Professional Development and Other Leaves

The Clinician Educator Professional Development Leave(PDL)  Program was established in 2004 to free Clinician Educators from their normal clinical and teaching duties, enabling them to pursue training and/or educational-related projects or opportunities that will enhance their patient care and teaching activities at Stanford.  Professional development leave should not be used for maternity-related leave.

Clinical Assistant Professors, Clinical Associate Professors and Clinical Professors who are benefits eligible (that is, appointed at 50% FTE or more and for an appointment of six months or longer) are eligible for PDL.  

Clinician Educators in those categories begin accruing PDL at the start of their (eligible) appointment, and accrue 14 days or two weeks per year.  Five years of active service are required before becoming eligible to take PDL, and the normal maximum accrual is 70 days.  For further details, please see the Program Statement below.

Please note that PDL is different than Paid Conference Leave, which is covered in the Time off with Pay section below.

• Professional Development Leave Program Statement  
• FAQ 
• Application form 
• Reimbursement form
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• Please note that the Faculty Leave Data Security Attestation Form is now required for all leaves (including FMLA, disability, and other leaves handled by the Benefits administrators). For professional development leaves processed by the Office of Academic Affairs, please submit the attestation with the leave request. For leaves processed by Benefits, the form should be signed and retained in the department's records.

Clinician Educators are eligible for time off with pay from regularly scheduled service (not including time off due to holiday closure) that can be scheduled throughout the year with departmental approval based on clinical needs, clinical and/or teaching commitment and responsibilities.  Time off with pay may be granted up to 22 days per year, pro-rated for the Clinician Educator’s percent time of appointment and start date.  Time off with pay is available at the beginning of the calendar year and may not be carried forward from year to year.  Pay in lieu of time off is not possible, nor can unused time off be carried over to the next calendar year, except in unusual circumstances justified by clinical needs of the department.  The department chair must approve such exceptions, in advance.  Time off with pay has no cash value, and is not paid out in any fashion at the time that employment ends.

Paid Conference Leave

Benefits-eligible Clinician Educators are eligible for paid conference leave that may be taken for the purpose of attending professional development conferences or for participating in similar professional development opportunities.  This program is not available to those holding Clinician Educator (Affiliated) titles.

Paid conference leave is not automatic and must be applied for and approved by the department in advance.  Clinician Educators should work with their service chiefs and department chairs to assure adequate coverage of their clinical services while they are on paid conference leave.

For disability and family leaves, see the Family and Medical Leaves and Disability Leave section below.

During an unpaid absence a Clinician Educator does not receive pay from the University.  Administrative Guide Section 2.1.8, Miscellaneous Authorized Absences, covers various types of leave from the University.  Section 2.1.8.2 describes several types of leave of absence without salary and addresses benefits continuation during an unpaid leave of absence.  

A Clinician Educator may be placed on personal leave without pay at a department's discretion and with advance approval from the Office of Academic Affairs.  Consideration will be given to the type of absence, the impact on programmatic need, and whether the absence is to be partial or complete, and the duration of the absence; approval of an absence exceeding 12 months should be rare.  

An unpaid leave of absence must be for a definite period with specific starting and ending dates and cannot extend beyond the end of a fixed-term appointment.  General policies for Leaves of Absence appear in Administrative Guide Section 2.1.8.3.

Contact your Human Resources representative to discuss Family and Medical Leaves, which are administered through HR and Benefits, not through Academic Affairs. Some useful links to University policies:

• "How Maternity Leave Works" (Benefits website)
• Disability and Family Leave Policies (Administrative Guide)
• Pregnancy and Disability Leave
• Family and Medical Leave
• Family Temporary Disability Policy (Administrative Guide)
• Family Temporary Disability - FAQ (Benefits)
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Benefits during Disability Leave

Please note that the Faculty Leave Data Security Attestation Form  is now required for all leaves (including FMLA, disability, and other leaves handled by the Benefits administrators). For professional development leaves processed by the Office of Academic Affairs, please submit the attestation with the leave request. For leaves processed by Benefits, the form should be signed and retained in the department's records.