Graduate Medical Education
Benefits Overview 2009-2010

All benefits are subject to change pending review either on an annual basis or on an as needed basis.

Vacation

Twenty working days of vacation are allowed annually. Vacation time cannot be carried over into the next year. Only under unusual circumstances and receiving approval from the Chairman, the Training Director and the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education can vacation carry over to the next year.

Sick Leave

There is a maximum of thirty (22 weekdays and 8 weekend days) sick days per year. Unused sick leave is not carried over into the next year.

Educational Leave

Seven days (five weekdays and one weekend) of educational leave is provided to House Staff Physicians beyond their first year of training. Educational leave is in addition to vacation leave. Funding availability is determined at the program level.

American Psychiatric Association (APA)

Annual membership dues for the APA are paid by the program.  Membership in the APA offers a full array of benefits for Members-In-Training.

Basic & Advanced Cardiac Life Support Courses

BCLS and ACLS certification is required of all new House Staff Physicians. BCLS and ACLS courses are provided at no charge to the House Staff Physicians. The costs of books are the responsibility of the House Staff Physician.

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Bookstore Discount

The House Staff Physician receives a ten percent discount on books and other items at the University’s Bookstore located on campus. Creighton University Bookstore  |  UNMC Bookstore

Cellular Phone Discount

The House Staff Physicians are eligible to receive the corporate discount rate given to Hospital and University employees to purchase a cellular phone and air time through Alltel or Sprint.

Child Care Center

The James R. Russell Child Development Center is available and is located on the Creighton campus. The Child Care Center is open to children six weeks to six years of age. The Center is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Enrollment capacity is 70 full-time children. Staffing includes 11 full-time teachers, one Director, one Assistance Director and one part-time kitchen aid. Enrollment is based on a waiting list.

Health Sciences Library

The Creighton Health Sciences Library provides immediate easy access to biomedical information. Such services include a state-of-the-art computer lab and on-line electronic information available 24 hours a day. It is open until midnight Sunday through Thursday and 10 pm Friday and Saturday.

Insurance Information

- Health, Vision, Dental, Disability, Payflex, Employee Assistance Program, Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment -

Current benefit coverage is provided as part of the House Staff Agreement (Contract) reference Exhibit A of the Agreement. The University’s annual benefit review is conducted on a calendar year basis. Depending upon the outcome of the University’s annual benefit review, changes to house staff benefit coverage is effective January 1st (mid-year of the academic year), which may warrant changes to the coverage as indicated in the current Exhibit A.

Effective January 1, 2007, house staff will cost-share a portion of medical premiums and can select from one of the three coverage options available through the University. Selection of coverage will determine the house staff physician’s contribution to the premium. Please see separate hand-out for a description of the three medical options and premium costs.

- Liability Insurance (Malpractice) -

The University provides liability insurance (malpractice) for the House Staff Physicians in the amount of $1,000,000/$3,000,000. The policy is a claims-made policy with an automatic reporting endorsement (tail coverage). In addition to the main insurance, all physicians of Creighton University also participate in the Nebraska Excess Fund. Upon approval and following program guidelines from the Program’s Chairman and Director, moonlighting is covered by the University’s Liability Insurance provided the House Staff Physician is beyond their first year of training and has obtained the appropriate permanent State Medical License in the State in which the House Staff Physician wishes to moonlight. Exhibit B of the House Staff Agreement also references the Liability coverage.

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Kiewit Fitness Center (KFC)

Kiewit Fitness Center, a top-notch Fitness Center located on the campus of Creighton University, is easily accessible from the Hospital. The House Staff Physician may join KFC at a discounted rate. The Graduate Medical Education Office pays $40.00 towards the House Staff Physician’s membership.

Creighton University Medical Center's Fitness Room

Located inside of CUMC Hospital is a Fitness Room that is accessible 24 hours a day. The Fitness Room includes stationary bikes, treadmills, stair-stepper machines, and free weights. There is a nominal annual fee of $20.00 to join.

Laboratory Coats

Three laboratory coats are provided at the beginning of the House Staff Physicians postgraduate training. House Staff may receive one new coat yearly by request and by exchanging a worn coat. Additional coats may be purchased by the House Staff Physician through the Graduate Medical Education Office.

Maternity & Paternity Leave

Maternity and Paternity Leave is granted in accordance with the “Family Medical Leave Act”.

Meals Allowance

A $5.50 lunch card is provided for use at the Nebraska Medical Center, for weekdays from 11AM to 4PM. In addition, a $5 meal card is provided at the Omaha VA Medical Center. The residents rotating at the Immanuel Medical Center are provided with a $5 per meal card that covers breakfast, lunch and dinner at that site. On call meal allowances are not provided.

Parking

The University will obtain an agreement with affiliated hospitals to provide adequate parking space for the House Staff Physicians at no charge.

Personal Computer Discount

The House Staff Physician may purchase a personal computer, at the educational rate, through the Creighton University Division of Information Technology (DoIT) (IBM Lenovo, Laptops, Gateway Tablet, and Apple Laptops). Microsoft Office Professional Suite is included on all systems with the exception of the Apple. The Microsoft Office Professional Suite can be purchased for $25 for the Apple system. Software can be purchased at the educational discount rate through the Creighton University’s Bookstore.

Retirement Plan

The House Staff Physician may participate in the Supplemental Portion of the University’s 403(b) Retirement Plan. This is a great opportunity to begin a Retirement Savings Plan. All contributions are made on a tax deferred basis for Federal and State taxes. This means you pay no current Federal and State income taxes on the contributions put into the plan. The University offers a variety of companies to choose from including Fidelity Investments, Scudder/ADP Investments, TIAA-CREF, and the Vanguard Group. The House Staff Physician’s contribution is automatically deducted from the monthly paycheck.

Moonlighting

House staff physicians are not required to moonlight.

Should the house staff physician choose to accept employment in a medical professional capacity during off-duty time (that is, the hours when not engaged in patient care activities, scheduled educational conferences or assigned to call duty), the house staff physician shall notify the Creighton Chair, Program Director and the Administrative Assistant in the Graduate Medical Education Office by completing a Moonlighting Activity Report (MAR). Failure to complete the MAR may result in dismissal from the program. House staff are required to complete the MAR on an annual basis and may obtain a copy of the current MAR from their program educational coordinator. Malpractice insurance provided by Creighton University Medical Center covers house staff while moonlighting with proper authorization in the State of Nebraska. Moonlighting outside the State of Nebraska is permissible providing proper authorization is obtained. The house staff physician is responsible for obtaining their own liability coverage for moonlighting performed outside the State of Nebraska. The house staff physician may contact the Liability Carrier utilized by the University to obtain an individual policy for moonlighting performed outside the State of Nebraska. The house staff will not accept employment as a physician without a permanent license in the state of such employment. The house staff physician must obtain written permission from their program director which will be placed in the house staff’s file.

The house staff physician shall remain free to utilize off-duty time as appropriate, so long as such activity does not interfere with the house staff physician’s obligations to the affiliated hospitals, hamper effectiveness in the education program to which the house staff physician is appointed, as determined by the Chair and Program Director of the particular program with which the house staff physician is affiliated. Any moonlighting hours at an institutional training site (internal moonlighting) will be added to regular duty hours and must be in compliance with the duty hours policy. Residents/fellows with J1 visas are prohibited from moonlighting. House staff may not moonlight while on sick leave or while on FMLA.

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