OB/GYN Stipends, Benefits & Leave

Resident Stipend Scale 2011-2012

Professional Development Reimbursement
The Department allows residents to attend outside conferences deemed appropriate by the Chairman. Our hospital, Erlanger Medical Center, provides annual reimbursement for each resident, including reimbursement for books, journals, etc.  Conference attendance must be approved in advance by the Chairman. Reimbursement is in accordance with University of Tennessee and Erlanger Travel Policies and Guidelines with original receipts.  Reimbursement rates for 2011-2012 are:

PGY-1                      $500 maximum

PGY-2                      $1000 maximum

PGY-3                      $1500 maximum

PGY-4                      $1500 maximum

Holidays
Residents are granted the nine holidays observed by the University:
New Year's Day
Martin Luther King's Birthday
Good Friday
Memorial Day
Independence Day (July 4th)
Labor Day
Thanksgiving (2 days)
Christmas Day

Vacation 
Each resident is afforded three weeks vacation during the year: one week between July and December, and the other week between January and June, as well as time off during the Christmas-New Year's season.  No vacations are granted during July and June.  Vacation and conference leave may not be scheduled in consecutive weeks, but may occur within the same month. Two residents on the same rotation may not take vacation during the same week. This same rule applies for conference leave. Attempts will be made to include preceding weekends and following weekends into vacation time. At the discretion of the Chair, an additional week of vacation may be granted during the Christmas/New Year's season.

Sick Leave
Residents may be paid for up to 21 sick days within a year (four weeks and one day); however, these cannot be carried over from year to year. A Program Director may request a physician's statement for periods of sick leave. A resident may not be paid for unused sick leave at the end of the year. The determination as to whether or not the resident will be required to make up time missed due to Sick Leave will be made by the Program Director, in accordance with residency requirements and board certification requirements.  For OB/GYN, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecolgy (ABOG) has maximum requirement for per year time off as well as total  residency time off.  Residents should understand that although UT may grant paid and unpaid leave, if the time off exceeds ABOG requirements, that resident would have to extend training per ACOG guidelines.  See the ABOG website at www.abog.org. 

Parental Leave
Parental leave is available to residents for the birth or adoption of a child or foster care placement. Annual leave, sick leave, and holidays may be used in order for the resident's salary to continue. Any additional leave requested would be without pay. Residents, as employees of the University of Tennessee, are entitled to provisions of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. This legislation states that this leave may extend up to twelve weeks. The resident would be eligible to use a combination of annual leave, sick leave, and holidays to continue salary but could take leave without pay for the remainder of the leave. The resident must give reasonable notice (30 days when the need for leave is foreseeable). The Program Director will be responsible for determining whether the time off (in excess of vacation and holidays) would need to be made up at the end of training in accordance with the individual resident's education program and board requirements of that specialty. The make-up time, if required, would be with pay. Copies of the University of Tennessee Leave of Absence Policy dealing with Family and Medical Leave are maintained in the Office of Graduate Medical Education.

Meals
Erlanger provides a daily meal allowance up to $20 via a swipe card in the hospital cafeteria.

Moving Reimbursement
Erlanger provides up to $1000 in reimbursement to residents moving to Chattanooga to begin their residency. Original receipts must be provided. 

Revised 12/2011