Housestaff Manual
Administrative Information
Program Director, Program Coordinator, Residents, Clinical Fellows
Pay Advances and Income Statements
Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and AD&D, Long-Term Disability, COBRA, General Information on Insurance Carriers
Leave Procedures, Residents, Clinical Fellows, Vacation/Meeting, Sick Leave, Childbearing Leave, Parental Leave, Jury Duty
Books, Subscriptions and Copy Cards, Items Other Than Books, Subscriptions and Copy Cards, Meeting Travel
- Dress Code
- Smoking
- Residency Related Evaluations
Evaluation of the Teaching Staff, Evaluation of the Residency Program, Evaluation of the Residents
- Personnel File
- Licenses
- Blumberg Loan
- Loan Deferment
- Parking
- UCSF Identification Badges
- Hospital Privileges and Medical Provider Number
- Name Changes
- Call
- Travel Policy for Medical Residents
Introduction
This information section specifically addresses specific administrative information which pertains to housestaff (resident physicians and clinical fellows) in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UCSF. Specific General University policies can be found in the Housestaff Information Booklet on the School of Medicine site here: https://meded.ucsf.edu/residents-clinical-fellows/gme-resident-and-fellow-resources/housestaff-information-booklet
Residents of the Radiation Oncology Department derive full benefits as housestaff of the University of California San Francisco. For additional information including benefits and administration, please refer to the UCSF Housestaff manual available here: https://meded.ucsf.edu/residents-clinical-fellows/gme-resident-and-fellow-resources/housestaff-information-booklet
Organization of the Clinical Training Programs
Program Director
The Program Director is directly responsible for every aspect of the clinical training programs; this includes both the clinical and administrative components. All decisions regarding the clinical programs will either be made by or brought to the attention of the Program Director before they are implemented.
As of June 2001, the Program Director’s office is located at Long Hospital.
Program Coordinator
The Program Director delegates the responsibility of handling the administrative component of the program to the Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator must assure all aspects of the administrative functions for the program run smoothly, efficiently and within the guidelines of the policies & procedures of the American Board of Radiology (ABR), the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and UCSF. At the same time, the Program Coordinator must assure the residents are treated with fairness and with equity within the program & UCSF. Administrative policies & procedures for the program on the department level are decided on between the Program Coordinator, the Program Director and the Chair. Any questions regarding administrative issues should be initially brought to the Program Coordinator.
As of June 2001, the Program Coordinator’s office is located at the Mission Center Building (MCB). Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Program Coordinator will be at Mt. Zion from 8:30 – 10:00 and at Long Hospital from 10:00 – Noon for the convenience of the Housestaff. In addition, the Program Coordinator has a mailbox at Mt. Zion and at Long Hospital.
Residents
The Program Director delegates the responsibility of handling a large portion of the clinical component of the residency training program to the Chief Resident. The Chief Resident:
- Handles the supervision and the assignment of responsibility for patient care and for specific teaching activities on a daily basis.
- Maintains the conference schedule and assigns residents to be responsible for presentations at morning conference and morbidity & mortality conferences.
- Manages urgent patient referral calls.
- Provides first level of screening of resident leave requests.
- Helps to develop resident call schedule.
- Helps to develop resident rotation schedule.
- Coordinates periodic meetings to discuss residency-related problems with residents and Program Director.
The Chief Resident meets with other residents and the Program Director regularly to discuss problems, solutions, and policies regarding the clinical component of the program. Should any resident be unable to resolve a basic issue around the clinical component of the program with the Chief Resident, the matter should be brought to the attention of the Program Director.
Clinical Fellows
The Program Director is responsible for the clinical component of the clinical fellowship programs. Fellows act in conjunction with attending physicians. If a clinical issue or problem arises, it should be discussed with the Program Director.
Payroll, Pay Advances, and Income Statements
Paychecks are issued one per month on the first day of the month for time worked in the previous month. If the first of the month falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday holiday, paychecks are issued on the previous Friday. You have a choice of two methods of payment: paper checks and surepay (direct deposit). Paper checks are delivered on payday to your home site (the site where your desk is located; residents: Mt. Zion; clinical fellows: Long Hospital). Surepay is a reliable method of direct deposit; the transfers for which can be made into any checking or savings account. Surepay transfers are made at 12:01am on the day of paycheck issue. If you choose surepay, you will receive an earnings statement mailed to either the department or to your home.
A pay advance may be requested no more than once per year and not in the month of December. The advance will be in the amount of compensation for actual time worked during the month of the request. For example, if you request an advance of your February 1st paycheck in the middle of January and have already worked 10 days in January, your advance will be in compensation for no more than the 10 days you’ve worked. Advance payroll checks are produced within 5 working days of the request and will be delivered to your home site.
When reviewing your W-2 income statement in January/February for the previous year, please keep in mind that the annual salary quoted in your offer letter is for the period of July 1st through June 30th. Therefore, in any given calendar year, you will earn six months of salary at one rate and six months of salary at another rate. For specific tax questions, please consult a tax specialist.
Any questions regarding payroll should be directed to the Program Coordinator.
Health Benefits
Health benefits for you and your family and/or same-sex domestic partner are provided through the GME office and are separate and distinct from those for career faculty and administrative staff. The premiums for all Housestaff health benefits are paid for by the department. You have 30 days from your first working day to enroll in health benefits. Every June and July, you will have the opportunity to change your medical benefits carrier during Open Enrollment if you so wish. Following the description of each benefit below, you will find a list of all the health insurance carriers for Housestaff, the corresponding group numbers, and contact information. Each year around June, the GME office provides a printed comparison sheet on all the available insurance carriers. Please consult this comparison sheet for specific information about any type of insurance coverage.
It is important to remember, especially with your dental benefits, that the annual coverage runs from July 1st through June 30th; coverage for Housestaff does not run according to the calendar year.
If you are covered by your own personal health insurance carriers or by the health insurance carriers of a spouse or same-sex domestic partner, please inform the Program Coordinator immediately as double coverage may cause the School of Medicine to lose one or more of their insurance carriers.
If you acquire a new dependent, spouse or same-sex domestic partner and wish to add them to your insurance coverage, it is advisable to do so within 30 days of the eligible event. Contact the Program Coordinator to set the necessary paperwork in motion.
Any questions regarding health benefits should be directed to the Program Coordinator.
Medical
As of June 2001 for medical health insurance coverage, the GME office is offering a choice of either Health Net (HMO) or UniCare (Fee-for-Service PPO). Please consult the printed comparison sheet on the available medical insurance carriers that comes out of the GME office for more information on each choice. Once you have made a choice for a medical insurance carrier, you must stay with that carrier until the following June when, during Open Enrollment, you may change carriers if you wish. You will receive your medical insurance card within 60 days of making your choice of carriers. If you need medical attention prior to receiving your insurance card, contact the carrier directly (see list of carriers below).
Dental
As of June 2001, the GME office is covering the dental benefits of the School’s Housestaff through Delta Dental. Dental benefits are automatic – there is nothing you need to do to enroll. The annual maximum benefit is $1,500 – please remember this annual amount runs from July 1st through June 30th.
Vision
As of June 2001, the GME office is covering the vision benefits of the School’s Housestaff through Vision Service Plan. Vision benefits are automatic – there is nothing you need to do to enroll. Consult the insurance benefit’s comparison sheet sent out annually by the GME office for exact coverage.
Life Insurance and AD&D
This coverage is automatic and covered by the Standard Insurance Company. Each Housestaff is covered by $50,000 in life insurance and $50,000 in Accidental Death & Dismemberment.
Long-Term Disability
Long-term disability is also automatic and covered by the Standard Insurance Company. Long-term disability insurance begins 30 days after notifying the insurance carrier. The benefit received is 66.67% of your monthly salary up to a maximum of $3,000/month.
COBRA
Upon the termination of your appointment with UCSF, you immediately fall under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985. COBRA entitles you to a temporary extension of the health benefits sponsored by UCSF at your own expense. Under COBRA, you have 60 days from your date of termination in which to elect to continue any health benefit you currently have through UCSF. Coverage is retroactive to the first day of non-employment . So if you leave employ of UCSF on June 30th, you have up until August 29thto elect continued health benefits coverage and make your first payment. Once you’ve elected COBRA coverage and sent in your payment, your COBRA benefits become immediately retroactive to July 1st. You may continue your COBRA-sponsored insurance up to 36 months from the date you lost UCSF coverage.
General Information on Insurance Carriers
Health Net
Group Number 55509D/F
Customer Service Phone 800-638-3889
UCSF Primary Medical Group # (Brown & Toland) 123
UCSF PMG 123 New Patient Appointments 476-9509
UCSF PMG 123 Patient Appointments 476-9638
COBRA Group Number 55509E
COBRA Customer Service Phone 800-638-3889
Health Net Website: http://www.healthnet.com/healthnet/
UniCare
Group Number 1253VC
Customer Service Phone 800-333-3959
COBRA Policy Number/Group Number 108880/1253VS
COBRA Customer Service Phone 800-327-2770 ext. 5687
UniCare Website: https://lgms.unicare.com
Delta Dental
Group Number 510-0003
Customer Service Phone 800-765-6003
Delta Dental Website: http://www.deltadentalca.org/index.html
Vision Service Plan (VSP)
Group Number 12 002832
Customer Service Phone 800-622-7444
VSP Website: http://www.vsp.com/home/html/vsp.htm
Standard Insurance Co. – Life and AD&D
Policy Number TBA
Customer Service Phone 800-628-8600
Standard Website: http//www.standard.com
Standard Insurance Co. – Long Term Disability
Policy Number TBA
Customer Service Phone 800-368-1135
Standard Website: http//www.standard.com
US Government COBRA Website:
http://wwww.dol.gov/dol/pwba/public/pubs/cobra99.pdf
Retirement Benefits
Housestaff are automatically placed in a mandatory retirement plan called Defined Contribution Safe Harbor. 7.5% of wages are deducted pre-tax from your earnings every month and placed in the Savings Fund, one of six investment funds managed by UC’s Treasury Office. You may, however, direct your contributions to one of the other five UC-managed funds or in up to two of Fidelity Investments mutual funds. At any time, you may increased the amount placed in your Safe Harbor plan. For more information about Safe Harbor, contact the Program Coordinator.
Education Allowance
The department provides each Housestaff member with an education allowance – $500 for clinical fellows and $2,000 for residents – to offset education-related expenses throughout the entirety of their training. Books, periodical subscriptions and library photocopy cards are typical expenses charged against education allowance balances. Education allowances may not be used for items other than books, subscriptions, and photocopy cards without the prior approval of the Program Director.
Your education allowance must be used within the time you are actively appointed in a clinical training title in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UCSF. It is advisable to utilize your entire education allowance as unused balances will not be paid out when you separate from the clinical training program. A spreadsheet showing the balance of your education allowance will be sent to you quarterly. If you wish to know your balance at any other time or if you have any questions regarding your education allowance, please contact the Program Coordinator.
To tap into your education allowance, you must either pay for the item yourself and request reimbursement or ask if direct payment to the vendor is possible. Reimbursement checks to Housestaff are mailed out within 10 working days of submission of the check request. The following subheadings explain the reimbursement/payment procedures for each type of expense:
Books, Subscriptions, and Copy Cards
Procedures for reimbursement/payment of these items against your education allowance are as follows:
-
- Check your Education Allowance balance.
- Purchase item.
- Forward original receipt(s) to the Program Coordinator for reimbursement (be sure to include a cover page which indicates: your name, the date, the item you purchased and the amount you want reimbursed).
Or
-
- Check your Education Allowance balance.
- If direct payment to the vendor is available, ask the Program Coordinator to prepare the appropriate paperwork.
- Pick-up item or wait for delivery.
Items Other Than Books, Subscriptions, and Copy Cards
Procedures for reimbursement/payment of these items against your education allowance are as follows:
-
- Check your Education Allowance balance.
- Gain approval from the Program Director to purchase item.
- Purchase item.
- Forward original receipt(s) to the Program Coordinator for reimbursement (be sure to include a cover page which indicates: your name, the date, the item you purchased and the amount you want reimbursed).
Or
-
- Check your Education Allowance balance.
- Gain approval from the Program Director to purchase item.
- If direct payment to the vendor is available, ask the Program Coordinator to prepare the appropriate paperwork.
- Pick up item or wait for delivery.
Presentation Travel
The department has in place a mechanism for paying the travel expenses for Housestaff who are scheduled to present a paper, abstract or poster at a national meeting. Approved presentation travel is not charged against your education allowance. The procedures are more involved than the previous section but the benefits may outweigh the initial hassle. If you have any questions about the procedures for garnering payment for presentation travel by the department, contact the Program Coordinator.
Procedures for obtaining departmental payment of presentation travel expenses are as follows:
-
- Complete an Authorization for Housestaff Presentation Travel Payment form. Be sure to attach the abstract, paper or poster you wish to submit to the meeting’s society for presentation.
- If approved, complete a Leave Request Slip and ask the Program Coordinator to obtain a travel advance for you. For this, the Program Coordinator needs:
- A completed and signed leave request form
- Approximate cost of airfare
- Approximate hotel cost per night
- dates of travel
- meeting name and location
- If not approved, see process for gaining reimbursement for non-presentation-related meeting travel (Section 1.6 above).
- Once you’ve returned from the meeting, forward all receipts to the Program Coordinator:
Dress Code
The overall appearance of Housestaff in the clinical areas of any UCSF affiliated institution must reflect professional standards and departmental attitude. All members of the Housestaff must have a clean, professional appearance. Long coats are provided to Housestaff to wear while working in view of patients.
Smoking
Smoking is prohibited in any building at UCSF or in any public building in San Francisco.
Personnel File
Every Housestaff member is entitled to view the contents of their personnel file at any time during normal UCSF business hours in the presence of the Program Coordinator. As of June 2001, Housestaff personnel files are housed at the Program Coordinator’s desk at the Mission Center Building (MCB). Contact the Program Coordinator to set up a time to view your personnel file at MCB.
Licenses
You are required to have a valid California medical license by the first day of your second year in the training program. It is highly advisable to begin the licensing process at the beginning of your first year as obtaining a California medical license can take upwards of 8 months time. Each Housestaff is responsible for the payment of their initial license as well as all renewals during the course of their training in the program. The department may not pay for nor loan you the money to pay for your license or renewals per University policy. If you need financial assistance for this or any other purpose, please see Section 1:14 on the Blumberg Loan. For information on the application process and to download forms, visit the website for the Medical Board of California:http://www.medbd.ca.gov/
If Housestaff wish to obtain a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) license, they may do so at their own expense as it is not required of them by the Department of Radiation Oncology. For information on how to avoid the application fee, contact the Program Coordinator. For more information on the formal application process, visit the DEA website: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/
Blumberg Loan
The GME office offers financial assistance through the Blumberg Loan. The loan is interest free and was established to assist Housestaff in the event of emergencies or whenever extra cash is needed. The maximum loan at any one time is $1,200 and must be repaid within 12 months. For application forms and information, contact the Program Coordinator.
Loan Deferment
Housestaff often receives a number of deferment forms for their education loan s throughout their training period. Forward these forms to the Program Coordinator who will process them and place a copy in your personnel file. If you have any questions on load deferments, contact the Program Coordinator.
Parking
Residents are required to rotate between Long Hospital on the Parnassus Campus and the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Mt. Zion Medical Center. If you will be driving to work you have two choices for parking:
-
- You may purchase parking at the Parnassus Campus ($60/month for residents and $70/month for clinical fellows) for your rotations at Long Hospital and then take the shuttle (free) to Mt. Zion when needed.
- You may purchase a reciprocal parking pass that allows you to park at either the Parnassus Campus or at a private parking lot across the street from Mt. Zion at anytime. This pass costs $100/month.
In either case, you must purchase your parking at the beginning of each month for the entire month.
For Parnassus Campus parking privileges only, Housestaff should go to the Millberry Union Parking Office, G-26. Give your name and the name of the department to the attendant. The cost is $60/month for residents and $70/month for clinical fellows. You will need to pay cash for your initial month’s parking – the remainder can be payroll deducted.
For the reciprocal pass between the Parnassus Campus and Mt. Zion, contact Radiation Oncology’s Management Services Officer (Gary Low 353-9819). The cost is $100/month.
UCSF Identification Badges
UCSF requires that you wear your campus ID badge at all times when you are on duty. If you have not received your first ID badge or if you need a replacement ID badge, contact the Program Coordinator.
Hospital Privileges and Medical Provider Number
Hospital privileges for each Housestaff are automatically set up via the appointment process each year. At the beginning of your training, you will receive a medical provider number which will be valid until the end of each academic year. When your appointment is continued at the end of June, your medical provider number will be reactivated for the next academic year. If you have any questions regarding privileges or your provider number, contact the Program Coordinator.
Name Changes
If at any time for any reason you change your name, contact the Program Coordinator immediately as your name change must be forwarded to a number of departments within UCSF.
Call
Residents are required to take call. An assigned resident and attending physician are on call at all times. Call is for 7 consecutive days and usually begins on Monday morning. Residents, when on call, will carry their pagers and the on-call cell phone at all times. The on-call resident and the chief resident are responsible for the department’s answering service & the hospital operator of the current call schedule, the call cell phone number and appropriate pager numbers. If there are any changes in the call schedule after it has been sent out, the originally assigned on-call resident must inform the department answering service, the hospital operators and the on-call attending.
The on-call resident is expected to take the first call on any patient and consult the attending physician as needed. The on-call resident must answer calls by and regarding outpatients in off-hour times as well as calls concerning inpatients on the Radiation Oncology and other services. The on-call resident will make rounds on weekends on hospitalized patients on the Radiation Oncology service.
The on-call resident will work up and, when indicated, treat any new case referred for an emergent consultation on weekends and during the week after 3 pm. On-call schedules must be published at least one month in advance.
Departmental Travel Policy for Medical Residents
Presentation Travel
The Department has in place a mechanism to reimburse residents and fellows for approved travel expenses up to $2000 per meeting for the presentation of a paper, abstract, or poster at a national meeting. Please see below for important caveats:
- Approved presentation travel is not charged against the resident or fellow’s individual Education Allowance.
- Approval is NOT automatic.
- In general, travel expenses will be reimbursed up to $2000 for accepted oral presentations, oral posters, and non-oral posters at the annual ASTRO meeting. However, it must be understood that it will not be possible for all residents to attend ASTRO every year and that there are special circumstances associated with the need for senior residents to attend ASTRO during their pursuit of employment. Thus, the Executive Committee may need to occasionally deny travel to ASTRO in order to balance these issues. ASTRO travel approval must be sought at the time of abstract acceptance by submitting a travel request form to the Program Coordinator for consideration by the Executive Committee.
- For meetings other than the annual ASTRO meeting, pre-approval must be sought prior to or at the time of abstract submission by submitting a travel request form to the Program Coordinator for consideration by the Executive Committee. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, travel may be (1) denied, (2) granted, (3) granted only in the case of acceptance of the abstract for oral presentation, or (4) partially funded.
- If presentation travel expenses are not covered or not fully covered by the Department, they may be covered by an Attending Investigator’s professional fee account, at the discretion of the Attending Investigator.
- It is expected that residents and fellows will strive to limit costs by sharing hotel rooms, booking travel in advance, and booking economical airfares, within reason. For information on travel discounts available to University of California personnel, please use the UC Office of the President (UCOP) website to access the purchasing services agreements database: http://www.ucop.edu/purchserv/access.php.
Type in the key word “car rental” or “hotel rooms” and click the search button. You must give the UC agreement number when making reservations to get the UC discounted price. - When submitting a travel request form, the resident or fellow must be sure to provide planned dates of travel, attach a copy of the abstract, and attach a copy of the meeting announcement including the name of the society and dates and location of the meeting.
- When planning meeting travel, the resident or fellow must be sure to check his or her leave balance and complete a Leave Request slip.
Non-presentation Travel
- A resident or fellow may use his or her Education Allowance to pay for travel to a professional meeting related to Oncology if travel will not be reimbursed by the Department.
- When planning meeting travel, the resident or fellow must be sure to check his or her leave balance, check his or her Education Allowance balance, and complete a Leave Request slip.
- The resident or fellow must submit a travel request form indicating that the source of funds is intended to be his or her individual Education Allowance along with planned dates of travel and a copy of the meeting announcement including the name of the society and dates and location of the meeting.
Travel Advance / Reimbursement Procedure
- A travel advance may be requested up to one month prior to travel for the estimated amount of airfare, accommodations and ground transportation. Contact the Program Coordinator for details and instructions. The Program Coordinator will need a copy of the meeting announcement with dates and location of the meeting, a completed and signed Leave Request slip, dates of travel, and approximate airfare, hotel, and ground transportation costs.
- Reimbursement for costs incurred prior to the actual meeting, such as airfare and registration, may be requested at the time of their purchase. As with all reimbursement requests, a copy of the meeting announcement with dates and location of the meeting, a completed and signed Leave Request slip and receipts must accompany the request. Reimbursement will only be granted for approved applications.
- Upon return from the meeting, the resident or fellow must submit a travel reimbursement request form to the Program Coordinator along with the original proof of registration purchase/confirmation, original airline ticket passenger receipt (or printout of online purchase/confirmation) and proof of payment, original hotel invoice and proof of payment, original receipts for ground transportation if the total is more than $75 on any one day and original receipts for rental cars. UC policy no longer allows travelers to claim a “per diem” to cover the cost of food and miscellaneous expenses. All food purchases and miscellaneous expenditures must be itemized, and they will only be reimbursed up to a maximum of $50/day.