and procedures identified by the Employer.

SECTION C. VACATION DEFINITIONS

88

A month is defined as either a calendar month or a period of time running from any date in a calendar month through the next preceding date in the next calendar month (e.g. January 15 through February 14).

89

A day shall be a calendar day. When necessary to compute a day's pay, it shall be 1/365 of the Employee's annual salary rate at the time a deduction is taken.

90

A vacation period will run for a twelve (12) month period immediately following the commencement of the Employee's appointment.

SECTION D. ADDITIONAL PAID TIME OFF

91

House Officers will receive time off without loss of pay to take examinations required by Programs or as part of their Board requirements.

92

House Officers will receive time off without loss of pay to attend conferences as specifically approved by the Program Director or designee.

93

House Officers will receive time off without loss of pay to recertify for Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), or Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) courses as may be required by their current training program. These recertifications will be offered at no cost to the House Officer in accordance with guidelines established by the Employer. It is the responsibility of the House Officer to register in a timely fashion for recertification courses offered through the Employer, and to coordinate the date(s) of attendance with their Program Director. In the event there are no openings through the Employer's course offerings, House Officers will notify their Program Administrator. Following guidelines established by the Employer, the Program Administrator may request an exception by the GME Office for a course to be taken at an approved training site outside of the University. If approved by the GME Office, the House Officer will then be reimbursed for the cost incurred by recertifying through the outside vendor. Recertification is a condition of continued employment. In the event a certification lapses, the House Officer must obtain the certification, and may be required to utilize vacation to attend training or attend the training on a scheduled day off. In the event of a lapsed certification, the House Officer is responsible for paying the difference between the cost of initial certification and the cost of recertification. In the event of an absence from a course that the House Officer had registered for, which results in the Employer being charged for the missed course, the House Officer shall be responsible for either reimbursing the cost of the recertification course to the Employer or paying the full registration cost of the next recertification course they register for, except in cases where the House Officer missed the course due to a last-minute schedule change initiated by their Program.

94

The Employer will make reasonable efforts to provide House Officers with electronic or other written reminders of recertification deadlines at least six (6) months in advance, but it remains the responsibility of the individual House Officer to track and fulfill their recertification obligations. In no event will the lack of a written notice of the recertification deadline from the Employer operate to relieve the House Officer of the responsibilities set forth in paragraph 93.

95

The Employer will provide time off work with pay to a House Officer in a residency program to take the USMLE Step 3 or COMLEX Level 3 examination (no more than two (2) days) and this time will not count as usage of vacation, or other paid time off, as long as the House Officer has collaborated with the Program Director regarding the time period for which the test will be scheduled. In order for a House Officer to use this paid time off, the examination must be taken prior to the House Officer's final program year at the University, except in the case of a House Officer in a one-year transitional residency, who may also qualify for the paid time off. Should the House Officer need to retake the examination, the Program Director may require the use of vacation or that the exam is schedule on a scheduled day off.

96

The foregoing paragraph does not apply to fellowships.