GME Fast Facts

UT College of Medicine Chattanooga
Graduate Medical Education Fast Facts
2010 - 2011

1. Residents and Fellows in the Statewide University of Tennessee Graduate Medical Education Program are considered student employees. As student employees, proper registration procedures are essential. That is why it is so important for you to submit the UT GME Registration Form via our secure web form. Contact the GME Office at (423) 778-7442 if you have difficulty.
   
2.  As a student employee of The University of Tennessee, you will be paid by the University. The University is on a monthly payroll system. Residents and Fellows in the UT Graduate Medical Education Program participate in Social Security. The current FICA deduction is 7.65%. Payday is the last working day of the month. Direct deposit is mandatory for all employees. You will need to complete a Direct Deposit in the GME Office before June 29 or during the University orientation on June 29. Please bring a blank check with VOID written across it to submit with the Direct Deposit form. You will need to select a bank or other financial institution (such as a bank or credit union) in which to deposit your checks.
   
3. Since payday is the last working day of the month, you will receive your first UT paycheck on Friday, July 30. 
   
4. The annual base salary scale for 2009-2010* is:
   PGY 1 $43,260                    PGY 5 $49,440
   PGY 2 $44,805                    PGY 6 $50,985
   PGY 3 $46,350                    PGY 7 $52,530
   PGY 4 $47,895
   
   *In addition to the base salary, each resident receives $600 per year for disability and life insurance which is payroll deducted.   We anticipate a 3% base increase for each level
   for 2010-2011; however, we cannot confirm that until the Erlanger budget has been approved by its board by early July.
   
5. As a State of Tennessee student/employee, your professional liability coverage is provided by the Tennessee Claims Commission Act of 1985. The State is self-insured so there is not an insurance company or policy number. Coverage is similar to that of a malpractice policy, and the limits of award are $300,000 per claimant and $1,000,000 per incident.  
   
6. Monogrammed white lab coats (four for each incoming resident and fellow) will be distributed at orientation on June 29. Your size and the way your name should read should have been included on your Letter of Commitment. If you are not sure (before we order coats by April 20), you can try on a coat at a uniform shop or stop by our GME Office in Chattanooga and try on our sample coats in all sizes.  
   
7. The Hospital provides mail boxes in the main hospital Post Office; however, some programs have boxes in their departments. Please check with your department regarding procedures for mail.  
   
8. Health insurance coverage is not automatic, but Erlanger requires that you participate in the resident health insurance plan or be covered under another policy. The payroll deduction from your monthly check for the employee portion of your premiums will be as follows:
   Individual $65.00
   Employee & Spouse $125.00
   Employee & Children $110.00
   Family $175.00 
   
9. For the first time, the resident health insurance will also provide dental coverage. Representatives will be available to answer questions about insurance (health, dental, life, and disability) at a special session on Friday, June 25, from 3 - 5:30 PM in Probasco Auditorium at Erlanger.  
   
10. Since the University is still in the process of bidding the required disability insurance, details and applications will be distributed at the June 25 session with the representatives.  
    
11. Identification badges will be made by the Erlanger Employment Office. It will denote that you are a physician and UT Resident or Fellow. You must wear this photo I.D. at all times in the hospitals.
    
    We will also request official U.T. IDs from Memphis that you can use at various locations throughout the state for special discounts (such as state parks). We will submit the official photos we take on June 29 to Memphis after the first of July. 
    
12. Our web site is located at http://www.utcomchatt.org. Our GME and Erlanger policies are located in an Online Handbook: http://www.utcomchatt.org/subpage.php?pageId=486 
    
13. The Office of General Counsel at UT Knoxville must be notified if you receive a subpoena. The phone number is (865) 974-6583. The attorney assigned to Chattanooga residents and fellows is Associate General Counsel, Rhonda Alexander.   
    
14. You are required to receive a TB skin test every year. Incoming residents and fellows will have a TB skin test on June 28 just prior to the start of our University and hospital orientation session.  
    
15.  The nine UT required online training modules that include HIPAA, compliance, sexual harassment, and sleep and fatigue education must be completed prior to being placed on payroll. 
    
16. The CITI research course must be completed online prior to beginning residency or fellowship.
    
17. The Statewide UT GME System utilizes a web-based software to manage most aspects of your residency training and demographic information. We maintain your biographical data, block schedules, call schedules, evaluations about you, evaluations completed by you, and duty hours tracking via this system, known as New Innovations Residency Management Suite. Soon you will be sent a login and password as well as instructions for using various modules within the program. Some programs also utilize the system for tracking conference attendance and keeping track of scholarly activities. You will be able to log your own duty hours, complete your evaluations, view evaluations completed about you, and enter presentations, abstracts, research proposals, etc., as part of your research and scholarly activity file.

 Revised 5/19/2010