Resident Stipend Policy

I. Purpose of policy

To define how the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited training programs at Dartmouth Hitchcock (D-H) determine the appropriate stipend level for all Residents.

II. Policy scope

The policy applies to all Residents participating in ACGME-accredited programs at D-H.

III. Definitions

Resident: Any physician in an ACMGE-accredited graduate medical education program including residents and fellows.

IV. Policy statement

  • Residents in all ACGME-accredited programs must be provided with appropriate compensation as recommended annually by the Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC).
  • Residents at the same Post-Graduate Year (PGY) level of training in all programs must be paid in accordance with the stipends recommended by the GMEC.
  • Residents may not be paid less than, or in excess of, the stipend for the PGY level of training.

    The following individuals are exempt from this requirement:
    • Residents whose compensation is provided by the United States Armed Forces or the United States Federal Government.
    • Additional year Chief Residents (e.g., Internal Medicine and Pediatric Chief Residents).
  • Resident stipends are determined based on the PGY level of the program, not by the number of years of prior graduate medical education completed by the Resident.

    The following circumstances are the only exceptions to this rule:
    • ACGME-accredited combined residency programs (e.g., Leadership Preventive Medicine Residency) are considered to be a single program when assigning PGY level.
    • A Resident entering a training program following completion of a portion or all of the Board requirements in another specialty may receive PGY level credit for that portion of training which meets Board eligibility requirements in the new specialty/subspecialty area of training.
  • PGY level credit towards training in another specialty/subspecialty program is not given for time spent as an additional year Chief Resident.
  • It is the responsibility of the Residency or Fellowship Program to:
    • Notify the GME office of the appropriate stipend level based on the Resident’s PGY level starting in the program.
    • Programs complete the New Hire Spreadsheet to notify the GME Office of new hire status.
    • Notify the GME Office of any change in PGY level based on a Resident’s satisfactory progress within the residency program.
    • Programs complete the Resident Advancement Task Wizard in the MedHub Residency Management System for notification of promotion/reappointment.

D-H Policy ID: 11274