Department of Family Medicine: Policy on Community Service Leave

Summary

To define the circumstances under which faculty may utilize Community Service Leave.

Body

Unit Policy

Title

Department of Family Medicine: Policy on Community Service Leave

Introduction

Purpose

To define the circumstances under which faculty may utilize Community Service Leave.

Scope

Faculty with 12-month appointments who work 20 hours or more per week.

Policy

Policy Statement

The UNC Department of Family Medicine values community service as part of its mission. In recognition of this commitment, full-time faculty members may utilize all options under the Community Service Leave Policy per calendar year. This allows for time away that is not allocated as vacation; however, it is not on the Grid so does not change the total number of clinic sessions expected per year.

The policy for trips abroad (such as trips with medical students to Mexico and Honduras) is that three days may be allocated to community service. Any workdays beyond three should be allocated as vacation or professional development. Grid expectations do not change.

Community service days do not roll over to the next year, so if they are not used, they are lost.

There are three options of Community Service Leave:

  • Option A: To engage in volunteer service with schools, certain community service organizations, or human service organizations – or for parental involvement with one’s child in school — such as parent-teacher conferences or classroom volunteering.
  • Option B: Tutoring and mentoring in public or private schools
  • Option C: Volunteering in a formal literacy program in a public school
Type of Appointment Option A: Community Service & Parental Involvement Option B: Mentoring & Tutoring Option C: Literacy Program
Full-time-permanent, probationary, trainee, or time-limited 24 hours per calendar year, credited on January 1 of each year One hour per week, not to exceed 36 hours per calendar year Up to 5 hours per month, not to exceed 45 hours per calendar year
Part-time (half time or more)- permanent, probationary, trainee, or time-limited Prorated - equal to percentage of full-time amount Prorated - equal to percentage of full-time amount Prorated - equal to percentage of full-time amount

Definitions 

  • Grid – The department’s faculty time management spreadsheet, which details each faculty member’s responsibilities and corresponding FTE.

Related Requirements

Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures 

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Name: Karen Halpert, MD – Vice Chair of Clinical Excellence

Telephone: 984-974-4675

Email: Karen_Halpert@med.unc.edu

Other Contacts

Name: Kevin Tate, MHA – Vice Chair for Administration

Telephone: 984-974-4669

Email: ktate@med.unc.edu

Details

Details

Article ID: 159748
Created
Fri 12/19/25 1:54 PM
Modified
Fri 12/19/25 1:54 PM
Responsible Unit
School, Department, or other organizational unit issuing this document.
School of Medicine - Family Medicine
Issuing Officer
Name of the document Issuing Officer. This is the individual whose organizational authority covers the policy scope and who is primarily responsible for the policy.
Issuing Officer Title
Title of the person who is primarily responsible for issuing this policy.
Vice Chair of Clinical Excellence
Next Review
Date on which the next document review is due.
09/01/2026 12:00 AM
Last Review
Date on which the most recent document review was completed.
11/27/2018 12:00 AM
Last Revised
Date on which the most recent changes to this document were approved.
11/27/2018 12:00 AM
Effective Date
If the date on which this document became/becomes enforceable differs from the Origination or Last Revision, this attribute reflects the date on which it is/was enforcable.
11/27/2018 12:00 AM
Origination
Date on which the original version of this document was first made official.
11/27/2018 12:00 AM