Annie Sinnott, DO, Medical Director at US Acute Care Solutions describes their brand new paid parental leave program and other flexible scheduling for new parents.

With recruiting season upon us, I remember the anxious excitement of being a Senior Emergency Medicine Resident. Finally, the pain of residency was drawing to an end. Freedom, real money and a chance to use the skills I had spent the better part of a decade acquiring were within reach.

Yet the excitement was diluted with a barrage of confusing information. My phone rang off the hook with recruiter calls. From summer to winter my senior class affectionately referred to Tuesdays as “Tenderloin Tuesday.” Tuesdays meant more steak dinners from more groups telling us why we should sign with them.

One group stood out: USACS. In truth USACS wasn’t even born yet. Yet to have an enlightened“child” you must start with a progressive parent. EMP, a founder of USACS, was exactly the forward-thinking group I was seeking.

Back then, I was a young member of the LGBT community and in a committed relationship. Ten years ago, gay marriage wasn’t legal. I knew, however, that I was in a “forever kind of love” and sought a group willing to offer healthcare benefits to me and my partner. EMP was that progressive company.

A decade later it is only getting better. Honestly, being an “out” woman within this organization has not been a handicap. Quite frankly, it has propelled me forward.

Three years out of residency, I was offered my first ED Directorship in Appalachian Ohio. If a gay kid like me can survive there, she can thrive anywhere. Since then, three other USACS Director-level opportunities have had my name on them. Who knew that telling the truth about yourself could lead to such fortune?

I am so grateful to belong to this colorful, diverse and national family. Thanks to many passionate voices and those willing to listen, USACS has become an industry leader in Diversity and Inclusion. Our most valuable resource is one another.

Our commitment to each other is evidenced in our programs and policies. Since joining in 2007, I have had the privilege of being asked to be a member of our Diversity and Inclusion Council, our Provider Wellness Council, and most recently, our Destination Employer for Women in Emergency Medicine Council.

As a Senior Emergency Medicine Resident, I had no idea I would be positioned one day to help make industry-leading policy with a great group. It’s with much excitement, I share with you our groundbreaking Parental Leave Policy, new for 2017:

12 weeks of leave for birth mother

  • 8 weeks at 100% pay
  • 4 weeks of 50% pay

Adoptive parents and other primary care givers

  • 2 weeks at 100% pay
  • 4 weeks at 50% pay

Father, partner, spouse and other non-primary caregivers

  • 2 weeks at 100% pay

Pre-birth scheduling

  • Flexible clinical self-scheduling in month prior to delivery

Post-birth scheduling

  • Flexible clinical self-scheduling for all new parents for 3 months post leave

Without a doubt, this policy will enrich the lives of our USACS children, mothers, fathers and adoptive parents. As a now 42-year-old, happily-married, gay woman considering adoption, this policy will allow me to do what I value most: Care for myself and others. Does it really get any better than this?

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