Resident Manual

Departmental Policies

Vacation:  The American Board of Pathology requires that residents train an average of 48 weeks per year.  Accordingly, residents are provided 4 weeks (20 days) of vacation annually. In order to allow some flexibility associated with transitions in June, vacations are generally restricted during that month.  Approval for vacation time will be coordinated between the attending staff of the rotation during which the resident requests vacation, the chief resident, and the Program Director.  In order to provide optimal patient care, residents will have to arrange for appropriate service coverage per rotation-specific policies.

Meetings: Professional meetings serve a variety of important functions including provision of education about medical practice, current research, administrative issues and compliance issues.  They also offer excellent opportunities for networking that can be invaluable for choosing fellowships and future employment. 

Residents are expected to attend at least one national or regional professional meeting during their residency, and are encouraged to attend more meetings, if possible.  To attend a professional meeting, approval must be requested from the Program Director.  Approval will be dependent upon the educational and professional value of the activities and the current academic standing of the resident.  Faculty evaluations, RISE scores, and conference attendance will be considered in determining whether approval can be granted.  A maximum of 5 workdays per year can usually be requested for attendance at one or more meetings.  Under special circumstances (resident is invited to give presentations at multiple meetings, for example), however, additional days may be allowed at the discretion of the Program Director.  Attendance at Board review courses will not be approved; vacation days must be used for this activity.  Upon the resident’s return from the meeting, he or she is encouraged to provide an educational conference to the other residents, presenting some of the knowledge gained at the meeting. 

Travel expenses associated with attendance at professional meetings are eligible to be reimbursed from the annual resident stipend.  For residents who are presenting posters or podium presentations at meetings, additional financial support can be requested from the Pathology Research Award Program.  If the resident’s attendance at a meeting is contingent upon obtaining this additional support, then approval of the additional funding must be obtained from the Pathology Research Award Program Committee prior to submitting an abstract or agreeing to make a presentation.  Ms. Gwen Kendall is the contact person for the Pathology Research Award Program.

Annual Resident Stipend:  Each resident receives an annual stipend that can be applied towards expenses such as travel, books, subscriptions, professional association fees, and professionally-related software.  The stipend can not be applied to medical Board examinations or review courses.  The amount of the stipend will be determined annually.  Each year’s allotment must be spent during the academic year of the allotment; no monies can be carried over into subsequent years.  All expenditures from these funds must be approved by the Program Director.  Reimbursement of expenses additionally requires completion of all staff, rotation, and program evaluations, and all mandated ACGME Core Competency Lectures from the previous year or review period.

Service Responsibilities:  Residents have obligatory service responsibilities during core rotations in Autopsy/Cytology, Surgical Pathology, Hematology, and Blood Banking.  Additionally, occasional coverage for RBC masses is required during Chemistry rotations.  All residents are relieved of service obligations during mandatory conferences.  However, it is the resident’s responsibility to arrange for coverage of these service obligations for any scheduled time off, such as vacation or conferences.  In the event of an unscheduled absence of a resident in a rotation having service responsibilities, coverage will be provided by residents in other rotations as follows:

Autopsy/Cytology Service (with single resident covering)

1. AP elective resident (most senior unless already has 50 autopsies)

2. Surgical Pathology day #4 resident

Surgical Pathology (day #1 cutting)

1. If two residents are on Autopsy/Cytology, one covers (junior first, then alternate)

2. AP elective resident (junior first, then alternate)

3. Surgical Pathology day #4 resident

Hematology, Blood Bank, or RBC mass

1. CP elective resident (junior first, then alternate)

2. Lab management resident

3. Blood Bank bench resident

4. Chemistry resident (junior first, then alternate)

5. HLA resident

6. Virology resident

7. Microbiology resident

Moonlighting:  Some residents choose to perform medical duties at other institutions at night, on weekends, or during vacations.  Such moonlighting is permitted if there is no conflict with any service responsibility in anatomic or clinical pathology, that such activities do not interfere with the resident’s ability to perform the obligations and duties of the training program, and that such activities are performed in accordance with Medical Center policies.  Prior and specific written notification detailing such activities must be given to, and written consent obtained from, the Program Director in pathology.  Medical malpractice (professional liability) insurance is not provided by the Medical Center for moonlighting activities.

Duty hours:  The Duty Hour Policy is in compliance with the policies of the ACGME and the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.  Pathology residents take call from home.  The call schedule is arranged by the Chief Resident.  Residents may exchange call days within divisions but they are responsible for appropriate notification at least 48 hours in advance.  On those occasions when it is required for the resident to be on duty in-house, continuous on-site duty will not exceed 24 consecutive hours.  Residents will not be scheduled for more than 80 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period.  Residents will have at least one full (24-hour) day out of seven free of patient care duties, averaged over a four-week period.  Residents will have at least ten (10) hours off between scheduled in-house duties.  Attending/faculty staff are always on-call, and readily available, to provide supervision and support/consultation.  Duty hour assignments must be logged by the resident and reported each quarter in accordance with RRC and Institutional Regulations.

Resident Evaluations:  Written objective evaluations of residents will be conducted at the end of each rotation or on a semi-annual basis.  The residents will be evaluated as to knowledge, technical skills, professional character, interpersonal skills, competency, and other factors deemed necessary or desirable to complete the requirements of the program.  The final, summary written evaluations are entered in each resident's dossier (file), and significant deficiencies as well as areas of particular strength are noted.  The evaluation process is intended to establish standards for the resident’s performance and to indicate the resident’s ability to proceed to higher levels of training and responsibility.  The process will to the extent reasonably possible provide early identification of deficiencies in the resident’s knowledge, professional skills or character, and to the extent reasonably possible allow remedial action to enable the resident to satisfactorily complete the requirements of the program.  Evaluations will be competency-based (as noted above).  If performance is not satisfactory, individuals will be notified no later than the first day of the ninth month in any particular year of training (e.g., by March 1^st for a resident starting July 1^st or 120 days prior to the end of the contract year) that their contract will not be renewed.

Dismissal of Residents (per Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center policy):  A resident may be dismissed for cause during an appointment period.  Examples of cause for dismissal include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. A failure of the resident to meet the performance or conduct standards of the Program.

2. A violation of the rules and regulations of The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center or a violation of the directions of the Program Director or of the director or coordinator of the service to which the resident is assigned.

3. An abuse or assault of any patient.

4. A refusal of rehabilitation for substance abuse or reported abuse of substances.

5. Any conduct which is or would be detrimental to The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center operations, activities or interests.

6. Deficiencies in maintaining current medical records, including discharge summaries.

7. Lack of evidence of continuing self-education.

8. Persistent strife in interpersonal relations.

9. Lack of progress in developing acceptable clinical judgment.

Sick Leave/Personal Leave/Leave of Absence:  There is no formal policy concerning sick leave.  Decisions will be made on an individualized basis, following discussion with the Program Director.  A personal leave of absence may be granted to a resident upon review of the circumstances by the Program Director.  All eligible vacation time for that year must be used during this period.  The period of time of personal leave that is not covered by vacation time is without pay.  The American Board of Pathology limits the time permitted away from work without loss of credit, and their current handbook should be consulted.  Time away may have to be made up during a subsequent year or through extension of the residency period.

Maternity/Paternity/Medical Family Leave:  A resident may use his or her annual vacation time with pay for maternity/paternity/medical leave.  If desired, a resident may request a maximum of twelve weeks of maternity/paternity/medical leave.  The first six weeks of this leave, which will include vacation time, will be with full pay and benefits.  The remaining six weeks will be considered leave of absence without pay; however, benefits will be paid for the remaining six weeks of unpaid leave.  Other arrangements will be considered on an individual basis.  The American Board of Pathology limits the time permitted away from work without loss of credit, and their current handbook should be consulted.  Time away may have to be made up during a subsequent year or through extension of the residency period. 

Insurance:  Medical, dental and vision insurance are available.  Residents are required to pay a payroll-deducted co-premium to participate.  Medical malpractice (professional liability) insurance is provided for the services performed by residents as part of their training in pathology at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. Group Term Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability Insurance plans are available.

Uniforms:  Uniforms are provided free of charge; laundry service is available through Central Services for these uniforms.

On-Call Meals:  On-call meal allowance is provided.

Miscellaneous:  (see Resident Benefit Summary for details).
Flexible Spending Account, Tax Sheltered Annuity, Product Discounts, Worker’s Compensation, Wrap-Around Disability, Liability Insurance, Supplemental Universal Life Insurance, Employees Assistance Program, Service 1^st Federal Credit Union, Resident Appreciation Day, and free Parking.

  General Information

• Goals and Objectives
• Departmental Policies
• Conference Schedule
• Mentoring Program
• Resident Opportunities for Teaching and Research
• Chief Resident Responsibilities