SCHEDULING TIME AWAY FROM THE DEPARTMENT

In thinking about scheduling time away from the department, you may find the following program/university policy regarding Graduate Assistant leave time helpful.
Here, it should be noted that the program is in many ways a year round program, with faculty on 12 month contracts. Graduate assistantships, while not always for 12 months, are based on a weekly work schedule. The professional component of the training program requires consistent availability and ongoing involvement. In planning leaves, you need to consider the following.

1. If you are receiving a graduate assistantship, you must consult with your supervisor prior to each academic break in order to determine how you will handle your ongoing professional responsibilities. How you do this will determine whether you will stay in "pay status" (i.e., receive pay for that period) or not during the time you are gone. Should you and your supervisor agree, one option might be making up the hours you have missed at another time. As an alternative, you could go off “pay status”, which would result in your not being paid for the time off. If you choose to go off pay status, notify our Program Assistant in 3158 HPNP. A third alternative would be to take “leave days”, as described below.

2.Once you begin your professional clinical training, the model of semesters with breaks in between no longer fits at all. Professional patient care responsibilities require significant advance planning in order to be away, and not all professionals in a setting can be gone at the same time. Plan for a maximum of five days per semester (Fall, Spring, Summer) of prearranged personal leave per year, plus appropriate professional leave for meetings, paper presentations, etc. You will need to consult with each of your clinical supervisors regarding scheduling, as well as with the faculty member you are working under if you are a graduate assistant.

Regarding the above, it should be noted that, if the university is closed for a state holiday or a declared emergency (unless the special condition of the GA appointment require working at these times) these days shall not be held against the GA with regard to permitted days of leave.

Consistent with the University Of Florida Board Of Trustees/Graduate Assistants United - United Faculty of Florida agreement, personal time shall be with pay for up to (5) five days per semester appointment. Each GA shall be credited with such five (5) days at the beginning of each semester and shall use leave in increments of not less than one (1) day. That is, leave of any part of a day is counted as a full day. Personal time provided under this article shall not be cumulative.

A Notification of Intent to be Away from the Department form is available in the Psychology Clinic and must be completed by all students with patient care responsibilities who plan to be away from the Department for more than two days.

NOTE: Nothing in this policy is intended to require students to take personal leave time in order to engage in reasonable involvement in activities necessary to meet Program training requirements/goals such as internship interviewing or taking certain extremely time/labor intensive courses (e.g., functional human neuroanatomy). Participation in such rare but intensive activities should involve prior discussion with clinical supervisors and research mentors.