Parental Leave Policy

Every year we have residents who grow their families. We want to make sure any resident is aware of how this life event impacts their training and feels supported with how they decide to balance career and family. We advise residents to talk to Dr. Mehndiratta as soon as you feel comfortable disclosing any information so that you are aware of all options that might be available to you. Each resident’s situation will be different based on PGY level, time of year, standing in program, etc.

As residents are both employees and trainees, there are regulations from both UMMC Human resources and GME regulatory bodies (ACGME and ABPN) that apply to leave time.

Parental leave time from training: In accordance with the ABPN and ACGME policies each eligible resident shall be assured a minimum period of six (6) weeks of continuous parental leave to care for a new child at least once during training.

Pay and benefits during parental leave (UMMC):

• Leave taken during parental leave shall run concurrently with any available FMLA/short-term disability leave per University of Maryland Medical Center Graduate Medical Education Policy: “Paid Leave and Other Benefits” (https://www.umms.org/ummc/pros/gme/policies)

• The Short-Term Disability plan covers 100% of weekly base salary for up to six (6) weeks once during GME recognized training program. Contact GME office for specifics regarding pay and benefits during parental leave period.

• HR Connections Call Center (phone # 1-855-486-6747)

For Leave Longer Than 6 Weeks

You can schedule other types of leave adjacent to the 6 weeks of parental leave if desired:

• Vacation for up to 3 weeks (depending on what other vacation you would like to have for the year)

• Elective rotation for 4 weeks (reading elective from home)

• 4 weeks: “easy rotation” – some clinic and short call responsibilities

• If additional time is needed/desired, short term disability / FMLA can also be added on.

If the resident is absent for more than the 6 weeks + standard annual leave, their end date for training may need to be extended in order to comply with the ACGME and ABPN regulations for completion of training sufficient for board eligibility in neurology.