Benefits and Requirements
UAMS Regional Centers GME Interview Acknowledgement
Applicant Information
In order to begin a program sponsored by the UAMS Regional Centers, all applicants must meet the requirements for eligibility and selection as specified by policy 1.200 Recruitment and Appointment of the Graduate Medical Education Committee, the program’s criteria, and the criteria found in the Program’s ACGME Requirements.
The applicant must:
- Supply proof that he/she meets all criteria to their program director;
- Complete a pre-employment negative drug screen as specified by the UAMS Medical Center Drug Testing policy;
- Complete a successful criminal background check; and
- Complete all steps in the electronic onboarding checklist within the designated time frame.
Supplying misinformation on any of the documents is grounds for disciplinary action, including immediate dismissal from the program.
Stipend
Stipends for fellows are competitive with other state schools in the southern region.
| PGY | 2024-2025 Stipends |
| 1 | $59,786 |
| 2 | $62,088 |
| 3 | $64,490 |
| 4 | $67,044 |
| 5 | $70,476 |
| 6 | $73,068 |
| 7 | $75,865 |
Pre-Employment Drug Test
UAMS has a drug testing policy which includes pre-employment, random and for cause testing. All fellows accepted into residency/fellowship programs at UAMS Regional Centers must submit to a drug screen. Appointment or acceptance into the training program will be finalized only upon completion of a negative drug screen. The procedure for submitting the sample for testing is provided after Match Day.
Background Check
Appointment or acceptance into the training program will be finalized only upon completion of a criminal background check.
All candidates for residency positions will be notified upon invitation for interview (or during telephone or virtual interview if an in-person interview will not be held) that all appointments to residency positions are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal background check. This notification will include a representative sample of unfavorable information that might prevent appointment as a UAMS fellow.
All applicants for UAMS fellowship positions are required to authorize the performance of a criminal background check (CBC) at the time the position is offered, or in the event of matched applicants, at the time that the match result is received.
The fellow will be asked to disclose any of the below listed situations prior to the obtaining of the CBC. If the CBC returns negative information, the fellow will have an opportunity to challenge erroneous information, or explain accurate negative information, prior to a final decision. Failure to disclose relevant and accurate information that is later discovered on a CBC adds an additional measure of concern about the applicant’s (or fellow’s) qualification for appointment as a sports medicine fellow.
The following CBC findings may be inconsistent with appointment as a fellow in UAMS Regional Centers programs. If any of these findings are identified on the CBC, the offer of a position may be withdrawn, or employment terminated. Please note the following list is representative, but not inclusive, of reasons an applicant may be denied housestaff status.
- Felony convictions that may be reasonably related to the practice of medicine.
- Felony convictions related to the illegal possession, use or distribution of drugs or controlled substances.
- Felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions involving violence against another person.
- A pattern of repeated felony or misdemeanor convictions that calls to question the individual’s ability or willingness to comply with the law, particularly as related to one’s future ability to practice medicine.
- Registered sex offender status (or legal requirement to register but not registered)
- Arrests where the final legal status has not yet been determined.
- Dishonorable discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States
- Exclusion from participation in Medicare or similar programs.
Applicants to whom any of the findings above may apply are encouraged to discuss the situation with the program director prior to acceptance of a position or rank order listing.
GME Leave Benefits
Vacation
Fellows receive 21 days (only 15 weekdays i.e. M-F may be taken) of paid vacation each year. This cannot be “carried over” from one year to the next. Each program will inform its fellows of the specialty Board regulation on leave used vs. Board eligibility.
Sick Leave
Fellows have 12 days of sick leave for medical reasons during each year of training. Each program will inform its fellows of the specialty Board regulation on leave used vs. Board eligibility. The sick leave cannot be “carried over”. Sick leave in excess of 12 days requires special review by the DIO and Program Director.
Professional & Educational Leave
Programs will define and allocate professional and educational leave up to a maximum of 5 days per year, in addition to sick and vacation time. Professional and educational leave may not be carried over from one year to the next.
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
After a year of employment, fellows are eligible for FMLA. Please see your program coordinator for details.
Holidays
Fellows are not granted holidays or compensatory time off for holidays worked. However, if a holiday occurs during a rotation, it will be at the discretion of the Program Director and attending physician as to whether the fellow will or will not report to duty on this day.
Leave of Absence
Unpaid absence from the educational activities of the fellowship program when no sick or vacation leave exists to cover the absence and it is leave other than FMLA-qualified leave.
Bereavement
Sick leave may be granted to employees due to the death or serious illness of a member of the employee’s immediate family. Immediate family is defined as the father, mother, sister, brother, spouse, child, grandparent, grandchild, in-laws or any other person acting as a parent or guardian of an employee. The department head may grant sick leave for death or family illness in an amount which is reasonable for the circumstances.
Civil Leave (Jury Duty)
Please see your program coordinator for details.
Military Leave
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act does not apply to fellows enrolled in the GME program. Fellows who are members of the National Guard or any of the Uniformed Services of the United States may be called to duty in such uniformed service. The fellow shall notify the Program Director in writing upon learning that he/she has been called to duty in a uniformed service. Prior to leaving the program for active duty, the fellow and Program Director shall discuss the tentative plans for the fellow’s return to the program including the level of re-entry. Within the abilities of the program to accommodate the fellow’s re-entry in the program, the duration of absence from the program and the resident’s activities during the absence, the program will make every effort to ensure that the fellow re-enters the program at the level commensurate with his/her abilities.
Additional Benefits
Insurance
Fellows are eligible to participate in UAMS medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance plans. See Resident Benefits rates for more information.
Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation is a system that pays monetary benefits to workers who become injured or disabled in the course of their employment. Workers’ compensation is a type of insurance that offers employees compensation for injuries or disabilities sustained as a result of their employment.
The Employee Relations team works closely with UAMS’ Occupational Health and Safety organization, and UAMS’ third party vendor Public Employee Claims Division (PECD) in managing this process.
Click the links below to obtain information:
- Employee Relations Website
- Applying for Workers’ Compensation
- Workers’ Compensation: What an Employee Needs to Know
Professional Liability Insurance Coverage
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Regional Centers provides each fellow with medical professional liability coverage for their activities within the residency/fellowship program. The coverage is written on a claims-made basis. Each fellow is provided coverage in the amount of $500,000 per medical incident with an annual aggregate of $1,500,000. In addition to the limits of liability, the cost of legal defense is also provided. Hence, each fellow is protected against claims for medical negligence for acts and/or omissions surfacing as a result of their UAMS Regional Centers approved activities. The coverage provided does not extend to activities outside the residency program. For this reason, any fellow involved in moonlighting activities should secure his/her own professional liability coverage for the outside activities. To get more information view the Risk Management and Prevention Guide or contact the Insurance/Claims Management Division of the Office of General Counsel at 614-2077.
Merchant Discounts
There is a list of merchants who offer discounts to employees, students, and alumni of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences when your UAMS ID badge is presented. This list is subject to change at any time without notice, and may not include all merchants who offer discounts to UAMS employees. We suggest you ask businesses if they offer educational, healthcare or state government discounts before making a purchase.
UARK Federal Credit Union
UARK offers a wide variety of loans at very competitive rates. Some of our low-cost or no-cost convenience services include checking, home banking, payroll deduction, credit and check cards, online loans, and much, much more. The more you use our services, the more you benefit!
UAMS Library
The UAMS Library offers a number of online services for housestaff. Fellows can schedule consultations and classes or Request a Library Search. Librarians are available to assist in finding information for patient care or research and assisting with bibliographic software, database searching, resource use, and basic data management. Access to over 100 digital resources can be found on the A-Z Database page
Student Success Center
The Student Success Center services include but are not limited to writing support, presentation support, laptop lending, and tech support for laptops and mobile devices. For more information please visit their website.
Professional Requirements
Licensure
Licensure is distinct from both accreditation and certification and is the process of government through which an individual physician is given permission to practice medicine within a particular licensing jurisdiction. Medical licenses are granted by the Arkansas State Medical Board (ASMB) in each licensing jurisdiction. Individuals in training programs in the State of Arkansas are not required to have a license while rendering services within the training program.
Medicare Enrollment
Most physicians and non-physician practitioners enroll in the Medicare program to be reimbursed for the covered services they furnish to Medicare beneficiaries. However, with the implementation of Section 6405 of the Affordable Care Act, CMS requires certain physicians and non-physician practitioners to register in the Medicare program for the sole purpose of ordering or referring items or services for Medicare beneficiaries. These physicians and non-physician practitioners do not and will not send claims to a Medicare Administrative Contractor for the services they furnish. Licensed and Non-licensed Interns, Residents and Fellows in an approved medical residency program are among those who may register in Medicare solely for the purpose of ordering and referring. Once registered, you will be placed on the Medicare Ordering and Referring Registry and will be deemed eligible to order and refer patients to Medicare enrolled providers and suppliers. Residents and fellows will complete the Medicare Enrollment form when entering their training program
DEA Registration
You cannot obtain a DEA number unless you have a license. Because residents and fellows in the State of Arkansas are not required to have a license while rendering services within a training program, most will not have a DEA number. UAMS residents and fellows will use the hospitals’ DEA number and add their unique identifier as a suffix. Each hospital, University Hospital (UH), Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), and the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS), will have their own DEA number to be used exclusively for patients at each institution and their associated clinics. Visit the DEA Website to learn more.
NPI Numbers
In order for UAMS to be in compliance with the HIPAA NPI Final Rule, each billable UAMS health care provider must have an NPI and UAMS must use this NPI in all appropriate HIPAA-standard electronic transactions after the HIPAA deadline. For UAMS, it is crucial that “billable” practitioners obtain their NPI. Your NPI will be a 10-digit unique number that will be used on electronic third-party health care claims to identify you as the provider of medical services. Your NPI will be your single unique identifier across ALL health plans throughout the United States, thus eliminating the current use of different numbering systems. Your NPI travels with you and will be valid for your work at UAMS or any other health care system.
You must maintain your NPI profile on the NPPES website. If you have changes such as primary work address, phone number, new medical license, please log into the NPPES website and change your information period.
UAMS Drug-free Awareness Statement & Practitioner Health Questionnaire
At the beginning of the program, all residents/fellows receive the UAMS Drug-free Awareness Statement and acknowledge receipt by signing the receipt form and returning it to the Regional Centers DIO. All residents/fellows must complete the Practitioner Health Questionnaire and return it to the Associate Dean for GME. This questionnaire is updated yearly at the time of contract renewal. Questionnaires are confidential. Questionnaires with concerns are reviewed by the UAMS or ACH Medical Staff Health Committees, which recommend a plan of action/follow-up for the resident/fellow and reviews this with the respective program director and departmental chairperson.
Use of Records for Educational Research
Many UAMS Regional Centers faculty members and staff are engaged in on-going efforts to monitor and improve the undergraduate and graduate medical school curriculum. In addition, our accrediting agencies expect us to assess ourselves on an on-going basis and participate in the community of scholars sharing what has been learned. The public dissemination of knowledge is one of the responsibilities of our profession. To this end, such things as test scores, faculty and preceptor ratings, clinical skills and other performance-based assessments, and follow-up surveys and evaluations will be analyzed to address such questions. If the information is released publicly, it is only released in an aggregated form to maintain confidentiality. Individual students and residents/fellows are not identified. Personally-identifiable information is kept confidential, and the privacy of students and residents/fellows is protected to the maximum extent allowed by law. If you have any questions concerning this policy, please contact the DIO of Regional Centers.
Resident/Fellow Support Services
Arkansas Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
The EAP provides professional counseling and/or referral to community resources for a wide range of problems and situations including stress management, financial concerns, alcohol and other drug abuse, elder care, job/career issues, parenting, legal issues, marital/family problems and personal/emotional concerns. UAMS has pre-paid the entire cost of the EAP so that the resident/fellow is not charged for services provided within the EAP. To contact EAP, call 501-686-2588 or 800-542-6021 or visit their website. UAMS has EAP locations in Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs, Fort Smith, and Fayetteville. Residents/fellows may also access the EAP online portal and can request counseling by video or telephone.
Student and Employee Health Services (SEHS) provides the following services as required by UAMS policy for employees and current students.
- Administration and reading of a TB skin test, follow–up with conversion or Provision of a Health Card
- Color Vision Screening
- DLAM allergy screening and clearance letter to DLAM
- Blood Pressure check
- N-95 clearance
- Respirator exams
- Monitor on campus exposures
Work Environment
Call Rooms
Call rooms are provided for residents/fellows who stay overnight. The location and access to the call rooms will be supplied at the beginning of each rotation at each institution. No other living quarters are provided.
ID Badges
UAMS will furnish required ID badges at orientation. Additional badges are required for rotations at community hospitals and other partner sites like Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Fees may be charged for replacement ID badges.
Official Means of Communication
E-mail is the official means for transmission of information between the College of Medicine Dean’s Office/Regional Centers GME Office, and all residents/fellows. E-mail information and instructions are regarded the same as any written hard copy and will often be the only form in which this information is delivered. University policy states that residents/fellows should not have an expectation of privacy on workplace computers and UAMS e-mail address.
All residents/fellows have an electronic mail box in the UAMS e-mail system. Each resident/fellow is responsible for regular (e.g. weekly) checks of his/her e-mail.
Sexual Harassment and Anti-Discrimination
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is committed to providing an academic and employment environment that fosters excellence. Harassment of any kind, racism and discrimination subvert this mission and will not be tolerated. All students, residents/fellows, physicians and other staff and employees shall abide by the Title IX policy.
COVID Vaccination Requirement
UAMS mandates COVID-19 vaccination and requests for accommodation or exemption are available. Additionally, some required residency training experiences are only made available at partner facilities who may also mandate vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition for participating in their clinical environments. Requests for accommodation or exemption from such requirements may be available at partner facilities, but are solely at the discretion of those facilities and not UAMS. All UAMS residents and fellows are required to adhere to policies as outlined by UAMS and our partner sites as part of any ACGME-accredited residency training. Failure to adhere to such policies, including policies regarding vaccinations, may impact a fellow’s ability to successfully complete a training program.