FAQs

Resident physicians should receive or have access to the call schedule at least four weeks before the rotation begins, although updates can be made anytime. 

Resident physicians do not get a day in lieu if their call shift extends into a Named holiday – only if it starts on a Named Holiday.

In recognition of working into Named Holidays, all Resident Physicians are entitled to four (4) flex days off each Appointment Year without loss of pay. These flex days are not part of the vacation entitlement. Flex days do not carry forward.

• Friday nights
• Saturday & Sunday
• Named holidays

While Friday nights are considered a part of the weekend for scheduling purposes, call shifts that commence on Friday are remunerated at the weekday rate. Only call shifts commencing on Saturday, Sunday, or a Named Holiday are remunerated at the weekend rate.

Off service days not to be included in call maximum calculations include any time the resident physician is away on vacation (inclusive of the weekend prior to or following scheduled vacation), Maternity/Parental Leave, Educational Leave, Exam Leave, Special Leave, Compassionate Leave, Bereavement Leave, and Sick Leave.

Days that are NOT considered off service include named holidays, flex days, winter break, float days, and academic half (or full) days. These days are considered ‘on service’ for call maximum calculations.

Switched call stipend is paid for a scheduled home call shift during which a resident physician has spent at least four hours of the call shift in hospital and at least one of these hours is after midnight and before 6 a.m. OR more than six (6) hours in hospital during the call period.

Switched call stipend is paid at the rate of in-house call, but counted as home call when determining call frequency maximums; it is designated as an “s” on on-call time sheets.

To be eligible for the post-call day the individual would need to work after midnight. This post call day is not guaranteed (like in-house call) but needs to be requested.

Resident physicians on an out-of-region elective may claim on-call stipends if the following conditions are met:

• The site that the resident physician is visiting is affiliated with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and their home university.
• The site must be in Canada.
• The elective is an education component that is supported by the program.

Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis if the required educational component is not offered at a site with affiliations. Paperwork required will be at the discretion of the resident physician’s home program. 

For an acceptable elective, resident physicians need to bring their elective call schedule to their home program, preferably with the signature of a supervisor to verify that the schedule is accurate. The program administrator or individual normally responsible for submitting the timesheet for the home program would then submit a new timesheet labeled with the location of the elective (“Yellowknife Rotation” for instance).

It should be noted that receiving stipends while on out-of-province electives is not guaranteed. It is up to the program to submit the call timesheet and advocate for the resident physician.

• Saturday & Sunday
• Named holidays
• Shifts must START on these days

An individual, usually the program administrator or chief resident physician, is responsible for submitting the call timesheet to AHS from each program. Resident physicians should contact this person to find out what they need to ensure your call is properly recorded.

Check with the program where you performed the call to see if the call time sheet was correct and submitted on time to AHS. If call sheets were not submitted on time, stipends will be paid out on the next payout date.

If you contact AHS or PARA, ensure you include the block and service, the dates of your call, and the type of call you performed (home call, switched call, in-house call).

University of Calgary
Contact the PARA office for the U of C contact name and email

University of Alberta
Email: OnCallStipends@ahs.ca

Robin Raworth PARA
Phone: (780) 432-1749
Email: robin.raworth@para-ab.ca

Yes, resident physicians may voluntarily choose to stay beyond the maximum hours specified in Article 23.01 (e), (f), and (g) for enhanced learning opportunities, if it is safe to do so. However, they cannot be required to work beyond these hours and no additional payment or stipends will be provided for time spent beyond the set duty hours.

Handover must occur immediately following the conclusion of a standard duty shift or call shift and cannot exceed 2 hours. This ensures that handover responsibilities are completed efficiently without extending shift lengths unnecessarily.

Resident physicians cannot be required to work more than 24 consecutive hours, plus an additional 2 hours for handover. This includes standard duty hours, shift-based duty hours, call shifts, and rounds. After this time, residents are not required to remain on-site for presentations or morning half-days.

Resident physicians can be scheduled for a maximum of 80 hours per week on average, over a four-week block. This total includes standard duty hours, shift-based duty hours, call shifts, handover and rounds. 

The minimum rest period between in-house duty hour shifts is 10 hours. This includes standard duty hours, shift-based duty hours, call shifts and handover when a resident physician is not provided with a post-call day off. This ensures adequate recovery time between shifts.

Applications for exam leaves shall be made in writing to the Program Director a minimum of twenty- eight (28) days in advance of the exam date to ensure appropriate service coverage.

Applications for study leave shall be made in writing to the Program Director a minimum of twenty-eight (28) of the block of the requested leave to ensure appropriate service coverage.

Applications shall indicate the date of departure on leave and the date of return. Confirmation of the leave shall be made by the Program Director within fourteen (14) days of the initial request.

A Resident Physician will be granted up to five (5) non-consecutive days off during the eight (8) weeks preceding the Exam Leave. These non-consecutive days off will be standard or shift-based duty hours days. At the discretion of the Program Director, some of these days may be taken consecutively.

You are entitled to up to five (5) consecutive days without loss of pay to write each Canadian qualifying and licensing examination component, which include those of the Medical Council of Canada, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

• the day prior to outbound travel,
• the day of outbound travel,
• one (1) or two (2) days as required to attend the actual examination, and
• one (1) day for return travel.

If travel is not required for writing the exam resident physicians are entitled to up to three (3) consecutive days without loss of pay to write each Canadian qualifying and licensing examination component, which include those of the Medical Council of Canada, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

• the day prior to the examination,
• one (1) or two (2) days as required to attend the actual examination.

Subject to patient care considerations and at the request of the Resident Physician, a Resident Physician will not be scheduled for on-call duty in the period seventy-two (72) hours prior to the Exam Leave described in Article 13.01. In addition, Resident Physicians shall work only Standard Duty Hours (i.e. no more than twelve (12) hours per day) during this period.

Between July 1 and July 31 (11:59 p.m.), you will need to do the following:

• sign into your e-People account
• click on “Benefits Home” button
• click on “Benefits Enrollment” button (located near the bottom of the page)
• click on “Select” button to start the allocation process
• click on “Edit” button next to the “Flex Spending Health-Canada” line item
• on the “Flex Spending Health-Canada” page:
• If you don’t want to allocate to your health spending account: select “I don’t want to enroll”
• If you want to allocate credits select “Health Choice Spending” then click on the circle beside “Health Choice Spending”
• click in the “Annual Pledge” field and enter amount
• click “Continue” button to save your selections
• click “OK” button (once you have received a confirmation of allocations)

Repeat previous step for the Personal Spending FSA and Flex Spending RRSP

• make sure all your allocations total $1,000
• after you have allocated your $1,000 of credits click the “Submit” button
• review your submission. If everything is correct, click “Submit” again.
• click “OK”
• click “Sign Out” to end your session You must click submit twice in order for your submission to be successful. The morning after your submission, you will receive an automated email confirmation to your AHS email address. 

You may change your submission as many times as you want, until the end of the allocation period. Your final allocation will be based on your last successful submission.

NOTE: If you do not allocate your credits by the deadline all your credits will be deposited into your Health Spending Account. Once the deadline has passed, changes to your allocation will not be permitted. Please note that Blue Cross benefits automatically default to ‘single’. If necessary, be sure to change this to ‘family’ or opt-out.

The first step is to allocate your flex credits to the Flex Spending RRSP account on AHS e-People. Once you have allocated flex credits to the Flex Spending RRSP for the first time, you must set up an individual plan within the Group RRSP plan with Manulife within 60 days of the last eligible allocation day. If you fail to set up a plan within the 60 days, your allocation will default back to the Health Spending Account.

To Enroll Online

• Once Alberta Health Services has communicated to Manulife your demographic information, Manulife will mail your user ID and password to your home so that you can access the VIP Room.
• If you have not received your user ID and password within two weeks of making your allocation contact Manulife at 1 (800) 242-1704 ext. 4000.
• Once you have enrolled into the plan via the VIP Room, all you have to do is print the beneficiary designation form and either mail it to Manulife, fax it to them at 1 (888) 712-6010 or scan it and send it to them at retirement.solutions@standardlife.ca
• In the event you are having difficulty obtaining a user ID and password, please enroll using an enrollment form. See below for more details.

To Enroll Using an Enrollment Form

• Go online to the Manulife Website to access the enrollment forms. Remember that separate forms need to be completed for spousal contributions.

Remember that separate forms need to be completed for spousal contributions.

• Once the paper form is completed, send it to Manulife by either mail, fax (1-888-712-6010) or scan it to retirement.solutions@standardlife.ca

The enrollment forms are not mailed to the members.

If you have any questions concerning the forms or need guidance, you can call the Manulife contact center at 1 (800) 242-1704 ext. 4000

Resident physicians are able to claim expenses above the Supplementary Health and Dental Plan maximums, expenses not covered by those plans, and premiums for those plans (the resident pays 25% of the Blue Cross premiums). The expenses can be incurred by the resident or any eligible dependent. To make a claim, fill out the Health Spending Account form and mail it to the address provided on the form.

Remember that you only have 60 days after the end of the academic year on June 30 (i.e. August 30) to submit claims for the preceding period. The easiest way to claim reimbursement for the Blue Cross premiums paid is to submit your last December pay stub and your last June pay-stub to the Blue Cross using the Health Spending Account form on PARA’s website.

Any unused credits in your health spending account or your personal spending account carry forward for one year but can only be used on expenditures made in the current academic year. After that time, any unused credits are forfeited by the resident physician.

It is important to note any claims related to an academic year (July 1-June 30) must be made within 60 days of the year end (meaning August 30). If the claim for expenditures made is not into Blue Cross by this deadline, it will be rejected. If a resident physician is in the final year of residency, the flexible spending account terminates at the end of your contract.

However, you still have two months to get any claims to Blue Cross (for expenses incurred prior to the completion of your contract). Any unused credits remaining after the claim period are forfeited.

Each year a resident physician has 1,000 flex credits (1 flex credit = $1) that can be allocated between Health Spending, Personal Spending, and Group Savings. Resident physicians must allocate the flex credits to the various areas or 100% of credits will default to the Health Spending Account.

Please log into your AHS e-people account to access your Plan #

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Alberta Blue Cross mails the ID cards directly to the employee’s home address (the one submitted to e-People). Alberta Health Services will pay 75% of your monthly Blue Cross premiums. Blue Cross covers expenses for prescription drugs, private nurses or billable hospital expenses. Travel insurance is also included with your group benefits plan. 

Note: It is advisable to check with the insurer prior to incurring an expense. For further information, contact AHS Benefits:

Phone: 1 (877) 511-4455
Email: HRContactCentre@albertahealthservices.ca

For information regarding making a claim, contact an Alberta Blue Cross agent:

Phone: 1 (800) 661-6995

To determine what is covered under the supplementary health and dental plan check out the following documents:

• Resident Physician Health Benefits Booklet
• Benefits at a Glance

Alberta Health Services pays 75% of the monthly premiums for the supplementary health and dental benefits.

View Premiums

As a condition of residency, membership in the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) is required for all Resident Physicians. This means that each resident physician must apply for membership. Check out the CMPA website for information on how to apply. 

As well, resident physicians are part of the Authority’s general liability insurance coverage when working at AHS facilities. This coverage does not extend to non-AHS facilities.

The Alberta Medical Association, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, ADIUM Insurance Services Inc. (ADIUM), administers the PARA Group Disability and Life Insurance plans for PARA members. 

Enrollment forms are included in the orientation package distributed to resident physicians when they start their residency program. Resident physicians need to complete the enrollment form in order to designate their life insurance beneficiary and provide program information and completion dates to ADIUM and the insurance company. 

If you have an address change or need to make a beneficiary change, contact ADIUM:

Phone: (780) 482-0692
Toll-free: 1 (800) 272-9680 ext. 692
Email: adium@albertadoctors.org

• Benefit is 75% of your gross monthly resident salary (taxable)
• Benefits start after 90 days of disability
• Benefit period is to age 65, or until no longer disabled
• Coverage is convertible to the AMA Disability Insurance plan completion of residency.

Please contact ADIUM Insurance Services Inc. as soon as possible after the onset of your leave to report your possible long-term disability claim. This action will ensure a timely transition from Sick/Special leave to the commencement of benefits under the PARA Disability Insurance Plan.

• Flat payout of $150,000 in the event of death.
• Benefit is payable to your designated beneficiary.
• Premiums are paid by PARA. 
• Benefits payable are non-taxable.
• Coverage may be converted to the AMA Term Life Insurance Plan at the completion of residency, and is portable throughout the world.

The AMA offers members up to $5,000,000 of life insurance coverage, with proof of good health. Premiums start from as little as $9/year per $50,000 of coverage.

 The AMA offers members up to $4,000/month of disability insurance to supplement your PARA disability coverage. Premiums start from as little as $6/month per $1,000 of monthly benefit, plus there is a 50% discount for resident members.

 Both the AMA Term Life and Disability Insurance plans are portable throughout the world.

 For further information, contact AMA’s ADIUM Insurance Services at adium@albertadoctors.org or call 1-888-492-3486.

All PARA members who pay dues and are Ministry funded automatically receive long-term disability coverage while they are a resident physician, with their premiums paid by Alberta Health Services. 

All PARA members who pay dues receive life insurance coverage with premiums paid by PARA. These benefits will end with the termination of your membership with PARA. 

Features of these Plans

• No evidence of insurability is required.
• Coverage commences the first day of the month after you begin your duties.
• Coverage is in force 24 hours per day.

You must be a birth mother or father or adoptive parent and have accumulated 600 insured working hours within the last 52 weeks or since your last claim. For purposes of calculating insured working hours, AHS records resident physicians hours at 40 hours per week.

If you are in your first year of residency and have not yet accumulated 600 hours, you may still be eligible if you have insured working hours from another source/employer. You will need to check with Service Canada to see if you are eligible.

Training because of my time away for maternity leave? Each university has their own waiver of training policy which can be found on its Postgraduate Medical Education website. When considering your waiver of training applications, keep in mind that the criteria for writing certification exams in Canada and the United States are different; if you are planning to write the American exam, you will need to ensure that, with your waiver of training, your length of training still meets the eligibility requirements for writing the exam.

Yes. While you are on leave, you are not able to work as a resident physician (or an extender) because you are not actively in residency training. So, you should contact the CMPA to cancel your membership for the period of time that you are not working. Call 1 (800) 267-6522 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. EST or check out www.cmpa-acpm.ca.

Yes, PARA members can access their flexible spending account while on maternity leave. This benefit is not contingent on a resident physician opting in to their health and dental coverage.

No, cost sharing of your health and dental coverage does not continue during your maternity leave. A resident physician has the option of continuing the Supplementary Health and Dental benefits coverage by submitting the “Benefits Coverage During Leaves of Absence” form that is included in the Maternity Package you receive from AHS Benefits three months before your expected due date. This form must be submitted to Benefits prior to the start of your maternity leave. If you do opt into your health and dental benefits, you will be responsible for paying 100% of the health and dental benefit premiums.

Yes, PARA ensures that your life and long-term disability coverage continues while you are on maternity leave by covering the cost of your benefit in full. No additional paperwork is required from PARA members.

Ensure that your program has submitted a Leave of Absence form to the Postgraduate Medical Education office. The AHS Benefits Service Centre, upon receiving this information from PME, will process your LOA during your final week of earnings. A Record of Employment (ROE) will then be issued by the AHS Payroll department following the payment of your final earnings. Your ROE will be sent electronically to Service Canada. Once ROE is uploaded to Service Canada Web page, you should be able to log into your Service Canada account and download the copy for your records.

If you are on sick leave prior to the birth of your baby, please call the Benefits Service Centre to advise them of the date you delivered your baby and when your last day of paid sick time is. Your ROE will then be processed as described above.

If you do not have your ROE one week after the start of your maternity leave, you should contact:

University of Alberta
HR Contact Centre at 1-(877) 511-4455

University of Calgary
Medical Education Office at (403) 943-1253.

Birth mothers may take up to 78 consecutive weeks of job-protected leave. However, it is important to realize that not all of this leave is considered maternity leave.

Maternity leave is for up to 17 weeks of the total leave time. It is this time that is eligible for the “top- up” payment to ensure that the resident physician receives 90% of her salary when combined with the EI benefits paid during this time.

After 17 weeks, the mother is eligible to take up to another 61 weeks of unpaid parental leave during the first 78 weeks following the birth of a child.

It is AHS’ responsibility to provide a private space for you to breastfeed; however, you will need to contact AHS prior to returning to work to request that they locate a space for you.

You will need to fill out a ‘Request for Accommodations’ form, which can be found on the AHS website. Once there, search for “Employee Request for Accommodation”, and it will be the first available option.

University of Alberta resident physicians should contact HR Contact Centre at 1 (877) 511-4455

University of Calgary resident physicians should contact Wendy Mitchell in the Medical Education Office at (587) 774-7467.

Make sure your program has informed PGME of your maternity leave.

Maternity benefits are up to 15 weeks. Maternity benefits are only available to the person who is away from work because they’re pregnant or have recently given birth. They cannot be shared between parents.

Birth mothers may receive the following benefits:

1. Standard parental leave
   • up to 35 weeks (in addition to maternity leave of 15 weeks) for a total of 50 weeks of benefits at 55% of salary to maximum of $595 weekly
2. Extended parental leave
   • up to 61 weeks (in addition to maternity leave of 15 weeks) for a total of 76 weeks of benefits at 33% of salary to maximum of $357 weekly

EI Maternity and Parental Benefits

You may be eligible for paid Sick Leave prior to your maternity leave. In such cases, be prepared to provide a doctor’s note and advise your Program Director that you require paid sick time. Please ask your program to provide written notification to AHS Human Resources confirming the date on which your medical leave started.

The PARA maternity top-up benefit tops up your employment insurance maternity benefits for 17 weeks (2 weeks at 90% of salary to represent the EI waiting period and 15 weeks at a rate that when added to your EI payments equals 90%). You are required to fill in a Supplementary (Un)Employment Benefit form in order to be eligible for this benefit. Keep in mind that income tax and CPP will be deducted from this amount.

This form should be included as part of the maternity package you receive from AHS.

Where a resident physician has or adopts a child, but is not eligible for maternity leave, he/she is eligible for two weeks paid leave; In addition, a Resident Physician shall receive at her/his request additional leave without pay or benefits as follows:

1. Maternity Leave granted – total leave of up to seventy-eight (78) weeks inclusive of any leave taken under Article 11.03(b), or
2. No Maternity Leave granted – total leave of up to sixty-two (62) weeks inclusive of any leave taken under Article 11.04(a).

You may begin maternity leave up to 8 weeks before your estimated due date once you give your employer the required written notice which indicates the date your leave will begin. The latest that you may begin your maternity leave is the date of the birth of your child. Resident physicians have the option of going on sick leave prior to the start of their maternity leave at the recommendation of their physician.

Unless a PARA member chooses otherwise, she will not be required to perform a call in excess of twelve (12) hours or between 2400 and 0600 hours after 24 weeks gestation.

If there is a valid medical reason (typically a medical certificate from your doctor), the pregnant resident physician could stop overnight calls and/or shifts in excess of twelve hours earlier.

Resident physicians are strongly encouraged to let their programs know as soon as they feel comfortable sharing family planning information. Your Program Director should not find out from others in the program.

Good communication will help to minimize training disruptions for you and service disruptions for your program. Additional notice also helps ensure that the necessary administrative work that allows for a smooth transition to maternity leave is in place within your program, the Postgraduate Medical Education office and AHS Benefits and Payroll.

You can apply for your PARA maternity top-up benefit by completing the Supplementary (Un)Employment Benefit form (or PARA SUB-Plan application form) and obtaining your first EI maternity benefit confirmation; send both to the Benefits Service Centre (details are on the form). Provided that all the correct documentation is received in a timely manner, resident physicians will receive a lump sum cheque approximately 4.5 – 5 months after the start of their maternity leave.

IMPORTANT: The SUB Plan Application form must be submitted within six months of a resident physician going on maternity leave. If this deadline is not met, the top-up payment will not be processed by AHS.

Note – if the lump sum payment will create significant financial hardship for you, please contact PARA to see if PARA is able to assist in requesting top-up in two payments for you.

You must be a birth mother or father or adoptive parent and have accumulated 600 insured hours within the last 52 weeks or since your last claim. 

If you are in your first year of residency and have not yet accumulated 600 hours, you may be able to include medical school hours if they fall within the last 52 weeks and if you received a stipend or honouraria for this work; in these circumstances, you will need to check with Service Canada to see if you are eligible.

Yes, PARA members can access their flexible spending account while on maternity leave. This benefit is not contingent on a resident physician opting in to their health and dental coverage.

No, cost sharing of your health and dental coverage does not continue during your maternity leave. A resident physician has the option of purchasing continued benefits coverage by submitting the “Benefits Coverage During Leaves of Absence” form that is included in the Maternity Package you receive from AHS Benefits three months before your expected due date. This form must be submitted to Benefits prior to the start of your maternity leave. If you do opt into your health and dental benefits, you will be responsible for 100% of the health and dental benefit premiums.

Yes, PARA ensures that your life and long-term disability coverage continues while you are on maternity leave by covering the cost of your benefit in full. No additional paperwork is required from PARA members.

Ensure that your program has submitted a Leave of Absence letter to the Postgraduate Medical Education office. The AHS Benefits Service Centre, upon receiving this information from PME, will process your LOA during your final week of earnings. A Record of Employment (ROE) will then be issued by the AHS Payroll department following the payment of your final earnings. Your ROE will be sent electronically to Service Canada with a copy mailed to your home address for your records. 

If you are on sick leave prior to the birth of your baby, please call the Benefits Service Centre to advise them of the date you delivered your baby and when your last day of paid sick time is. Your ROE will then be processed as described above. 

If you do not have your ROE one week after the start of your maternity leave, University of Alberta resident physicians should contact Jane Loogman in the Medical Affairs Office at (780) 735-0712. University of Calgary resident physicians should contact Wendy Mitchell in the Medical Education Office at (403) 943-1253.

Birth mothers may take up to 62 consecutive weeks of job-protected leave in combination with their partner. However, it is important to realize that not all of this leave is considered maternity leave.

Maternity leave is for up to 17 weeks of the total leave time. It is this time that is eligible for the “top-up” payment to ensure that the resident physician receives 90% of her salary when combined with the EI benefits paid during this time. 

After 17 weeks, the mother is eligible to take up to another 45 weeks of unpaid parental leave during the first 78 weeks following the birth of a child.

University of Alberta resident physicians should contact the Medical Affairs Office at 780-735-0712.

University of Calgary resident physicians should contact the Medical Education Office at 587-774-7467.

Make sure your program has informed PGME of your maternity leave.

You may be eligible for paid Sick or Special Leave prior to your maternity leave. In such cases, be prepared to provide a doctor’s note and advise your Program Director that you require paid sick time. Please ask your program to provide written notification to AHS Human Resources confirming the date on which your medical leave started.

The PARA maternity top-up benefit tops up your employment insurance maternity benefits for 17 weeks (2 weeks at 90% of salary to represent the EI waiting period and 15 weeks at a rate that when added to your EI payments equals 90%). You are required to fill in a Supplementary (Un)Employment Benefit form in order to be eligible for this benefit. Keep in mind that income tax and CPP will be deducted from this amount.

Where a resident physician has or adopts a child, but is not eligible for maternity leave, he/she is eligible for two weeks paid leave; he/she is also potentially eligible for additional unpaid leave in conjunction with Alberta maternity/parental employment benefits.

You may begin maternity leave at any time up to 13 weeks before your estimated due date once you give your employer the required written notice which indicates the date your leave will begin. The latest that you may begin your maternity leave is the date of the birth of your child. Resident physicians have the option of going on special leave prior to the start of their maternity leave at the recommendation of their physician.

You can apply for EI as early as the eighth week before your due date. If you don’t apply prior to giving birth, you must apply for EI maternity/parental benefits as soon you go on maternity leave even if you do not have your Record(s) of Employment yet. Delaying your application beyond four weeks after your last day of work may cause a loss of benefits. The date that you submit is very important since it affects the amount of maternity benefits that you are entitled to receive. In most cases, there is a two-week waiting period before EI benefits start being paid.

You must contact the Government of Alberta to apply for EI: 

Call: 1-800-208-7218 or Online

You can apply for your PARA maternity top-up benefit by completing the Supplementary (Un)Employment Benefit form (or PARA SUB-Plan application form) and obtaining your first EI maternity benefit confirmation; send both to the Benefits Service Centre. Provided that all the correct documentation is received in a timely manner, resident physicians will receive a lump sum cheque approximately 4.5 – 5 months after the start of their maternity leave. 

IMPORTANT: The SUB Plan Application form must be submitted within six months of a resident physician going on maternity leave. If this deadline is not met, the top-up payment will not be processed by AHS.

For any named holidays that fall on the weekend, you can refer to the AHS payroll calendar (located on inSite), which stipulates the designated day in lieu.

This means that if you are scheduled to commence work on a designated day in lieu, you are eligible to receive a different day in lieu. The day in lieu should be scheduled within the same rotation; in the event that it cannot be scheduled during the same rotation, it will be added to your vacation allotment.

You are entitled to time off with pay for the following Named Holidays:

• Family Day
• Good Friday
• Victoria Day
• Canada Day
• Heritage Day
• Labour Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Remembrance Day
• And any day proclaimed to be a holiday by the Government of Canada, the Province of Alberta or the government of the municipality as a civic holiday for the applicable municipal community. (E.g. National Day for Truth and Reconciliation)

These days are no longer considered Named Holidays as they are accounted for as part of the Winter Break.

• New Year’s Day
• Christmas Day
• Boxing Day

If you are scheduled to and commence work on a Named Holiday, you are entitled to a paid day in lieu. This work includes on-call duty hours and shift based duty hours. The day in lieu is to be scheduled during the same rotation at the time the call schedule is made. In the event that the day in lieu cannot be scheduled during the same rotation, it will be added to your vacation allotment.

It should be noted that working into a Named Holiday does not qualify for a day in lieu. The flex days provided to resident physicians take into account the times when an individual works on the day preceding a Named Holiday finishing the shift on the Named Holiday.

Vacation does not carry over to the next academic year. Any unused vacation that was requested in writing and denied or cancelled to meet critical service needs, will be paid out.

Unless there are extenuating circumstances for individual situations, vacation payouts will not be approved if there is no record of the vacation being requested and denied or cancelled by AHS to meet critical service needs.

Yes. If a mutually agreed upon time between the resident physician and the Program Director cannot be identified, the Program Director is responsible for scheduling the vacation. Reasonable effort needs to be made to accommodate the resident physician’s request; however, there is no guarantee the desired time off will be granted. It is recommended the resident physician request the time as soon as possible explaining the reasons for the request (if it is essential to get the time off).

You are entitled to twenty (20) days of paid vacation time per Appointment Year. Such vacation shall be pro-rated for part-time Resident Physicians.

The Appointment Year differs from the Academic Year if it has been extended for any leaves of absence such as maternity leave.

Typically, any type of leave of absence is not considered vacation. In addition, any day that is not considered standard duty hours (such as Named Holidays and weekend) do not take up vacation time. Here is a more comprehensive list:

• PARA Business
• Maternity/Parental Leave
• Educational Leave
• Exam Leave
• Study Leave
• Special Leave
• Compassionate Leave
• Bereavement Leave
• Sick Leave
• Named Holidays
• Winter Break
• Flex Days
• Weekdays where no shift has been scheduled

In recognition of Resident Physicians who are scheduled and take calls the day before a Named Holiday resulting in working a portion of the Named Holiday, all Resident Physicians shall be entitled to four (4) flex days off each Appointment Year without loss of pay. These flex days are not part of the vacation entitlement.

Flex days are meant to replace the loss of a long weekend. Hence, there is no provision in the Resident Physician Agreement to guarantee being able to take two or more flex days together. As well, while there is no set time to apply for these days in advance, resident physicians are encouraged to give your program as much advance notice as possible. Similar to vacation, the requested days are not automatically approved.

The four flex days provided in the Resident Physician Agreement are available to be used throughout each Appointment Year. There is no provision for Flex Days to be paid out or carried forward into the next Appointment Year if not used, so if they are not used, they are essentially lost.

You will receive six consecutive days off duty with pay between December 20 and January 5 in lieu of Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. These days will be a combination of weekdays and weekend days.

Typically, the program will provide individuals with two (or more) options to choose from. However, since the Winter Break is subject to patient care provision the program has the final determination when the six days will occur.

You may request that the six consecutive days off duty be scheduled at another time to accommodate the observance of an alternative religious holiday. These six days, similar to the Winter Break, will be a combination of weekdays and weekend days. You must submit your request to your Program Director by August 1.

When submitting your request, provide two options for scheduling the six consecutive days off. Your Program Director will grant one of the options within fourteen (14) days of receiving the request.

The schedule for Block 7, including days off and call duties, will be released no later than November 1 of the same year.

If you receive six consecutive days off between December 20 to January 5, you will not receive a day in lieu. This is because you have already received the day off for working the Named Holiday as part of the Winter Break.