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Salary, Vacation, Leave, Travel and Other Policies

Salary and Benefits

Residents will receive a salary for the residency year as outlined in their letter of offer and will receive benefits, including medical, dental and extended health.  Information regarding payroll and benefits can be found on the InsideNet under iSite. 

  • Questions regarding your pay cheque should be directed to Payroll Inquiries, with contact information found on iSite.
  • Questions regarding your benefits should be directed to Human Resources/Benefits, with contact information found on iSite.
  • Discuss Payroll Inquiries not resolved above with the Program Coordinator. 

Vacation

Residents will receive two weeks (10 working days) of paid vacation during their residency year. Your vacation days have been pre-scheduled in your Residency Schedule.  Residents are encouraged to use this vacation time to relax and rejuvenate.  

STAT Holidays

Residents will not be required to work on STAT holidays and will be paid for STAT holidays. 

iLearns

Residents will be required to complete some electronic orientation modules (iLearns) at the beginning of their residency year.  These are required to be completed by all Interior Health employees, including residents, and relate to providing employees with the tools to work in a safe work environment.  The Program Coordinator will provide the residents with instructions on the iLearns to complete, how to access them and the deadline for completion. The list of required iLearns can be found in one45 under Handouts and Links_Program Objects.

Standards of Conduct

Residents are required to adhere to the Standards of Conduct for Interior Health Employees.  These will be provided to residents as part of the employee on-boarding process and are reviewed with residents as part of the iLearns.  Preceptors and all others involved in the Program are also expected to adhere to these Standards.  The Standards of Conduct can be found in one45 under Handouts and Links_Program Objects.

Project Days

Project days are considered scheduled residency days.  Residents are expected to be working on their projects during this time.  If project work is not available or possible, the resident should use this time to do other meaningful residency-related work.  Under no circumstances are these days to be considered days off.  Residents should use their project days wisely as they are limited in number.  This will require planning and organization.

Sick Days

As per the Standards of the BC Pharmacy Residency Program, as soon as possible and prior to the start of the business day a resident who is sick shall notify:

  1. EARL (Employee Absence Reporting Line): 1-855-264-9515.  Have your employee ID ready.
  2. Program Coordinator 
  3. Their preceptor 

The Program Coordinator will track resident sick days in one45 and this will be regularly monitored by the Program Coordinator.  They will also be applied towards sick days according to our institution's policies.

Residents are not entitled to any specific number of "sick days".  When a resident is sick, the Program Coordinator, in consultation with the preceptor, will determine whether the missed days due to illness need to be made up and how this is to occur.  The timing of the absence in the rotation, the duration of the absence and its actual or potential impact on the resident's ability to meet the objectives and requirements of the Program will be considered when making these decisions. A record of such leave shall be maintained and applied towards allowed sick days according to our institution's policies.

Employee Screening for COVID-19 Symptoms

Residents will adhere to the Interior Health Policy for Employee Screening for COVID-19 symptoms.  This will be reviewed with the residents during their Orientation to PPE during their Program Orientation Rotation.  If upon performing the daily screening, the resident answers YES to any of the screening questions, they are to not come to rotation and should phone the Program Coordinator on her cell phone to discuss a plan. 

Other Extenuating Circumstances

Our Program adheres to the policies pertaining the leaves for "Extenuating Circumstances" outlined in the Standards of the BC Pharmacy Residency Program.  Residents should contact the Program Coordinator immediately should any of these circumstances arise.

Residency Days

All rotation, academic half day, BC Case Presentation and project rotation days are considered to be residency days.  Residents are expected to be doing residency-related work during these days.  During conference days, residents are expected to be attending the conference.  Under no circumstances are any of these days considered to be days off.  The only exception to this are vacation days.  

Conference Leave 

Residents have been scheduled to attend the CSHP Banff Conference.  This conference is tentatively scheduled to take place in March 2024 in Banff.  Residents will be given time away from rotation and funding to cover the travel, accommodation and conference registration to attend this conference.  The Program Coordinator will provide further information regarding this conference in the Fall once the details of the conference are known. 

Dress Code and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Residents are expected to dress in professional attire during all residency rotations and activities, including academic half days. Lab coats are not required and are not typically worn by health professionals at IH sites.  Scrubs may be worn on direct patient care rotations at the discretion of the preceptor.  Residents will be provided with an orientation to the PPE requirements during the Program Orientation rotation.  Residents are expected to adhere to these requirements while on direct patient care rotations.

Photo ID

Residents are required to wear their Interior Health photo identification in a visible place at all times when in the hospital and on residency rotations/activities. Residents will also receive a magnetic name tag with their name and title.  This name tag was developed as part of the patient and family-centred care initiative to ensure that patients and their families know who the health care professionals are who are providing care to them.  Residents should wear this name tag while providing direct patient care and are encouraged to wear it on other residency days as well.  You will notice that your preceptors and pharmacy staff wear this name tag.  The Interior Health photo identification is required to be worn at all times, regardless of whether you are wearing the magnetic ID tag.

Travel Reimbursement for Rotations and BC Resident Research Night     

IH Program Policies

  1. Residents will be reimbursed up to $1500 per rotation to help cover travel and accommodation costs for rotations in Interior Health, outside of the Okanagan (KGH, VJH, PRH).
  2. Residents completing rotations at Vernon Jubilee Hospital/Penticton Regional Hospital can commute to this location from Kelowna.  Residents' mileage for travel to and from this rotation site will be covered if they are commuting from their residence in Kelowna/West Kelowna to a rotation at VJH or PRH.  Residents will not be reimbursed for accommodation for these rotations because they can live in Kelowna while completing rotations in Vernon or Penticton. 
  3. Residents will also receive reimbursement to cover travel and food costs to attend BC Resident Research Night, which occurs in May each year in Vancouver. 
  4. Food costs as outlined in the Interior Health Travel Policies will be reimbursed for BC Resident Research Night in Vancouver.  Food costs during rotations will not be reimbursed. 
  5. Travel, accommodation and food costs will also be reimbursed for the Evidence Based Practice Rotation. 
  6. The Program does have a list of accommodation options for all rotation sites in the Program.  This list will be provided to residents at the beginning of the residency year.
  7. Residents are expected to book their own travel and accommodation.  This requires planning.  Residents having difficulty with this should contact the Program Coordinator immediately.
  8. When booking a hotel, residents will stay at a hotel that has a BC Provincial Government Rate as per the following: http://csa.pss.gov.bc.ca/businesstravel/
  9. Residents will be provided with the Interior Health Travel Policies and will be expected to review them at the beginning of the year.  Residents will be reimbursed for travel and accomodation expenses only if they align with the travel policies.  The Travel Policies document will be provided to residents at the beginning of the residency year.

To receive reimbursement for travel and accommodation costs:

  1. Keep all original receipts
  2. Obtain the reimbursement form from the Program Coordinator.  This form will be sent to residents at the beginning of the residency year, along with instructions on how to complete it.  This form is called a TEER form.
  3. Complete the form and return to the Program Coordinator along with your receipts (stapled to the form), who will submit for reimbursement.  It usually takes 2-3 weeks to receive reimbursement and will be placed on your pay cheque.  Place the completed form in the folder the says "Resident Travel and Credit Card Forms and Receipts" on the Program Coordinator's office wall or email the completed form and copies of receipts to the Program Coordinator.
  4. Instead of completing these travel and reimbursement forms, residents do have the option of obtaining an Interior Health coorporate credit card to use for travel and accomodation.  The Program Coordinator will review this during the Program Orientation Rotation.
  5. The Program Coordinator in consultation with the resident, will reconcile all credit card purchases.
  6. Mileage can be submitted for reimbursment when residing in Kelowna/West Kelowna and traveling to rotations in Vernon.  Residents are to record their mileage and submit their milage.  This is done through iSite on the InsideNet by logging into iSite and clicking submit mileage under the business centre.  Complete the fields and under Trip Reason indicate the rotation that you are on.
  7. Residents are encouraged to photocopy all receipts and reimbursement forms and keep them for their records.

UBC Library Card

Residents will receive a UBC Library Card to access UBC Library Resources.   

BC Pharmacist License

Residents are required to seek licensure with the BC College of Pharmacists as soon as possible.  Once obtained, please notify the Program Coordinator of your College ID.  If you are unsuccessful in obtaining your Pharmacist License, please contact the Program Coordinator immediately so that arrangements can be made.

CSHP Membership

Residents are required to become a member of CSHP as per the CPRB Accreditation Standards.  Membership information can be found at www.cshp.ca.  Residents are encouraged to attend CSHP events, in particular the Interior Branch event, which typically occurs in the Fall of each year as these are great learning and networking opportunities.  Once registered, please provide your CSHP number to the Program Coordinator.

 

-Last updated June 12, 2023