Several types of insurance coverage are available for fellows. These include:

 

A term-life insurance policy and disability insurance are both provided by the hospital for each house staff member. Each house officer is eligible for Blue Cross and Blue Shield comprehensive hospitalization insurance.

 

To qualify for designation as a trainee on a U.S. PHS training grant, a fellow must be a citizen of the United States or have obtained an immigrant visa card (green card). Since all of our fellows will be supported during their second and third year on this training grant, we are reluctant to accept fellows into our program who are not U.S. citizens or do not have a green card.

 

Because of the large number of highly qualified applicants, the time commitment required of our faculty, and the high cost incurred by applicants, only a limited number of applicants are invited to interview.

 

Our program participates in the National Resident Matching Program for positions and Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS).

 

All fellows must have valid North Carolina medical licenses. A resident training license which is valid within Duke University Medical Center may be obtained, but this license is not valid for moonlighting. Fellows are encouraged to obtain permanent licenses in North Carolina.

 

Duke has a moonlighting policy that permits the acceptance of outside professional responsibilities during the fellowship, provided they do not interfere with the functioning of the fellow and that permission is obtained from the program director. A medical-center-wide consent form is used for such activities. Extensive moonlighting is destructive to the individual's training experience and is simply not permitted.

 

The division typically provides financial support for one meeting per year for each fellow. This is guaranteed if an abstract is being presented. Monetary limits are set by the division office.

 

The salary is determined by University Policy and is equal for all clinical fellows consistent with their post-graduate year status.

 

Funding in one of the fellowship years is usually from hospital sources (Duke or Durham VA Medical Center), whereas funding for the other two years will be on the NIH training grant but the salary will still be on the PGY scale.

 

Fellows currently receive three weeks of vacation annually. These may be taken at any time consistent with patient care needs except for the first and last months of the academic year. If vacations are needed during these times, special permission must be obtained from the division office.

 

All fellows are responsible for arranging coverage for their responsibilities, obtaining attending approval and submitting completed vacation request forms to the division office.

 

The fellowship sick leave policy is consistent with the Department of Medicine policy, please see GME Web site for more details.

 

Maternity/paternity leave is:

 

Beyond 10 weeks (plus two weeks transition) may be taken without pay. All time beyond four weeks plus two weeks transition must be made up, possibly up to completion of an extra training year.

 

Additional information regarding terms and conditions of employment are available at the Duke University Medical Center Graduate Medical Education web site.

 

Although our fellowship provides a wealth of clinical and research opportunities, we also take a great deal of pride in our fellows being able to balance their professional interests with their personal lives. As many of the faculty have stated, “Your career is a marathon, not a sprint.”

 

To enjoy a long and fulfilling career requires balance at work, at home, and in other aspects of one’s life. We believe the fellowship program helps to accommodate these needs, and we achieve this through a number of means:

 

Parenting options. The Duke Human Resource office offers a number of benefits for working parents, including:

 

Long research blocks. A central component to the development of effective research is dedicated time to do this. Some of our fellows with family commitments have been able to do a fair amount of their research work at home, or have been able to be more flexible with their work schedule. Also, since research fellows do not take routine call they are able to spend more weekends at home or away from the hospital.

 

Grant money and loan repayment. A number of our fellows have qualified for the NIH loan repayment program, designed to repay a portion of educational loans for those individuals motivated to pursue an academic career.

 

Other fellows have earned grants through which they have acquired spending money for computers, textbooks, and travel.

 

Our fellowship program helps individuals find and apply for appropriate rewards so that fellows can be focused towards their career goals rather than financial stresses.

 

Cost of living. The Durham-Chapel Hill area is a lively, growing area with a number of amenities found in larger cities, yet it is also very affordable. Not having to spend as much money on rent or mortgage eases the financial stresses of many who have chosen Duke.

 

Ease of living. The Triangle lacks the traffic patterns found in many larger cities, so you will not waste hours going to work, finding parking, or running between hospitals. Coupled with low overall crime rates, nationally recognized public schools, excellent climate and geography, and the convenience of a major airport, the Durham-Chapel Hill area is often cited as a choice place to live and work.

 

Moonlighting opportunities. A number of our fellows gain additional income via a number of moonlighting opportunities. As long as it does not interfere with one’s education or work, and is in accordance with Duke’s moonlighting policy (please see GME Web site), we understand this can be an important source of income for a few fellows and their families.

 

Supportive environment. Our program is extremely responsive to the needs of its fellows, and we will do everything in our ability to support our fellows and their families' needs. Learning how to balance professional life with personal life is key to the success of each of our trainees.