All leave must adhere to the Command and GMEC policy as well as the PCCM Fellowship-specific policy. The PCCM program-specific policy provides detailed interpretation and policies for fellows within the program, in compliance with the overarching policies from higher authorities.

Definitions:

• NSIPS LEAVE: All leave must be submitted and approved through NSIPS. However, “earned” and “used” leave is not considered equivalent to fellowship vacation days.
• TRAINING DAYS: These are clinical and academic days dedicated to the fellowship. During outpatient rotations, these are typically Monday to Friday, excluding holidays. For inpatient and consult rotations, these are the standard days that fellows are typically scheduled to work (usually six days per week).
• MISSED TRAINING DAY: A day when a fellow is absent from their daily duties due to vacation, illness, medical and caregiver leave.
• VACATION DAY: A day when a fellow is absent from their daily duties, not due to sickness or injury.
• PARENTAL LEAVE: As defined by the NMCSD Graduate Medical Education Policy, parental leave is a period of time off granted to residents and fellows who are military personnel, for caring for and bonding with their newborn or adopted child. Both birth parents and non-birth parents, including adoptive parents or those with a child placed for adoption or long-term foster care, are eligible.

Policy:

• Fellows are entitled to 4 weeks (20 training days) of vacation per year.
• Vacation can be taken during elective and research months and should generally not exceed one week.
• Extended periods of up to two weeks can be taken if approved by the program director. This decision will typically be based on ensuring that academic and educational experiences are not significantly impacted by the extended leave period.
• Leave should generally not be taken during consult and ICU months but can be approved on a case-by-case basis if “coverage” is available.
• While sick days, medical, parental, and caregiver leave do not count against vacation days, the ACGME allows for 35 days per year (105 days during fellowship) of missed training days. Exceeding this threshold will result in an extension of training.

Medical and Parental Leave:

• The parental leave policy is outlined in the NMCSD Graduate Medical Education Policy and allows for residents and fellows to take up to twelve weeks of leave for qualifying reasons related to the birth or adoption of a child. The policy is in accordance with the Military Parental Leave Program (MPLP).
• Birth parents will be authorized 12 weeks of leave following a period of convalescence for the medical recovery of the birth parent. Non-birth parents, including adoptive parents or those with a child placed for adoption or long-term foster care, are also eligible for 12 weeks of parental leave to care for the child.
• The leave can be taken consecutively or intermittently and can begin following the discharge and release of the birth parent from the hospital.
• Use of parental leave may result in an extension of training if it exceeds the ACGME and/or specialty board requirements. Trainees are advised to work with their Program Director on a case-by-case basis to determine the impact of parental leave on their training program and the potential need for an extension.