Limitations
Up to three (3) days of personal leave may be granted to learners in the MD program per academic year.

Personal leave may not be used for assessment deferral requests.

Requests for personal leave will not be approved in circumstances where:

• mandatory sessions cannot be made up (e.g. Trauma and Survivorship),
• other learners can be negatively impacted by the absence (e.g. Inter-professional Education), or
• the number of learners requesting personal leave on a given day would impact the delivery of curriculum (e.g. if a significant portion of the class requests the same day). 

Documentation
Personal leave requests made in advance do not normally require supporting documentation. If personal leave is requested retroactively, or in one of the circumstances listed above, the Phase lead may request details related to the missed time or require the learner to request an alternative type of leave.

Learner Action Required

1. Learners submit the online Medical Learner Leave & Assessment Deferral Request form and submit it to the UGME office as outlined in the respective Leave Requests webpage. The form must be submitted no later than the first day of return to learning.
2. Learners in Phase 4 are strongly encouraged to contact their supervisor, preceptor and/or resident directly, as this is considered appropriate professional behavior. 
3. Where possible learners may present their leave requests at the beginning of the Phase/rotation to avoid the creation of conflicts in learning/clinical responsibilities. Unless otherwise indicated, learners must ensure that all clinical duties (including call), are covered for the duration of the leave.