Important Application Information

Houston Methodist Hospital Sample Agreement of Appointment

No Smoking Hiring Policy

Houston Methodist is committed to improving the health of our patients, employees, and communities around us. As a healthcare provider, it’s our responsibility to promote a healthier environment for those employed in our facilities. Job seekers will be tested for tobacco/nicotine product usage, including nicotine gum and patches, during the post-offer physical.

Effective Jan. 1, 2013, Houston Methodist Hospital will no longer enroll/hire residents and fellows who use products containing nicotine; a positive nicotine test at the pre-employment health screen is a failure to meet the conditions of employment considered a violation of the employment contract by the applicant and will result in the inability to start the program. The matched applicant's inability to start the training program will be reported to the NRMP.

If a potential resident/fellow tests positive for tobacco use, the offer will be rescinded and individuals will be given the opportunity to participate in a free Houston Methodist-provided tobacco cessation program. Residents wishing to reapply after testing positive for tobacco may do so 90 days after the date the initial offer was rescinded.

Applicants will not be allowed to start; maybe re-tested in 90 days, but programs will not be obligated to hold the position for the applicant. The applicant has, therefore, violated the match agreement.

ACLS Provider Certification

Residents and Fellows are required to have a current accredited ACLS Certificate throughout their training at Houston Methodist.

ACLS certification must be from an American Heart Association (AHA) accredited course provider. An AHA accredited course will display the AHA logo on your certification card. If your certification card does not display the AHA logo, it is NOT an accredited AHA course. Some companies and websites offer ACLS Certification however they are not AHA accredited and while they use the official textbook, they do not include a face-to-face skills test.

Residents and fellows are eligible for reimbursement of their AHA-accredited ACLS re-certification.

Prospective Residents – Benefits

Houston Methodist Hospital is proud to offer a comprehensive employee benefits program for our residents. This program will represent a sizable portion of the total compensation and is designed to provide protection and a measure of security for residents and their families. This information highlights the many benefit plans available to eligible resident employees. It is not intended to be a complete description of all benefits. Additional details are available and will be discussed upon acceptance in Houston Methodist Residency Program.

Eligibility in the many benefits programs offered by Houston Methodist Hospital is based upon full-time employment status.

Paycheck
Residents are paid every 2 weeks, in accordance with the biweekly pay schedule of Houston Methodist Hospital.

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, and Disability Insurance
Houston Methodist Hospital provides insurance programs to all resident employees of the hospital. The medical plans offered through Cigna are provided cost-free to residents. Insurance coverage for residents and their families, if enrolled, will start on the first official day of their programs. The medical plan offers three options — Premier, Premier Plus and High Deductible. Premier and Premier Plus options are similar in coverage, except that the Premier Plus plan offers out-of-network opportunities.

Vision insurance is provided through EyeMed Vision Care.

The dental coverage plans include either the Delta Dental DHMO or PPO. The DHMO plan requires a referral to a dental specialist from the primary dentist, while the traditional method (PPO) does not.

Supplemental Life, Short, and Long-Term Disability, and Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance plans are also available to residents. A baseline level of short and long-term disability and life insurance is provided free of charge to residents.

Coverage for dependents is available at group rates for medical, dental, vision, AD&D, and life insurance. The premiums for dependent coverage are deducted from the resident's payroll every two weeks.

Flexible Spending Accounts
The resident may participate in a flexible spending account for health care and dependent care expenses through deductions from their pay on a pre-tax basis. The Health Care Spending Account allows residents to be reimbursed for eligible services not covered by the medical, dental, vision, or prescription plans up to the elected amount determined by the resident. The Dependent Care Spending Account allows residents to be reimbursed for childcare expenses.

Paid Time Off (PTO)
Resident employees are allocated PTO, for vacation, holidays, personal reasons, severe weather emergencies, family illnesses, and short-term personal illness at a predetermined annual level. The PTO annual award for residents at the PGY1 level is 16 days (128 hours) and the award for residents at the PGY2 level and above is 21 days (168 hours). Unused PTO will automatically carry over to subsequent training years.

Upon termination, residents who worked for Houston Methodist for at least four years from their original date of hire can receive a payout, less applicable taxes, of their remaining PTO balance (not to exceed the amount of PTO that was awarded for the current academic year). Residents may not participate in the PTO sell program. Example: A resident has finished their fourth academic year and has 208 hours remaining in the Bank PTO balance. Employment terminates so 168 PTO hours will be paid out with 40 hours being forfeited.

Educational Leave and Stipend
Residents at the PGY1 level and above are offered five (5) PTO days (40 hours) to present at professional meetings or attend in an official capacity (elevated officer/representative) approved by the respective Program Director. Residents at the PGY1 level and above are eligible to receive up to $1,600 per year to defray the costs of presenting at a conference (travel, lodging, airfare, and registration fee), etc. Residents in their final year of training are eligible for a $2,000 educational leave stipend.

PGY2 Residents and above may use their Educational Leave funds to pay for recertification only in ACLS.

Examples of Educational Leave include: Presenting papers at professional conferences/meetings, presenting poster exhibits at professional conferences/meetings, time off to take a licensure examination, or attendance at meetings of professional organizations in which residents occupy official positions as officers or representatives.

Malpractice and Tail Coverage
Houston Methodist Hospital provides residents with professional liability coverage at no cost. Liability coverage also includes legal defense and protection against awards from claims reported or filed after the completion of the program if the events are within the scope of the program ("tail coverage").

Wellness Programs
Various wellness programs are available to residents such as smoking cessation, weight reduction, stress management, tai chi, etc.

Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
The EAP, administered by United Behavioral Health, provides easy, no-cost access to a professional who can offer residents and family support and direction with personal or job-related stress. The EAP can assist with issues surrounding relationships, parenting concerns, drug and alcohol use, anxiety, depression, financial concerns, etc.

Transportation and Parking
Residents are given the opportunity to obtain parking contracts in the Texas Medical Center at discounted rates for various garages within close proximity to the hospital. Other transportation options are also available to residents through Human Resources Transportation Services and are discussed in greater detail during resident onboarding and orientation.

Legal Plan
Hyatt Legal Plans provides a plan to assist residents with legal matters for a very minimal fee per pay period.

Retirement Plans
Residents may contribute a significant level of allowed compensation to a 403(b) Tax-Sheltered Annuity, up to the annual IRS contribution limit. Residents will also receive an employer match of 50% up to the individual contribution of 4%. Additional assistance is available for retirement planning through Fidelity Investments as well.

Lab Coats
Residents are provided with a limited number of monogrammed lab coats through GME via your program at no cost to the resident.

Resident Lounge and Call Rooms
Residents are encouraged to use the Resident's Lounge that is comfortably equipped with sofas, chairs, a refrigerator, a microwave, cable television, and computer workstations. Houston Methodist Hospital also provides call rooms for overnight call. The GME office also assigns sleep rooms to residents who are too fatigued to drive home safely.

Email
Each resident will receive a required Houston Methodist email account accessible from any Internet-capable computer.

This information highlights the many benefit plans available to eligible resident employees. It is not intended to be a complete description of all benefits and may change as institutional policies are modified. Additional details are available and will be discussed upon acceptance into a  Houston Methodist Residency Program.