Chapter 3.5 Absences, Time Off with Pay, Professional Development Leave Opportunities
A. Paid Absences
1. Paid Sick Leave Law
Each calendar year, Clinician Educators receive a lump sum of 24 hours of paid sick time that they may use pursuant to the Paid Sick Leave Law. They may use this sick time for themselves or a family member for absences due to illness; for preventive care or diagnoses, care, or treatment of an existing health condition; or for specified purposes related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. This sick time does not carry over from one calendar year to the next. In addition to notifying the department chair or supervisor of the need to take sick leave, the employee should notify Payroll through a HelpSU request. If the need for sick time use is unforeseeable, the employee should provide notice of the need for sick time use as soon as practicable.
2. Time Off with Pay
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.
3. 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.
4. Absence Due to Disability
Clinician Educators are entitled to time off due to disability. If a Clinician Educator is disabled, he/she is expected to file for short-term disability benefits. Salary will be reduced by the amount of disability benefit for the first 90 days of disability. After 90 days, the Clinician Educator is eligible to apply for long term disability benefits and the leave of absence may continue as leave without pay. See Administrative Guide Section 2.3.5 for additional information on leave of absence, including disability leave. Questions should be directed to University Human Resources, Disability and Leave Services.
5. Professional Development Leave Program
The Clinician Educator Professional Development Leave Program (“the Program”) was established on July 1, 2004. Its purpose is 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% full time effort (FTE) or more and for an appointment of six months or longer duration) are eligible for the Program. The Program is not available to Clinical Instructors, those holding Clinician Educator (Affiliated) titles, and those Clinical Assistant Professors, Clinical Associate Professors, or Clinical Professors who are appointed part time at less than 50% FTE.
Professional development leave is with salary from Stanford University and benefits continue for a Clinician Educator on a professional development leave. A Clinician Educator may not take a regular or administrative position at another hospital, clinic or academic institution during the leave.
Additional information about the Program is available on the Office of Academic Affairs’ Clinician Educator page, http://med.stanford.edu/academicaffairs/CEs/.
6. Additional Assistance for Professional Development
Clinician Educators may have two categories of professional development assistance available to them, as follows:
STAP (Staff Training Assistance Program) funds of up to a certain amount per year may be used for job-related training. For instance, they may be used to pay registration fees for conferences.
STRP (Staff Tuition Reimbursement Program) funds of up to a certain amount per year may be used for undergraduate or graduate degree programs.
These funds are pro-rated based on FTE. Further information about these programs may be found on the Education Assistance Programs website.
B. Unpaid Absences
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.