Family Medicine Residency Program

Benefits

Stipend and Paycheck
Residents are paid every two weeks, in accordance with the biweekly pay schedule of Physicians of Texas, Inc (“PhyTex”). The 2007-2008 pay schedule was:

Holidays
Residents follow the PhyTex holiday schedule. The attending on the rotation will let you know what your responsibilities are or whether you have the day off.

Vacations
Outside of holiday scheduling, each PGY I resident receives two weeks (10 business days) of paid vacation per academic year. Each PGY II and PGY III resident receives three weeks (15 business days) of paid vacation per academic year. In addition, the Program attempts to provide each resident with two additional days off around during the December/January holidays.

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life and Disability Insurance
Each resident may enroll in the various insurance programs offered to all resident employees of PhyTex. Details are provided in a benefits package distributed to residents each year. Please consult this packet or contact Human Resources for more information. Memorial Hermann Healthcare System helps residents cover the cost of group health, dental and disability insurance. There are multiple medical insurance options, including Cigna HMO, as well as Freedom of Choice Catastrophic, PPO 50, PPO 80 and PPO 85 levels. Dental coverage plans include a HMO as well as a traditional insurance plan. Vision, Supplemental Life, and Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance is also available. A baseline level of long-term disability insurance is provided, with higher levels of coverage available as well. A baseline level of life insurance is provided, with higher levels of coverage available as well. A plan for legal advice and assistance on frequently needed personal legal matters is also available. Coverage for dependents also is available at group rates for medical, dental, vision, AD&D and life insurance.

Professional Liability
Professional liability insurance for resident’s participation in the program is provided by PhyTex.

Employee Injury Program
Medical expenses for injuries occurring during residency-related activities are paid by PhyTex.

Continuing Medical Education (CME)
The residency encourages our residents to learn Family Medicine in a variety of settings and develop the tools for life-long learning. In support of these goals, each second and third year resident is urged to engage in continuing medical educational activities for up to five business days each academic year. In addition, up to $800 is provided by the Residency to meet the expenses of that activity. Residents may instead purchase self-study courses (paper-based or on computer media), medical textbooks or medical software with CME funds. CME funds are reduced to $400 total for this purpose, as we strongly believe that residents are best served by attending CME activities.

Meals
The program provides each resident with meals while on duty at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital. A wide range of menu offerings are available.

Lab Coat
PGY I residents receive three lab coats at no cost; PGY II & PGY III residents may request one additional lab coat per year at no cost.

Resident Lounge and Call Rooms
A lounge for use by residents is provided in Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital. The lounge is equipped with comfortable furniture, refrigerator, DVD and cable television. The program also provides private call rooms.

Parking
All residents are provided covered parking in the garage at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital campus at no cost (a refundable $10 deposit is required). There is a $5 replacement fee for a lost or stolen card.

Medical Society Memberships
The program pays the fees for membership in the AAFP, TAFP, Texas Medical Association and the Harris County Medical Society.

On-Line Medical Resources
Each resident receives a license to use the Challenger software during the three years of his or her residency. This is a comprehensive set of reading materials and self-assessment reviews in virtually every aspect of medicine. You also have the ability to purchase your own subscription upon your graduation at a much reduced rate. In addition to Challenger, we provide our residents with free access to UpToDate, MD Consult and other valuable on-line resources.

Email
Each resident receives a free MHHS email account. You may access this account from any Internet-capable computer.

Wellness Center
Just as we encourage our patients to seek healthy lifestyles, we also wish the same thing for our residents. Each resident receives a free pass to use the Memorial Hermann HBU Wellness Center next to Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital for 30 visits. After that, each resident is invited to join the center at a discounted rate.

Moonlighting
Moonlighting provides an opportunity to earn extra income and increase exposure to clinical medicine in diverse settings. Moonlighting must not conflict with program requisites, weekday work hours, weekend call or weekend required rounding with attendings. A resident may not be paid for any work done as part of a residency rotation (other than his or her usual stipend) without the prior approval of the program director. Residents who request moonlighting privileges must meet pre-requisites described in the resident’s manual. In-house moonlighting is available at the Clinic’s Urgent Care Center.

Maternity/Paternity Leave
Residents may use a combination of vacation time, sick time, leave of absence and a Parental Elective to spend time at home with the infant. The Parental Elective is available for a period of two to four weeks.