This page is a readable version of the official policy. If anything here differs from the PDF, the PDF governs.
Who it covers
- •Applies to: all residents and fellows enrolled in any Duke GME program, whether ACGME-accredited or internally sponsored.
- •Starts: on the day of hire — the first day after institutional orientation. All onboarding requirements, including live orientation, must be completed first; trainees who can't may defer their start date.
- •Eligibility: applies to all Duke trainees hired on or after July 1, 2022, and from that date to anyone hired earlier whose program didn't already offer consistent benefits. Trainees recruited before July 1, 2022 with a more generous departmental benefit keep it for the rest of their training, paid by the department.
What each program decides
Each program sets its own policies on outside professional conferences (funding and time allowed), time away for job or fellowship interviews, paying specialty-board application fees, and specialty equipment such as surgical loupes or lead aprons. In general, conference time is considered work and should be limited to the days the activity requires. All program policies must comply with the specialty board's rules on absences from training.
1. Vacation and personal days
| Type | Days per academic year | For |
|---|---|---|
| Vacation | 20 weekdays | Vacation — generally scheduled as a week, with the weekend before or after |
| Personal paid time off | 8 | Unexpected absences: bereavement, brief acute illness of the trainee or a family member, personal or childcare emergencies |
| Personal paid time off | 2 | Elective appointments with health-care providers — typically half days, with advance approval from the program |
- •Each program sets its own process for requesting and scheduling vacation and personal days.
- •DUH pays salary and benefits for vacation and personal days, except for federally funded trainees (section 6).
- •None of the 10 personal days can be used as part of a leave of absence. They're for unexpected or emergency needs and health-care appointments only — not extra scheduled vacation.
- •A trainee whose 12-month appointment doesn't match the academic year gets the same allotment for their own 12-month term. For appointments shorter than 12 months, vacation and personal days are prorated.
- •All vacation and personal days must be used within the appointment term. Unused days can't be carried into later training years.
2. Leave of absence — medical or caregiver leave
- •One paid leave of up to six weeks per training program for the trainee's own serious health condition, or to care for a qualifying family member with a serious health condition. Employee Occupational Health and Wellness (EOHW) evaluates and confirms the reason, using the same process and criteria as Duke Family and Medical Leave.
- •Trainees in more than one Duke program get one six-week paid leave per program. It can be continuous or intermittent.
- •DUH continues salary at the trainee's PGY level, and health and disability insurance continue at the GME premium rates.
- •Up to two weeks (10 days) of remaining vacation is applied to the leave; DUH pays the other four weeks.
- •One week of vacation must be kept outside the leave. It must be used in the same appointment year, before or after the leave, and can't be carried forward. Its purpose is to protect trainee well-being after a long stretch without vacation.
- •If a trainee has already used all their vacation before the need for leave arises, DUH still pays the full six weeks.
- •For leave longer than six weeks, remaining vacation can be applied as long as one week is kept outside the leave. After paid options run out, more unpaid leave may be available under Duke's Family and Medical Leave Policy.
- •A leave that spans two academic years in the same program counts as the one paid leave. If it spans a switch between Duke programs (for example, residency to fellowship), the trainee gets enough additional paid weeks in the second program to total six. Each year of each program still carries 20 vacation days, two weeks of which go toward salary support during a medical or caregiver leave.
Parental leave
- •Up to six weeks of paid, continuous leave for each eligible event under the DUHS Paid Parental Leave Policy.
- •Vacation is not applied to the six weeks. For a longer parental leave, remaining vacation weeks must be applied, with one week kept outside the leave.
- •Parental leave must be taken as consecutive weeks within the first 12 weeks after the birth or placement for adoption.
- •After paid options run out, more unpaid leave may be available under Duke's Family and Medical Leave Policy.
Using your time away
- •Trainees may take their full vacation and personal-day entitlement, and any eligible leave, without retaliation. Program directors are responsible for making sure trainees aren't discouraged from using these benefits.
- •When the need for leave is known in advance, give at least 30 days' notice if possible. When it isn't, give notice as soon as possible.
3. Impact on training
- •How much time away is allowed, and whether training must be extended, depends on ACGME program requirements and the specialty board's eligibility rules. Trainees are responsible for understanding their specialty's training-time requirements.
- •The Program Director must tell trainees how time away — including leaves and vacation — affects their completion date and board eligibility.
- •Where this policy is more generous than the specialty board's, the program must follow the board's requirements.
- •Trainees are expected to meet the requirements for ABMS or AOA board eligibility to complete a Duke ACGME program. Programs review each trainee's non-work days through the Clinical Competency Committee (CCC).
- •Any extension of training caused by leave is generally added to the training level when the leave occurred. Trainees must still complete every program requirement, including required rotations and appropriate night, weekend, call, and backup-coverage experience.
- •The Program Director, advised by the CCC, decides readiness for promotion, completion, and board eligibility. A delayed promotion or extension caused by leave is not a corrective action.
4. How it fits with other leave policies
This is the only policy governing paid time off for GME trainees; other Duke University or DUHS paid-time-off policies for permanent employees don't apply. Where another Duke policy or the federal Family and Medical Leave Act also covers a leave, they run at the same time and don't add extra time off. Once paid leave under this policy is used up, eligibility for more leave is evaluated under any other applicable policy or law.
5. Scheduling and records
Follow all hospital, department, and program procedures for requesting vacation and time off and for documenting leave or personal days. Work with your program director and supervisors to minimize disruption to patient care. Record every absence due to illness, personal days, or leave of absence in MedHub.
6. Trainees paid by the federal government
Trainees paid by the federal government (for example, military or NIH) receive all the time off in this policy, but DUH isn't responsible for their pay, insurance, or other benefits during leave or vacation. They're responsible for communicating any time away from training with their military employer.
7. No payout
Unused vacation, personal days, or other paid time off is not paid out, and is forfeited when employment at DUH ends for any reason — including completing training.
References