8.1 Definition. The educational and professional leave program shall consist of two components, inservice training and elective educational and professional leave. The Employer shall continue to provide inservice, including skills classes, and elective educational and professional leave opportunities to employees. The program is designed to increase staff proficiency and to prepare staff for greater responsibility. This recognizes the joint commitment of HMC and employees to the delivery of quality patient care as well as employee interest in enhancing individual professional skills.
8.2 Inservice Education. Inservice education programs shall be instituted and maintained within the hospital. The programs shall be made available to all employees regardless of shift, and the Medical Center will make a good faith effort to provide as many programs as practical on more than one shift. These programs are to contribute toward staff development and toward the preparation of staff for greater proficiency and/or responsibility. To accomplish this, educational resources from both inside and outside the hospital can be utilized.
Employees in the bargaining units shall be expected to participate in inservice education programs offered during working hours; coverage will be provided when necessary as determined by the Nurse/Department Manager or designee. If an employee is requested to attend an inservice program on off-duty time, he/she shall be given time off on the basis of one and one-half times at a later time within the same pay period which is mutually acceptable to the employee and supervisor or paid in accordance with Article 7, Section 3. For inservices that can be pre-scheduled and for which the Employer has determined that attendance will be mandatory, the Employer will make a good faith effort to give at least two weeks advanced notice when employees will be required to attend on off-duty time. These programs shall be planned as feasible to meet CEARP requirements for approval. Employees shall be expected to incorporate new learning into job performance.
Inservice education shall include orientation by Medical Centers Personnel on the salary schedule, increment increases and overall compensation plan of the University including explanation of deduction to paychecks.
8.3 Educational and Professional Leave.
Registered Nurses – Permanent full-time nurses may be granted up to five (5) days within a 12-month period at the nurse's base salary for the purpose of attending educational and professional programs as defined below. The Employer will grant a minimum of three (3) days of educational/professional leave within a 12-month period to nurses requesting such leave.
Social Worker I, II, Social Worker Assistant 2 – For Social Worker 1’s and 2’s and Social Worker Assistant 2’s who have completed their probationary period, up to forty (40) hours shall be granted annually to each individual bargaining unit employee and prorated for each individual part time bargaining unit employee for educational and/or professional leave.
Health Care Specialists/Leads – For Health Care Specialists/Leads who have completed their probationary period, up to sixty-four (64) hours shall be granted annually for each individual bargaining unit employee and prorated for each individual part-time bargaining unit employee for educational and/or professional leave.
Respiratory Care Practitioner/Lead; Anesthesiology Tech 2/Lead – For Respiratory Care Practitioners/Leads and Anesthesiology Tech 2’s/Leads who have completed their probationary period, up to five (5) days, prorated for part-time, shall be granted annually for each individual bargaining unit employee for educational and/or professional leave. The Employer will grant a minimum of three (3) days of educational/professional leave within a 12–month period to employees requesting such leave.
Airlift Northwest Registered Nurses – ALNW registered nurses may be granted up to eighty (80) hours of educational/professional leave per fiscal year. The Employer will grant a minimum of forty (40) hours of leave per year. Both are pro-rated for FTE.
Such leave shall be subject to budgetary considerations, the scheduling requirements of the Employer, and approval by the Associate Administrator for Patient Care Services, Clinic Administration, Department head or designee, of the subject matter to be studied. Such leave may be used on an hourly basis if staffing permits.
For purposes of this Article, educational and professional leave shall be defined as:
Request for educational and professional leave shall be submitted in writing on the appropriate form to the immediate supervisor with at least two calendar weeks' notice and shall be responded to in writing, including the reason for any denial, within two calendar weeks of the receipt of the request.
8.4 Education Support Funds. In support of HMC's commitment to continuing professional education and development, the Employer will establish continuing education funds to assist permanent employees with continuing education expenses including but not limited to certification and re-certification fees, books, magazines, seminars, tuition for college courses, audio or video cassette courses, conference registration, and travel related expenses for conferences.
Registered Nurses. The Employer will provide $200.00 per bargaining unit nurse FTE at the beginning of each fiscal year. From the beginning of the fiscal year through the end of February of the following year, each nurse shall be guaranteed up to the $200.00 (pro-rated for part-time nurses) to pay for continuing education expenses. Nurses who, prior to end of February, have a request approved for use of guaranteed education support money after the end of February shall have that money set aside for such use and it will not be pooled as outlined below.
Effective March 1 the unspent portion of the $200.00 per bargaining unit FTE shall be pooled on a hospital-wide basis. Also, effective March 1 HMC will add $25,000 to the fund. From March 1 through the end of the fiscal year, the fund shall be allocated on an equitable basis.
There shall be an annual maximum usage of $500.00 per nurse (which includes that portion of the $200.00 per bargaining unit FTE used by the nurse). Nurses may request to be reimbursed for continuing education expenses incurred prior to March 1 which exceeded the nurses' guaranteed allocation.
Professional/Technical Bargaining Unit Members. A pool of $26,000 per fiscal year shall be set aside to fund continuing education in the Professional/Technical bargaining unit.
RT/AT Bargaining Unit Members. For employees in the RT/AT bargaining unit $200.00 per FTE (pro-rated for part-time) per fiscal year shall be made available to fund continuing education. Effective March 1 the unspent portion of the $200.00 per bargaining unit FTE shall be pooled (RT money shall be pooled for use by RT’s; AT money will be pooled for use by AT’s). From March 1 through the end of the fiscal year, the fund shall be allocated on an equitable basis. There shall be an annual maximum usage of $800.00 per employee (which includes that portion of the $200.00 per bargaining unit FTE used by the employee). Employees may request to be reimbursed for continuing education expenses incurred prior to March 1 which exceeded the employee’s guaranteed allocation. Employees who, prior to the end of February, have a request approved for use of guaranteed education support money after the end of February shall have that money set aside for such use and it will not be pooled.
Social Worker Bargaining Unit Members. The Employer will provide up to $500.00 for each individual full-time bargaining unit employee per year prorated for each part-time bargaining unit employee. On March 1 of each fiscal year the unspent portion of the $500.00 per bargaining unit FTE shall be pooled on a department-wide basis. From March 1 through the end of the fiscal year, the fund shall be allocated on an equitable basis. There shall be an annual maximum usage of $850.00 per bargaining unit employee (which includes that portion of the $500.00 per FTE used by the employee). Employees may request to be reimbursed for continuing education expenses incurred prior to March 1 which exceeded the employees' guaranteed allocation.
Health Care Specialists/Leads. The Employer will provide up to $1,300.00 per year (effective July 1, 2006 this will increase to $1,500.00) for each individual full time bargaining unit employee prorated for each individual part time bargaining unit employee. Effective March 1 the unspent portion of the $1500.00 per bargaining unit FTE shall be pooled. From March 1 through the end of the fiscal year, the fund shall be allocated on an equitable basis. There shall be an annual maximum usage of $1800.00 per employee (which includes that portion of the $1500.00 per bargaining unit FTE used by the employee). Employees may request to be reimbursed for continuing education expenses incurred prior to March 1 which exceeded the employee’s guaranteed allocation. Employees who, prior to the end of February, have a request approved for use of guaranteed education support money after the end of February shall have that money set aside for such use and it will not be pooled.
Airlift Northwest Registered Nurses. The Employer will provide $300.00 per bargaining unit nurse FTE at the beginning of each fiscal year. From the beginning of the fiscal year through the end of February of the following year, each nurse shall be guaranteed up to the $300.00 (pro-rated for part-time nurses) to pay for continuing education expenses. Nurses who, prior to end of February, have a request approved for use of guaranteed education support money after the end of February shall have that money set aside for such use and it will not be pooled as outlined below.
Effective March 1 the unspent portion of the $300.00 per bargaining unit FTE shall be pooled on an ALNW unit-wide basis. From March 1 through the end of the fiscal year, the fund shall be allocated on an equitable basis.
There shall be an annual maximum usage of $800.00 per nurse (which includes that portion of the $300.00 per bargaining unit FTE used by the nurse). Nurses may request to be reimbursed for continuing education expenses incurred prior to March 1 which exceeded the nurses' guaranteed allocation.
ALNW will continue to provide all legal and regulatory required training within the mandated timelines. The Joint Labor Management Committee may monitor how the Educational and Professional Development fund pool money is distributed.