GME Policy and Procedure July 2024-June 2025

GME Office

Statement of Institutional Commitment

UAB GMEC Charter

Annual Institutional Review (AIR) Policy

Special Review Policy

House Staff Council Bylaws

Resident Appointment and Selection

Restrictive Covenants

Closure or Reduction in Size

Continuation of GME Support

GME Leave Policy

GME Wellness Policy

Supervision of Resident/Fellow

Transition of Care Policy

Clinical and Educational Work Hours Policy

Moonlighting Policy and Important Steps Guide

GME Due Process Policy

GME Procedures for Submitting Concerns or Complaints

Our goal is a learning environment in which every trainee feels valued, safe, and supported. ReportIt is designed to be a confidential system that medical students, faculty, and staff can use to report concerns and commendations. The Heersink School of Medicine takes all submissions via the ReportIt page seriously. Reports are sent to the appropriate member of the administration for follow-up.

The Graduate Medical Education Diversity and Inclusion Office endeavors to promote an environment of inclusivity for trainees and faculty at UAB. Our goal is to increase the knowledge around the diverse cultural and social backgrounds of our patients, residents, and fellows so our doctors and educators can better serve the community around them.

A Non-Standard Training (NST) Program is clinical training for foreign national physicians in advanced subspecialty programs for which there is no Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accreditation or American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Member Board certification.

For more information on NST Training Programs and processes at UAB, click here: "Non Standard Training Programs INFO Box Link"
You may also contact the GME Office at gme@uabmc.edu or 205-934-4793.

If you are a NST Trainee applicant and need assistance with the Visa process, please contact the International Student & Scholar Services office at isss@uab.edu.

Counseling Services at UAB Medicine

Office of Wellness exists in UAB Medicine to provide free of charge confidential consultation and coaching through conversations for faculty, advanced practice providers, medical residents and fellows, medical students, biomedical graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows. Services include wellness check-ins, one-on-one assessment and consultations, informal coaching and advising through conversations, group sessions, and referral assistance. Some common reasons residents/fellows visit the Office of Wellness are: stress management, depression, anxiety, burnout, family and relationship issues, communication difficulties, substance abuse issues, and career/academic concerns. The office is located at 509 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd South. The phone number is (205) 731-9799.

Employee Health Provider Health Officer: UAB Medicine provides a convenient service to address stressors for physicians, PhD faculty, advanced practice providers, fellows, residents and medical students. No referral is necessary. Visits are confidential, unless there is a threat of harm to self or others. No EMR documentation is created. Most appointments are virtual and are free of charge. These services are provided by UAB Medicine Provider Health Officer Sandra Frazier, MD. To make an appointment, email Dr. Frazier.

UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center

Offers confidential support services for UAB employees and members of their immediate household. Services include individual, couples, and family counseling, financial advisement, educational and stress management programs and access to a collection of online resources. 

Counseling services are also available in the Hospital (FOT Building) on various Mondays and Saturdays throughout the month. Please call UAB EACC to schedule an appt. at either location. 

Distance Counseling (for Selma, Montgomery, & Huntsville programs)

UAB's Employee Assistance and Counseling Center (EACC) offers distance counseling. For more information, please click here or call at 205-934-2281.

Article: Video-based distance counseling can help off-campus employees stay well

AWARE - Cognitive Skill Building

UBER Service

Transportation Options for Residents/Fellows Who May Be Too Fatigued to Safely Return Home:

• Each incoming resident and fellow is sent an email invitation to join the GME Ride Uber account.
• By clicking the link in the invitation email, residents will be able to call an Uber when too fatigued to drive home or when dealing with car repairs.
• Please contact the Graduate Medical Education Department at gme@uabmc.edu or 205-934-4793 with activation issues or questions.
• If this service is needed during hours that GME is not open (M-F, 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.), pick up any hospital phone and call *55 (or, 934-3422), identify yourself as a GME resident/fellow and request this service.

Uber to UAB Highlands:

• To increase safety and convenience of UAB providers providing care at main campus and Highlands, providers can access a UAB Uber account.
• For more information, please contact the GME Office at (205) 934-4793."

UAB Safety Escort

• Call 205-934-8772 and request on-demand van service
• Available daily from 9:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
• Must have your UAB Badge to ride
• Safety escort is available within the following border:
  • Railroad Park to the north
  • 8th street to the west
  • 22nd street to the east
  • 14th street to the south
• When a safety escort is not available, call UAB Police at 205-934-4434 or use a HELP Phone to request an escort for your safety

TapRide

• TapRide by DoubleMap is an app to request Safety Escort or Blaze Ride services
• Instructions for using TapRide:
  • Must download the TapRide App
  • Select the University of Alabama at Birmingham from the list of systems
  • Input your BlazerID and password when prompted for “Rider Login”
  • Select “Allow” for using location services (required for driver to locate you)
  • Select “Allow” for notifications to stay updated on your drivers arrival
• Visit UAB Police website for more information.

UAB Hosptial Food Stations & Serving Schedule

North Pavilion Food Court -2nd floor of North Pavilion

Food Station and Serving Schedule

North Pavilion Food Court (discount with UAB Hospital ID Badge)

• The Sandwich Board (M-F, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.)
• Pizza (M-F, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.)
• The Silver Kitchen (Meat & Three) (M-F, 6 a.m.-9:45 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-7:30 p.m.) 
• World of Flavors. (7 days a week, 6 a.m.-9:45 a.m., 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.) 
• Bistro on the Pavilion (Grill & More) (7 days a week, 6 a.m.-9:45 a.m., 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.)
• Sushi (M-F, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.)
• Salad Bar (M-F, 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.)
• Bakery Items: Open 7 Days a Week
• Grab-N-Go: Open 7 Days a Week

Panera Bread (M-F, 5 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.)

Starbucks Coffee – Full-service store located outside North Pavilion Food Court (M-F, 5 a.m.-12 a.m.; Sat.-Sun., 6 a.m.-8 p.m.) 

Other Locations and Serving Schedule 

GG’s Starbucks Coffee Cart
1st floor of West Pavilion (M-F, 6 a.m.–5 p.m.)

UAB Hospital-Highlands Cafeteria
3rd floor of UAB Hospital-Highlands (M-F, Breakfast: 6 a.m.–9: a.m., Lunch: 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Dinner: 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.) 

Chick-fil-A
2nd floor of Jefferson Towers (M-Sat., 7 a.m.-10 p.m.) 

Subway
2nd floor of Jefferson Towers (M-F, 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat.-Sun., 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.) 

Vending machines are located throughout the facility for around-the-clock food and beverage options.

Food Options in the Hospital at Night for Residents/Fellows on Call

Between the hours of 5:00 pm and 6:00 am, food will be available for residents/fellows on call in the West Pavilion Camellia Pavilion (WP 990 Physician Dining Room).

GME Hotline: A resident/fellow hotline is provided as a mechanism by which individual residents/fellows can address concerns in a confidential and protected manner. 

The resident/fellow hotline number is 934-5025. All inquiries will be investigated and reported to the DIO.

The contacts provided, below, are listed merely as a convenience; they have not been vetted by and are neither recommended nor approved by UAB or the Heersink School of Medicine. The UAB Heersink School of Medicine in no way endorses individual realtors, banks/lenders, apartment complexes, or property management companies. Visiting and incoming students are cautioned to investigate the quality, service, safety and all other aspects of potential housing.  

Apartment Living

• UAB Off-campus Housing

Specific Properties Listing

• If you have a specific property for sale or rent, you may list it below. Note: You must have a BlazerID and password in order to post. No exceptions can be made. 

Program Administrator and Coordinator (PAC) Leadership Team

Who We Are
We are a group of coordinators who are dedicated and passionate about medical education and coordinator development. Our goal is to support you by serving as a guide, mentor, sounding board, or point of contact to help answer that question you know you should know the answer to, but are drawing a blank. Whether Program Management and GME is your career, a stopping point along your career path, or a job that meets you or your family's needs, we are here for you.

Mission
We work in conjunction with the UAB GME Office in the development and mentoring of our coordinators as they support the educational enterprise.

Purpose
We seek to provide advocacy, process improvement, and personal development by serving as an additional resource for coordinators as they learn their role and responsibilities within their program(s) and Graduate Medical Education.

Courtney Rushing
crushing@uabmc.edu
Education Administrator, UAB Department of Emergency Medicine
Current Chair

Elizabeth McAlister, MS, C-TAGME
emcalister@uabmc.edu
Education Administrator, UAB Department of Medicine
Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program
Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program
Former Chair

Scott DeFreese
scdefreese@uabmc.edu
Education Coordinator, UAB Department of Psychiatry

Heather Kirk
hkirk@uabmc.edu 
Education Coordinator, UAB Department of Emergency Medicine
Emergency Medical Services Fellowship Program

Heather Kwok, MS, C-TAGME
heatherkwok@uabmc.edu
Education Administrator, UAB Department of Psychiatry
Coordinator Wellness Committee Co-Lead

Martha Veazey, MBA, C-TAGME
mveazey@uabmc.edu
Education Administrator, UAB Department of Medicine
Cardiovascular Disease
Mentorship Committee Lead

Cassandra Whatley, MSM, C-TAGME
ckwhatley@uabmc.edu 
Education Administrator, UAB Montgomery Regional Campus
Internal Medicine Residency Program

Lisa Williams, MA
lisastewart@uabmc.edu 
Education Administrator, UAB Huntsville Regional Medical Campus
Internal Medicine Residency Program

Andrea Kennedy
andreasearcy@uabmc.edu
Education Administrator, UAB Department of Pediatrics

Machelle Campbell
mkcampbell@uabmc.edu
Education Coordinator, UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship Program