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Physician Contract Glossary · Benefits & Leave

PTO (Paid Time Off)

PTO is the bank of paid days you can use for vacation, illness, or personal time, sometimes combined into a single pool.

Paid time off is the paid leave the employer provides. Some practices keep vacation, sick, and personal leave separate; others combine them into one PTO pool. The total amount, how it accrues, whether it carries over year to year, and whether unused PTO is paid out at departure all matter. A combined pool can mean using vacation days when you are sick.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Find out the total days, the accrual and carryover rules, and whether unused PTO is paid out when you leave. Also check whether call coverage and CME eat into the same pool, which quietly shrinks your real time off.

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