The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science
Department of Ophthalmology
The Department of Ophthalmology

Residency Program

 Resident Leave Policies


Residents are entitled to three calendar weeks of vacation per year. Please refer to the section in UT Medical Foundation Graduate Medical Education Trainee Handbook for more details.

A Resident Vacation Approval Form must be filled out and signed by all faculty member(s) on whose rotation the resident will be during the vacation time requested. The approved form should then be forwarded to the department office ninety (90) days prior to the vacation date. These forms are located in the resident room, the department office, and are also available online.

Other Vacation Guidelines

Special circumstances may require discussion and special approval.The senior residents may not take vacation during the last two weeks of June.Vacation may not be taken during the first two weeks of July.Timing of vacation may be delayed, where necessary, having regard to the professional and patient responsibilities of the resident.Vacation requests must be completed 90 days in advance and all signatures obtained, including that of the Director of Management Operations in the department office.Vacation approval notification will be sent via e-mail to the resident by the department.
Vacation requests are not officially approved until the resident has received notification from the department.
Academic Meetings

Residents are allowed five (5) weekdays each year of Educational Leave for attendance at local, state, or national specialty meetings. This time is not counted against vacation time. Approval for these absences must be obtained according to the above guidelines. Educational Leave must be approved in advance by the Program Director. Call schedules and other clinical duties must be arranged well in advance with the help of the Chief Resident and Program Director, if necessary.

Faculty Absences

In advance of faculty absence longer than one week in duration, the resident must inform the Program Director. A plan will be designed to ensure the resident has a valuable educational experience in the absence of their preceptor.

Sick Leave

Sick leave accrues at 8 hours per month. A maximum of 30 days sick leave can carry over to the following year.

Leave of Absence Policy

A leave of absence may be granted to enable the resident to make special mental, physical or emotional adjustments to personal or family problems that arise outside of his/her hospital employment, and which temporarily require the employee's full-time attention. In addition, the federal government makes provision for leave of absence under the Family Medical Leave Act. Under certain instances, an employee can be granted up to a period of 12 weeks off with or without pay within a 12-month period. Specific instances covered by this Act include:

1. Birth or adoption of a child

2. Care of a seriously-ill spouse, child, or parent

3. Care of one's own serious illness

Residents seeking to take a leave of absence should seek the counsel of the Program Director. The ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) mandates that residents serve specific lengths of time performing specific duties at each PGY level before promotion or graduation is considered. Residents need to be aware that a leave of absence may postpone, by the length of the leave, the anticipated graduation from the program or promotion to the next PGY level.

Other Absences

See UT Medical Foundation Graduate Medical Education Trainee Handbook, distributed at the UT orientation in June.