Professional Development & Reimbursement

Southwest Care Center strives to promote a culture of continuous learning. The organization encourages team members to enhance knowledge and skills and to network with other professionals. SCC recognizes that for development purposes, employees may need to attend training seminars or join professional associations that will enable them to remain abreast of best practices in their respective fields. 

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In support of this team member professional development, SCC offers a wide array of professional development programs to employees. Reimbursement covered include:

▪    Professional exams and licensure

▪    Certificate programs and credentials

▪    Courses offered by an accredited institution, including e-learning.

▪    Workshops, seminars, and conferences.

▪    Memberships in professional organizations.

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Eligible employees may take advantage of reimbursement and/or time off in accordance with the procedures set forth in this policy. All professional development opportunities and reimbursements are subject to approval as outlined below. Programs offered are subject to annual organizational budgets established for external professional development programs and may be modified without notice. When applicable, taxation will follow all federal and state guidelines.
 
Continued Medical Education (CME) and Continued Education Units (CEU)

1.    Eligibility includes full and part-time medical and professional staff as described in section 

2.    Benefit amounts are based on eligible position and allocated once per calendar year in January. Rollover of unused amounts into a new calendar year is not permitted and total amounts are pro-rated based upon FTE status.
          a)    Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants-$3,000
          b)    Other Practitioners (i.e., Diabetes Educators, Clinical Pharmacists)-$2,500
          c)    Officers-$1,500
          d)    Managerial and Professional Staff (i.e., Directors, Managers, Pharmacists, RNs, Case Managers,

                 Clinic Managers, Behavioral Health, Certified Billing & Coding)-$1,000
          e)    Certified Medical Assistants and Certified Pharmacy Technicians) -$500

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3.    Allowable expenses include qualified courses, event registration, travel, lodging and meals.

4.    Providers, to include Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Diabetes Educators, Clinical Pharmacists, and Behavioral Health Counselors, will be granted up to 5 days of time off to participate in qualified continuing education opportunities. CME/CEU time off will be granted on a pro-rated amount based upon FTE status and should be entered into Workday using the CME/CEU paid-time off code. Unused days are not eligible to rollover into a new calendar year. Furthermore, CME/CEU time off requires advanced notice as outlined in the Paid Time Off Policy. See A.6 of this section for details related to eligibility upon resignation.

5.    Written request should be submitted by employee for review prior to commencement of the course using the SCC Professional Development Reimbursement Request Form found under the quick links on the SCC Sharepoint Main Page. No other request format will be accepted. Also, failure to do so in advance will result in course not being eligible for reimbursement. Managers should ensure that the CME/CEU meets all eligibility criteria prior to approval then return the signed approval back to employee. Upon completion of CME/CEU coursework, employee reimbursement request must be submitted through the Workday Self-Service portal by typing “create expense” in portal search bar and following prompts to finalize expense request. Reimbursement approval must be attached to the request. The document upload function is available within the Workday expense report function. Approved reimbursements will be made separately from payroll. Employees should ensure that they have direct deposit set-up and selected for expense payments prior to submission. Otherwise, payment will be made by check.
6.    No reimbursement or time off requests under this section will be approved for those who
have submitted a resignation. The following conditions apply:

         a)    Any CME/CEUs that are approved in advance of 60 days from the date of resignation notice and     

                submitted for reimbursement prior to last day will be reimbursable.
         b)    CME/CEU approvals made 60-days or less from date of resignation submission and not yet           

                 reimbursed will not be considered approved for reimbursement.
         c)    If the employee requested and was approved for CME/CEU time off days in advance of 60 days from

                the date of resignation notice and not yet taken at the time of resignation will remain approved. No

                CME/CEU time off taken under this section will count toward the notice of resignation period.

         d)    Any CME/CEU days that were requested and approved 60-days or less from date of resignation

                submission and not yet taken at the time of resignation will be considered unapproved. If the

                employee has sufficient PTO/ETO days available, they may request PTO/ETO for these days subject

                to re-approval by the manager. No CME/CEU time off taken under this section will count toward the

                notice of resignation period.

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Tuition Assistance
In accordance with Code 26, Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code, SCC offers a Tuition Reimbursement Program.

1.    Eligibility includes all full-time benefit eligible employees who have completed one (1) year of service and have an overall rating of “Meets Job Expectations” on their most recent Performance Evaluation. Additionally, the following criteria must be met in order to qualify for reimbursement.

          a)    Degree program must be from a nationally or regionally accredited university or college.
          b)    Any non-degree program coursework must be relevant to the employee’s current position or a

                 position to which they aspire at SCC.

          c)    A letter grade of “C” or better for undergraduate courses and a letter grade of “B” or better for

                 graduate or above. A grade of “Pass” will also be eligible for reimbursement.

          d)    Written approval must be obtained prior to the start of coursework.

2.    Eligible employees may receive up to $1,500 per calendar year. Rollover of any unused amounts are not permitted to be carried over into the new calendar year.

3.    Eligible expenses include:

         a)    Tuition for courses both on-campus and online

         b)    Books and fees related to approved courses
         c)    Certification and licensure exam fees

4.    Employees who voluntarily terminate employment within 12 months of receiving a tuition reimbursement will be required to refund the entire amount of paid reimbursement. Deductions will be taken from final wages and/or Time Off payouts in accordance with federal and state wage and hour guidelines to satisfy this repayment.
5.    Written request should be submitted by employee to their immediate supervisor for review prior to commencement of the course using the SCC Professional Development Reimbursement Request Form. Failure to do so will result in course not being eligible for reimbursement.
Managers should ensure that the tuition reimbursement request meets all eligibility criteria prior to approval then return the signed approval back to employee. Upon completion of education coursework, employee reimbursement request must be submitted through the Workday Self-Service portal by typing “create expense” in portal search bar and following prompts to finalize expense request. Reimbursement approval must be attached to the request. The document upload function is available within the Workday expense report function. Approved reimbursements will be made separately from payroll. Employees should ensure that they have direct deposit set-up and selected for expense payments prior to submission. Otherwise, payment will be made by check.

6.    No approvals for reimbursement under this section will be granted for an employee who has submitted a resignation.

 

Licensure, Professional Memberships, and Subscriptions

1.    Eligibility includes full and part-time medical and professional staff as described in section C.2

2.    Benefit amounts are based on eligible position and distributed once per calendar year. Rollover of unused amounts into the new calendar year are not permitted.

          a)    Physicians -$1,000

          b)    Advanced Practitioners (i.e., Nurse Practitioners, Diabetes Educators, Clinical Pharmacists)-$500

          c)    Officers-$1,000

          d)    Managerial and Professional Staff (i.e., Directors, Managers, RNs, Case Managers, Clinic Managers,

                 Behavioral Health, Certified Billing & Coding)-$500

          e)    Certified Medical Assistants and Certified Pharmacy Technicians) -$250

3.    Allowable expenses include licensure expenses, individual association memberships related to professional purpose of employment, trade magazines, and individual online or software subscriptions. Memberships must be directly related to the position and reflect a need and benefit to the organization.
4.    No approvals or reimbursement will be granted under this section for an employee who
has submitted a resignation. Exception will only be granted in the circumstance of licensure or certification renewal whereby employee is required to have current licensure or certification in order to provide services at SCC.

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