Benefits & Support

Residents receive 20 days of paid time off (PTO) every year, with an additional 6 weeks of paid leave if needed. Accrued PTO cannot be carried over to the following year of training. Paid time off should be scheduled, changed and approved by the Program Director. To encourage wellness and well-being, residents are encouraged to use all accrued PTO each year.

Time Away from Training:

We will work with you to accommodate your needs for time away from training. Please know that time away — beyond allotted PTO for vacation, education and sick leave — may extend your training period in order to comply with certifying ABMS and/or AOA board requirements and meet ACGME milestone requirements for your specialty. It is our responsibility to be knowledgeable of the specialty board’s rules and inform you of limits, if any, on allowable absences. While PTO will not accrue during extended training, you will receive the full stipend and benefits. If training is extended due to time spent on short-term disability, your stipend during the extension will be at the PGY level during which the disability was taken. With all leaves and before the onset of your leave, it is the responsibility of the resident to confirm with your Program Director the ACGME Program Specific Guidelines and ABMS and/or AOA specialty board requirements for adequate completion of training. Time spent on leave does not count towards training. The end-of-training date may need to be extended to comply.

Educational Leave:

In years two through four, residents are encouraged to present the results of research and scholarly endeavors at educational meetings. You will be allowed five days of subspecialty-related medical education time per academic year to attend and/or present at educational conferences within the continental United States. Consult your Program Director for approval of the conference, presentation content and number of presentations. The duration of your absence cannot impact patient care. Full stipends and benefits are provided during conference attendance. At the Program Director’s discretion, residents may also attend educational meetings without presenting.

Family and Medical Leave:

Qualified residents will be granted leave according to the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and applicable state laws that may provide more generous benefits. FMLA does not supersede state or local law that provides greater family or medical leave protection. Each resident may be entitled to unpaid leave if enrolled in a Georgia South residency program for at least 12 consecutive or non-consecutive months and if you have provided 1,250+ hours of service as part of the program during the 12 months prior to a proposed leave. The unpaid leave may not exceed 12 weeks in a rolling 12-month period or 26 weeks for military caregiver leave. Eligible residents may request unpaid family or medical leave for reasons such as your own serious health condition; caring for a child, spouse, domestic partner or parent with a serious health condition; maternity leave extension; or adoption or initiation of foster care. The total leave available is up to 12 weeks even if used in conjunction with short-term disability. A resident who is granted leave may choose to first use accrued PTO before taking unpaid leave, although using PTO is not required. Applying accrued PTO before starting unpaid leave does not extend the 12-week limit. Time for unpaid leave must be made up with an extension of training.

If a resident is on leave because of your own serious health condition, you will need to provide a doctor’s written certification that you are unable to perform unrestricted training activities. Without such certification, you may be ineligible for reinstatement in the program.

There are very specific eligibility and reporting requirements that should be reviewed carefully by any resident considering a request for Family and Medical Leave. A Request for Family and Medical Leave form must be completed and approved by the Program Director. If eligibility and reporting requirements are not met, the request for leave may be denied or delayed.

Maternal and Paternal Leave:

We support residents with growing families, and you are entitled to time off after newborn delivery or adoption, using up to 12 weeks of FMLA.

Jury Duty:

If selected for jury duty, you must notify your Program Director and Coordinator.

Georgia South Graduate Medical Education (GME) is the principal liaison with the Georgia Composite Medical Board for medical licensing. Licensing is extremely important as residents cannot perform clinical activities or be paid without a valid medical license. The initial licensing process can be lengthy — you should allow 60 days for processing of the initial application. GME deals mainly with these licenses:

Initial Residency Training Permit:

Initial residency training permits are processed by the GME office after receiving the required documentation from the resident. These permits are issued for a period of one year, effective July 1 for the current academic year.

Renewal Residency Training Permit:

Renewal residency training permits are initiated in the GME office. Renewal
permits are issued for a period of one year, effective July 1 for the current academic year.