Salary, Benefits, and Resources Policy

The Sanford Health Postdoctoral Psychology Residency program meets requirements for professional licensure in North Dakota and Minnesota. Residents must complete 2080 professional hours (including a minimum of 500 direct clinical contact hours) within the 52-week training year in order to complete the residency. Residents are required to maintain records of their hours. Most sites begin their day at 8 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. Paid leave time and authorized absences for professional development activities are counted towards the 2080-hour requirement.

The salary for our Residents is $65,000 plus benefits including health insurance, holidays, and other leave (personal time off). Residents will be designated as employees of Sanford Health regardless of which site they are primarily located. All residents will receive comparable health benefits (medical, dental, vision), as well as paid time off, through Sanford Health. Residents will be reimbursed for some travel-related expenses.

Residents are eligible to enroll in health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, and other voluntary benefits. Residents are also eligible for employer paid benefits including a basic level of term life insurance, short term disability insurance and long-term disability insurance. Benefits include 21 days of Allowed Time Away (ATA). These days can be used for your personal use and will include vacation, and sick days.

Sanford Health follows 6 holidays in their calendar: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Unused ATA does not pay out upon conclusion of your residency year. Residents will be given 12 calendar days of paid sick leave per calendar year for personal and dependent illness.

Residents are given days of paid educational leave to attend conferences, major professional meetings, and study/prepare for the EPPP and state licensing exam. There will be reimbursement for conferences, major professional meetings, in-person didactics, and to sit the first EPPP and state exam up to $5,600. There will be a moving stipend up to $5,000.

It is likely that some minor travel expenses may be incurred; however, postdoctoral psychology residents may submit documentation for reimbursement of certain out-of-pocket expenses while traveling for required residency activities. Sanford Health provides funding for resident expenses incurred during travel for mandatory, off-site training-related activities, including but not limited to travel, lodging, and meals associated with a state psychological association conference.

Meal reimbursements apply only to meals that are not made available to the resident by the Postdoctoral Psychology Residency and only during the required training-related travel. Residents should plan to pay separately when dining together. The Sanford Health Postdoctoral Psychology Residency program will not reimburse alcohol.

To be reimbursed, residents must save all original receipts and send them to the Postdoctoral Psychology Residency Program Administrator within 5 business days of returning from a training experience. The Program Administrator will complete a travel expense form on behalf of the resident. Travel reimbursements may not exceed $2,500 per resident annually.

To support our resident’s role in caring for others, they will receive access to Sanford Health’s Provider Well Being resources. This includes a time-saving virtual assistant, as well as in-the-moment counseling for you and your family members available by phone or in-person to manage depression, stress, anxiety, anger management, marital and parenting concerns, work life issues, and wellbeing lifestyle changes. Residents will also have access to legal and financial resources, leadership development information, and referrals to reputable resources for issues such as substance use disorders. Additional benefits include:

• Use of the Sanford Health virtual library resource
• Access to Sanford Health’s EAP service – Vital Work Life
• Sanford Wellness benefits discount
• Continuing Education (CE) reimbursement

The Sanford Health Postdoctoral Psychology Residency program allows and encourages residents’ time away from work and follows the Sanford Health Allowed Time Away policy as follows:

1. Vacation: Residents shall receive three (3) weeks (21 calendar days) of paid vacation annually. Leave requests should be submitted to the primary supervisor and the program administrator. Vacation is noncumulative and any unused time will not be paid out to the resident at the end of the training year.
2. Meetings/Conferences: Residents will be allowed up to 10 calendar days to attend trainings and conferences (outside of didactic days).
3. Sick Leave: Residents will be given 12 calendar days of paid sick leave per calendar year for personal and dependent illness. Sick leave is noncumulative, and any unused time will not be paid out to the resident at the end of the training year. Residents are responsible for notifying their primary supervisor and the program administrator of any absence due to illness. Residents shall provide medical verification for absences due to illness when requested. If incapacity results in more than 3 days, the Sanford Health Long-Term Medical and Family Leave Policy will be followed.
4. Additional Sick Leave: Additional unpaid sick leave may be granted with written permission from the resident’s primary supervisor and the training director(s). If granted and if incapacity results in more than 3 days, the Sanford Health Long-Term Medical and Family leave Policy will be followed. Additional sick leave shall not be credited as training time and will result in makeup requirements.
5. Parental Leave Policy: The Postdoctoral Psychology Residency program parental leave policy follows the Sanford Health Parental Leave Policy.
6. Leave of Absence: The Postdoctoral Psychology Residency program leave of absence policy follows the Sanford Health Leave of Absence Policy.
7. Funeral Policy: The Postdoctoral Psychology Residency program funeral policy follows the Sanford Health Funeral Policy.