Many of these perks require dues-paying membership (and even for those that don’t, don’t be a freerider). You can also read the entire new contract here. 

SALARY

  1. 2% increase in salary each year of the contract, in addition to the increase you get from progressing in PGY year.
     
  2. All required research years are guaranteed a yearly salary increase. If you are in a required research year, even if it is before or after your fellowship starts, you are entitled to an increase in PGY and accordingly in pay. Let us know if you do not get this. 
  3. Chief Resident/Fellow: All chiefs are entitled to $175 per month as a chief stipend, regardless of FTE status.
  4. Orientation: You are paid for all orientation activities including those you do from home. 

LEAVE and ACCOMMODATIONS

  1. Vacation: 4 weeks per academic year. PLUS a paid personal holiday each CALENDAR year. Programs are allowed to require you to take your vacation on certain dates or in certain chunks, but they must allow you to take all your vacation days and personal holiday days. They cannot require you to take your personal holiday day on a day when you were already off.
  2. Sick Time Off: 17 days per academic year. Your program is not allowed to make you make up sick days– this is illegal. If they are doing this, please contact us. 
  3. Professional Time Off: 10 days per academic year. Your program can deny requests for certain days if you are needed for coverage, but they should not be denying all of your requests. They must allow you some flexibility to use these days to go to conferences and interviews. If it seems impossible to use these days in your program, let us know. 
  4. Bereavement Time Off: If you experience the death of a loved one you are entitled to bereavement leave SEPARATE from your sick and vacation leave. Without dipping into sick leave, you can have up to 5 days of bereavement leave (or 3 if no significant travel is required).
  5. Washington Paid Family Medical Leave: Residents based in WA are eligible for the WA PFML program through which they can get more pay during pregnancy-related or other family and medical leave. Residents can additionally overlap vacation and sick days with this leave to get paid in full for some of their leave. For more information, click here. 
  6. Pregnancy accommodations: Pregnant residents have the right to opt out of overnight call and 24+ hour shifts. Your program cannot refuse this request. You are also encouraged to request other reasonable accommodations, such as relief from overnight call. In addition to talking with your program, we encourage you to contact the DSO. Academic HR and the DSO can help make sure you get the accommodations you need.
  7. Pregnant residents are encouraged to take at least 4 months of parental leave, but you can choose to take up to 6 months or more as discussed with your program. 

TRANSPORTATION

  1. Fully-subsidized (FREE) UPASS: You must swipe your Upass within 60 days of your start date to activate it.
  2. Free night and weekend parking: All RFPU-NW members get free night (4pm-8am) and weekend parking at UWMC and Harborview. At Harborview, use your normal PPUP card to swipe in and out of P1, P2, P3 or P4, and you will not be charged. At UWMC, park in the triangle garage and obtain a card from the gate attendant before leaving so you dont have to pay.
  3. Parking at any clinical site after the first site (i.e. if you have to visit 2 or more clinical sites in a day) of the day will be reimbursed by your program.

CHILDCARE

  1. $50,000 childcare fund, distributed twice per year. You’ll get an email from the RFPU-NW when the application opens in the fall and spring.
  2. You are eligible to participate in subsidized UW childcare and back-up and sick childcare options. There are many more childcare resources here: https://hr.uw.edu/child-care/
  3. There are also discounts on nanny shares and other childcare on https://thewholeu.uw.edu/

FRINGE BENEFITS

  1. Meals reimbursements: At Harborview, UWMC-Montlake and UWMC-Northwest. You receive one meal for every 12-hour shift, plus an extra meal for a 24 on a week day, and three total meals for a 24 on a weekend or holiday. This is reimbursed to your husky card at $10 per meal. Confirm you are receiving these reimbursements! There is usually a 1-2 month delay. To get the reimbursement, you MUST LOG YOUR HOURS IN MED HUB! Email Hayley Fisher if you are not getting your reimbursements. Once the money is on your husky card, you can use it at the cafes and cafeterias, or you can request a refund and get a check in the mail for the total amount. At Seattle Children’s meals work differently, at $11 per meal for certain shifts using your SCH badge, on a “use it or lose it” system.
  2. Housing Stipend: You will receive $2500 annually on your first or second paycheck each year. 
  3. Professional development funds are yours to use for supplies and services you need for your professional development, such as q banks, books, and conference fees. Different programs have different rules for what they can be used for. General guidance given to programs by GME can be found here. Your program can grant you professional development funds in one of two ways: $350 in reimbursements per year, rolling over each year up to a maximum of $1500; OR $400 each year as a stipend, to reduce programs’ administrative burden of dealing with reimbursements. 
  4. Programs must provide lodging and travel for residents on required away rotations. If this is not happening, let us know. 
  5. Programs must reimburse you for a limited license. If you get a full license they must reimburse you at least the amount of a limited license but can reimburse the full license at their discretion. 
  6. Programs must reimburse you for Step 3. 
  7. You receive professional liability coverage at no cost. This cannot be used for external moonlighting. 
  8. Residents who are not PGY1 are allowed to moonlight at the discretion of GME and their program. More information can be found here. 

HEALTH and WELLNESS

  1. Safe Ride Home program: If you cannot safely get home for any reason, you should take a taxi or rideshare and you can be reimbursed for both your trip home and, if applicable, your trip back to the hospital to pick up your car or bike. Reimbursement requests should be submitted to RFPU-NW and we will work with GME to get you reimbursed.
  2. Appointments with GME Wellness Counselors are free of charge and you can make an appointment at https://www.schedulicity.com/scheduling/UGWNXJ. You are guaranteed leave from duties, including during working or on-call hours, for any health, dental, or wellness appointments. If you are not allowed to go to a health or wellness appointment, let us know right away. If you miss less than four hours of work for any appointment, you do not have to take a sick day.
  3. There are several health insurance plans to choose from on Workday. Dental insurance is free. 
  4. You have the right to have your white coat laundered for free. If you don’t know how to do this, ask your program coordinator. 
  5. You have access to fitness centers at every hospital that has one. At UWMC, the fitness center is in the crow’s nest. At the VA, it is nearby the south entrance. If you don’t have access, ask your program or let us know. 

GRIEVANCES

  1. You have the right to grieve violations of the CBA and RFPA. We can also help you navigate any problems in your program even if they are not violations of the CBA. Help us advocate for you. Email us anytime.

WEINGERTEN RIGHTS

  1. If you suspect that any meeting will involve discussion of possible, even future or potential, disciplinary action, you have a right to union representation. Let us know as soon as possible.