Benefits

Residents in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences receive benefits as members of the ETSU Quillen College of Medicine. Salaries, leave, insurance, and other benefits.

2024 - 2025 Resident and Fellow Salaries
*Tennessee does not have a state income tax*

Leave

Annual/Vacation Leave
Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University office of Graduate Medical Education provides residents/fellows with up to 15 working days (Monday through Friday). Weekend days are at the discretion of the department. Annual leave is scheduled by the Program Director to ensure adequate coverage of educational and clinical responsibilities and must be approved in advance.  Unused annual leave may NOT be carried over into a new contract year. Residents/fellows are not paid for any unused annual leave.

Administrative Leave
Residents/fellows may receive up to five (5) days administrative leave over the course of their residency/fellowship, depending on their program's policy.  Trainees completing a preliminary year or a one year fellowship may receive up to two (2) days of administrative leave, depending on their program's policy.

Educational Leave
Educational leave may be provided to attend conferences and workshops.  A maximum of five (5) days per contract year is allotted.  The resident/fellow may petition the Program Director for an additional five (5) days per contract year.  These days will not carry over into a new contract year.  Residents/fellows rotating through the Veterans Affairs hospital will be allowed five (5) days per academic year.  A request with required documentation must be submitted at least 30 days in advance for educational leave.

Exam Leave
Residents/fellows who are taking a required exam may take up to two days paid leave for the exam and up to two days for travel with the approval of the Program Director.  Documentation is required to the program.

Holidays
Official holidays of the University are not automatically observed as time off for house staff.

Sick Leave
Sick leave is provided at the rate of one (1) day per month, and may accumulate to a total of not more than sixty (60) days for continuous service.  Accumulated sick leave is forfeited if University service is contractually interrupted.  Sick leave can only be used for bona fide illness which prevents the performance of professional duties and cannot be used for vacation, educational leave, or other personal purposes.  It is the responsibility of the resident to notify the Program Director of illness which prohibits his/her attending to assigned duties.  The Program Director has the right to require verification for any illness from a licensed physician.  Residents are not paid for unused sick leave.  

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Residents/fellows are entitled to the provisions of the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993. The resident/felllow may be assessed their accrued paid sick and annual leave.  Residents and fellows are entitled to take unpaid FMLA leave if they do not have sufficient accrued paid leave. To be eligible for FMLA leave, a resident/fellow must have worked for the University for at least 12 months, and have worked at least 1,250 hours during the year preceding the start of the leave.  FMLA leave is available for the birth of a child and the care of such newborn child; for the placement of a child with the resident/fellow for adoption or foster care; for the care of the resident's spouse, child or parent who has a serious health condition; or for the resident's own serious health condition that prevents him/her from performing the essential functions of their position.  Married resident/fellow couples are restricted to 12 weeks FMLA each.  For questions or to begin the process for FMLA please contact Renee McNeely in the GME office at 423-439-8293 or mcneely@etsu.edu.

Leave of Absence Including Parental/Caregiver/Medical Leave

Resident Handbook (Scroll down to "Leave of Absence")

Military Leave
All residents/fellows who are members of any reserve component of the armed forces of the United States or of the Tennessee National Guard may be entitled to leave of absence from their duties for all periods of military service during which they are engaged in the performance of duty or training in the services of Tennessee, or of the United States, under competent orders as stipulated in the U.S.C. Title 38, 4311-4318 and T.C.A. 8-33-101 through 58-1-106.
Each resident who is on military leave shall be paid his/her salary or compensation for a period, or periods, not exceeding fifteen (15) working days in any one (1) calendar year, plus such additional days as may result from any call to active State duty pursuant to T.C.A. section 58-1-106.  The resident must furnish the University certification from competent military authority of the dates of active duty that were actually performed. 

Jury Duty
Residents/fellowship training has been recognized as an activity that should not be interrupted.  However, participation in jury duty is a civic responsibility.  In the event that a resident/fellow is called for jury duty, he/she must notify the Program Director.  The Program Director must arrange with back-up to release the resident/fellow from clinical activities during the jury duty process if at all possible. 

Resident Sick Leave Bank
The purpose of the ETSU RESIDENT SICK LEAVE BANK is to provide emergency paid sick leave to members of the residency programs who have suffered an unexpected personal illness, surgery, injury or disability with complications beyond their control and who have exhausted their personal sick leave. By definition, "unexpected personal illness", does not include recovery following childbirth. Unforeseen complications during pregnancy would be a qualifying event.

Insurance 

Health
For questions regarding coverage or to make changes please contact Sissy Shipley in the GME office at (423) 439-6373 or shipley@etsu.edu The resident health insurance is effective the first day of employment as indicated on the resident contract and is currently provided through Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Residents may elect single coverage or family coverage. Premiums are shared by the university and the resident. The resident portion is $35.00 for single coverage and $75.00 for family coverage. The premiums are payroll deducted monthly. For information regarding eligibility please see the Resident Handbook.

Vision
If enrolled in the health insurance through Blue Cross/Blue Shield residents also receive vision coverage at no additional premium. 

Dental
The resident dental insurance is provided by Blue Cross/Blue Shield.  Residents may elect single coverage or family coverage.  Premiums are shared by the university and the resident.  If the resident has elected healthcare coverage, the resident's premium is covered in the $35 single/$75 family health care premium.

Life
A basic term life insurance policy is available for each resident in the amount of $50,000. No life insurance is available for dependents. Residents may elect to purchase additional life insurance up to $500,000.

Disability
Individual disability policies with monthly benefits of 60% salary, after 90 days of disability are available for the resident only. Additional coverage may be purchased by the resident. Disability benefits are effective on the first day of disability insurance eligibility which is the first day of employment as stated on the resident contract.

Professional Liability Insurance
As a resident physician with East Tennessee State University under the State of Tennessee your professional liability coverage will be provided by the Tennessee Claims Commission Act (TCA 9-8.301 et sq). The limits of liability are $300,000 per plaintiff/$1 million dollars per occurrence. State law provides that residents have absolute immunity from liability for acts or omissions within the scope of their employment, unless the acts or omissions are willful, malicious, criminal, or done for personal gain

Other Benefits

Center for Physical Activities 
Free Membership for Residents, memberships may be purchased for dependents.  
The Wayne G. Basler Center for Physical Activity (CPA) is a 120,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility which includes: an indoor pool, multiple courts, a large weight & cardio room, indoor & outdoor climbing wall, an indoor track and four studio spaces.  The outdoor Campus Recreation facilities include the Field Complex, the CPA Intramural Fields, Tennis Courts, Disc Golf Course and University Trail System. Additional information may be obtained at: (423) 439-7980 or https://www.etsu.edu/students/campusrec.

Deferred Compensation Program
Residents may elect through payroll deductions to divert portions of their pre-tax earnings into an IRS Code 457 or 401(k) tax deferred income plan. Enrollment in one of these plans allows a resident to set aside a portion of current earnings and receive the value of these earnings at a later date, usually after retirement. Income which is diverted in this manner, plus any accrued interest, is not taxed until actually received.  See the Resident Handbook/Benefit page for more details.

Impaired Physicians Program
East Tennessee State University, James H. Quillen College of Medicine is committed to supporting the Tennessee Medical Foundation and the Physicians Health Program in regards to our faculty, residents and students. Counseling services will be available to all residents upon their request or the request of the Program Director. Services will address any issue of professional or personal stress that may be encountered during the training experience which might result in deterioration of performance, medical behavioral problems or substance abuse. Services will function within and follow the guidelines set by the Tennessee Medical Foundation, Physicians Health Program.

Tuition Reimbursement  
The College of Medicine has set aside $5,000 annually for tuition reimbursements for resident's spouses and eligible dependent children. Reimbursement will be limited to undergraduate classes at ETSU only and will be on a first-come-first-served basis. Applications are available by calling the Office of Graduate Medical Education or on the Forms & Links page of this website. Applications must be completed for each semester and submitted by the deadlines of August 1 for the Fall Semester and December 15 for Spring Semester.  For more information or questions please contact the GME office at (423) 439-8023.

Resident Assistance Program (RAP)
East Tennessee State University, James H. Quillen College of Medicine's Resident Assistance Program (RAP) is a confidential counseling and referral service for East Tennessee State University Medical School residents and their families. The purpose of the program is to encourage self-referral so that you can be helped with training issues, personal and marital concerns before they lead to more serious difficulties. The first six visits are free and subsequent visits are covered by resident health insurance with the normal deductible and co-pay applied.