House Staff Manual - Winthrop University Hospital

25. STUDENT LOAN DEFERMENTSResidents should bring loan deferment forms to the Office of Academic Affairs for certification. It is theresident’s responsibility to request deferment forms from his/her lender. The resident should complete andsign his/her portion of the form by the time he/she brings it to the Office of Academic Affairs, and includethe lender’s address. The Office of Academic Affairs will complete the verification portion of the form,send the original to the lending institution, and place a copy in the resident’s file.26. TELEPHONE SERVICEProfessionalWhen a toll or long distance call is required for business or professional reasons connected with the care ofa patient, notify the Winthrop-University Hospital operator; the operator will then place the call.PersonalHouse Staff are required to make their own arrangements for telephone service within housing units rentedfrom Winthrop-University Hospital.27. VACATION TIMEAll House Staff receive four weeks vacation (20 working days) within their contract year. A writtenrequest must be submitted to and approved by the director of the service to which the resident is assigned.Vacation time cannot be accrued from one year to the next and housestaff will not be paid for unused time.Vacation request forms are available through your department or from Academic Affairs.GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION POLICIES/PROCEDURES28. ACADEMIC PROBATIONThis policy sets forth the procedures for probation and dismissal of a resident from a Winthrop-UniversityHospital training program based on academic or other deficiencies as defined below. The Due Processpolicy, through which a member of the house staff can appeal a program director’s decision through theGraduate Medical Education Committee, is listed separately in this manual.Academic probation and due process is based on the understanding that early recognition of the problemadvantages both the resident and the training program. Early recognition presupposes that trainingprograms have clearly defined clinical and academic goals and objectives by which to identify success andfailure. Early recognition also presupposes that there is an ongoing written evaluation/remediation process,which clearly identifies and documents areas of concern. Whenever possible, being placed on probationshould not come as a surprise to the resident and should be initiated after progressive discipline/counseling.Academic Deficiency: Such deficiencies include (a) an insufficient fund of medical knowledge; (b) aninability to use medical knowledge effectively inpatient care; (c) lack of appropriate technical skills;(d) lack of humanism or professionalism; or (e) any other deficiency which bears on an individual’sacademic performance.If a resident’s performance of duties is below acceptable standards, he/she shall be so informed in ameeting with his/her departmental Chair, and/or the Program Director. After the resident is so informed,the Chair or Program Director shall give written notice of probationary status, including an explanation ofRev. 1/08