The University of Western Ontario
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

Residents are entitled to four weeks of vacation, not more than two weeks of which shall be taken in any one rotation. The guidelines are:

1. Resident fills out request, signs, dates – sends to Chief Resident. The Chief Resident
   approves/declines (using specific criteria), signs, dates – sends to the Program Administrator. The Program Administrator reviews – sends approval/denial to the resident. The Program Administrator updates Vacation Summary - sends to Program Director and Chief of Rotation for their information only.
2. No vacation may be taken during the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology Meeting.
3. Adequate resident coverage (minimum of two must be in town) for coverage of emergencies.
4. Failure to finish holidays by the end of the second week of June may lead to forfeiture of the vacation time.
5. Vacation time must be arranged by March 1 of any academic year.
6. Preference for vacation time is given to the senior residents during the 4 weeks prior
   to the Royal College Examination.
7. Taking stat holiday make up is discouraged on Fridays due to interference with the
   seminar teaching series.
8. Senior residents will be given a maximum of 4 weeks off before their Royal College
   exams – 2 weeks as time off and 2 weeks vacation time. It is suggested that they take the rest of their vacation time (2 weeks) before March 1.

Per PAIRO-CAHO Agreement Section 11

1. Residents shall be entitled to four (4) weeks paid vacation during each year.
2. Vacations may be taken by housestaff at any time, but, subject to article 11.4, the timing of vacation may be delayed only where necessary, having regard to the professional and patient responsibilities of the hospital department for the time the vacation is requested.
3. Housestaff may arrange for their vacation to be taken in one (1) continuous period or in one or more segments of at least one (1) week in duration provided professional and patient responsibilities are met.
4. Requests for vacation shall be submitted in writing to the department head at least four (4) weeks before the proposed commencement of the vacation and not later than March 1. As an exception to the above, each resident taking a certification examination in the Spring shall have until one month prior to the date of the examination to make a written request for one week of his/her vacation entitlement. Vacation requests submitted before March 1, or one month prior to the date of a certification examination, will be considered in priority to those submitted after that time. All vacation requests must be confirmed or alternate times agreed to, in accordance with Article 11.2, within two (2) weeks of the request being made. Where the hospital department rejects the vacation request, it will do so in writing and include the reasons for rejecting the original vacation proposal.
5. There will be no adjustment to vacation entitlement for up to seventeen (17) weeks in the case of pregnancy leave of absence and/or up to thirty–seven (37) weeks in the case of parental leave of absence. Where a resident is entitled to and takes pregnancy leave and is also entitled to and takes parental leave, there will be no adjustment to vacation entitlement for up to thirty-five (35) weeks.
6. The Hospital shall not institute policies that restrict the amount of vacation that residents can take over a given rotation, it being understood that the hospital continues to have the right to delay an individual resident’s request where necessary having regard to the professional and patient care responsibilities of the hospital department pursuant to Articles 11.2 and 11.3.