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The Graduate School

Benefits

Supporting your health and wellness during your time at NC State.

Benefits for Postdoctoral Employees & House Officers

Health Insurance

Postdoctoral scholars and House Officers who are employed through North Carolina State University and are at least .75 FTE (their appointment is for at least 30 hours a week) are eligible to receive medical health benefits at no charge to you. In addition, postdoctoral employees may elect to have their dependents covered under their health benefit plan, but these premiums are not payroll deducted.

More information about the health insurance plan can be found on the NC State Student Health Services website as well as the NC State Postdoc Employee Health Insurance Benefits website.

Visit StudentBlue for full details on plan benefits, get help finding an in-network provider, and more. 

Not in the United States when you need healthcare? Search in-network international providers here (member ID prefix: “YPP”).

Please call Student Blue customer service (1-800-579-8022) before seeking care outside the United States to better understand how claims need to be made to the policy.

More information about health insurance can be found in Section 9.2 of the Postdoctoral Scholars Regulation, and 10.3 of the House Officer Regulation.

Leverage Student Health to Save on Healthcare Costs

PLEASE NOTE: It is important for postdocs and House Officers to first use the on campus, Student Health Services for their medical needs. There is no cost to you, the postdoc, to use Student Health. 

Hours and Location of Student Health can be found here. 

To learn more about Student Health Services and what it offers (routine doctor’s visits, pharmacy, ob-gyn services, physical therapy, etc.), call them at 919.515.7107 or visit Student Health Services website. In addition, spouses of postdocs/House Officers can use the pharmacy health benefit at Student Health Services (if covered on the postdoc’s plan), and the charge for prescriptions there is often offered at a lower rate.

Note on Health Insurance for J-1 Visa Holders

All J-1 Exchange Visitors and their accompanying family members are required to have health insurance which meets certain federal requirements: $100,000 minimum per accident or illness; $500 maximum deductible per illness; $50,000 provision for medical evacuation; and $25,000 maximum for repatriation. If you will not be paid by NC State and you do not have insurance, then you will need to purchase insurance in the US. The Office of International Services (OIS) has information on how to enroll in the recommended health insurance plan that the State of North Carolina has negotiated for unpaid visitors.

Retirement

Postdoctoral scholars and House Officers whose pay is subject FICA taxes can enroll in supplementary/voluntary retirement plans offered through the UNC System. Information about your supplementary plan options and how to enroll can be found on the NC State Benefits website.

Read more about financial literacy from certified financial planner, Andrew Rotz, with the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine.

Childcare

North Carolina State University recognizes that many of its employees have childcare needs. Information pertaining to childcare options can be found at the NCSU Childcare Resource Center.

NC State has partnered with The Goddard School, near campus, to secure places for eligible NC State staff. Learn more and contact The Goddard School directly here.

Need short-term, urgent, after-hours, or last-minute drop-in childcare? Children aged 18 months through 12 years can attend RightTime KiDS and parents who show their NC State ID will be given a discounted rate of $8/hr (regular: $12/hr). Visit their website for location information.

Annual Vacation Leave

Postdocs and House Officers are entitled to earn annual leave and for those employed full-time (1.0 FTE) at 40 hours a week earn 8 hours of annual leave each month or 12 days of annual (vacation) leave each year. Leave is prorated for postdoctoral scholars and House Officers who are less than 1.0 FTE.

The scheduling of a postdoctoral scholar’s and House Officers annual leave shall be subject to the approval of his or her supervisor.

The maximum number of unused days of annual leave that a postdoctoral scholar may accrue and carry forward from one calendar year to the next shall be twenty-four (24) days.

More information about annual leave may be found in Section 9.3 of the Postdoctoral Scholars Regulation and Section 10.4 of the House Officer Regulation.

Please note that postdoctoral scholars and House Officers need to use all of their annual leave before their appointment ends; they will not be paid out at the end of their contract for any unused annual leave.

Sick Leave

Full-time (1.0 FTE) postdoctoral scholars and House Officers earn 8 hours of sick leave each month; for those working less than 40 hours, sick leave is earned on a prorated basis. For example, an employee working ¾ time would earn .75 of 8 hours of leave each month or 6 hours of sick leave. More information about sick leave can be found in Section 9.3 of the Postdoctoral Scholars Regulation and Section 10.4 of the House Officer Regulation.

Please note that postdoctoral scholars and House Officers will not be paid out at the end of their contract for any unused sick leave.

Holiday Leave

Postdoctoral scholars and House Officers earn holiday leave each year. The State of North Carolina authorizes 12 holidays a year, three of which must fall at Christmas. The campuses of the University of North Carolina system observe the same total number of holidays as those provided to other State agencies. However, each campus sets its own specific holiday/closing schedule based on institutional needs. For a list of holiday closings for North Carolina State University, check the University Official Holiday/Closing website.

There are other types of leave for which postdoctoral scholars may be eligible, such as Family and Medical Leave. See Section 9.3.5 of the Postdoctoral Scholars Regulation and Section 10.4.1.5 of the House Officer Regulation, or contact Human Resources at 919.515.4317.

Paid Parental Leave

Postdocs can receive up to six weeks of paid parental leave to care for their new biological, adopted, or foster children, or other legal placements of a child. Read the policy for more details.

Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FASAP)

FASAP will give postdoctoral scholars and house officers access to counseling resources, financial and legal support and work-life balance resources that will enhance their experience at NC State. FASAP is university-sponsored, confidential and provided for free to eligible members of the NC State community and their household members.

Employment Information for Postdocs

The Postdoctoral Scholars Regulation (REG 10.10.08) outlines the qualifications, procedures, titles, definitions, appointments, salary requirements, expectations, benefits, and other provisions that oversee postdoctoral scholars and their relationship to the university. Postdoctoral scholars are encouraged to read over this regulation. Following are some of the major points from the Postdoctoral Scholars Regulation. In addition, a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS) has been compiled regarding the Postdoctoral Scholars Regulation and the information it contains. Questions regarding REG 10.10.08 should be directed to the program manager of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

Definition of a Postdoctoral Scholar

Adapted from the Association of American Universities Committee on Postdoctoral Education Report and Recommendations:

  1. The appointee was recently awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., Sc.D., M.D., DVM) in an appropriate field; and
  2. The appointment is temporary; and
  3. the appointment involves substantial research or scholarship; and
  4. the appointment is viewed as preparatory for a full-time academic and/or research career; and
  5. the appointment is not part of a clinical training program; and
  6. the appointee works under the supervisor of a scholar or a department in a university or similar research institution (e.g., national laboratory, NIH, etc.); and
  7. the appointee is expected to submit for publication the results of his/her research or scholarship conducted during the period of appointment, in consultation with his/her mentor.

Length of Appointment

The maximum length of a postdoctoral appointment is five (5) years. All postdoctoral employees are subject to annual reviews and renewals.

Minimum Salary

Postdoctoral scholars must be, at a minimum, compensated at a rate that is the higher of the following: 1) at least 60% of the minimum starting academic year’s salary for an assistant professor in the appropriate discipline as published in the University’s approved faculty salary ranges established by Human Resources; or 2) at $47,000.

Employment Status

Postdoctoral scholars are classified as temporary appointees. As temporary appointees, postdocs are not required to participate in any retirement system. Postdoctoral scholars do have the option of participating in a 403b annuity program.

The postdoctoral appointment and salary should reflect the FTE of the appointment, which could be full-time or part-time. The conditions of their apppointment should be clearly stated in their appointment letter.

Postdocs Who Are Not Paid by the University

“No-pay” appointments can be made in the Human Resources system for postdoctoral fellows who are not paid directly through the NC State University payroll system but get a fellowship directly from the sponsoring agency. The no-pay appointment will give postdocs access to the gym, the library, and other campus facilities.

End of Appointment

Before leaving the University, check the Separating Employee Guide on the Onboarding Website. There you will find a checklist of items to complete before leaving the university to ensure a seamless transition.

Exit Survey

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) is interested in obtaining feedback from postdoctoral scholars before they leave the university. OPA uses this information to improve services offered to postdocs as well as track the employment trends postdocs encounter once they leave their postdoctoral assignment. The exit survey should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. All responses to this survey will be kept confidential. Thank you for your participation and for helping OPA enhance its offering to current and future postdocs.

NC State OPA Exit Survey

Employment Information for House Officers

The College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) House Officers Regulation (REG 05.20.36) outlines the qualifications, procedures, titles, definitions, appointments, salary requirements, expectations, benefits, and other provisions that oversee House Officers and their relationship to the university. House Officers are encouraged to read over this regulation. Questions regarding REG 05.20.36 should be directed to the College of Veterinary Medicine administration.

Definition of a House Officer

NC State University defines “house officers” as follows:

  1. The appointee has received a DVM or equivalent degree;
  2. the appointment is temporary;
  3. the appointment involves substantial clinical training and research;
  4. the appointment is viewed as preparatory for a general or specialty veterinary intuitional;
  5. industrial or public practice;
  6. the appointee works under the supervision of a scholar or a department in a university; or a similar research institution (e.g., national laboratory, NIH, etc.); and
  7. the appointee is expected to publish the results of his/her research or scholarship during the period of appointment, in consultation with his/her advisor.

House Officer Titles and Definitions

The term “house officer” is used to describe individuals who are either interns or residents in CVM. The classifications for house officers are based on the responsibilities and/or funding source of the house officer.

  • Intern – An individual who is engaged in a broad-based, one-year program of flexible rotating clinical instruction beyond the professional degree (e.g., DVM). The program is structured to provide practical experience in applying knowledge gained during veterinary college in a supervised environment.
  • Resident – An individual who is engaged in a two-to-three year program in a specialized field of clinical study. A residency is designed to provide advanced clinical instruction in a specialty of veterinary medicine leading to board certification.
  • No-Pay Intern/Resident – an individual who receives funding directly from a sponsoring agency and is not compensated through the NC State payroll system though he/she conducts activities or training at CVM in the role of intern/resident.

Length of Appointment

House officers are “at-will” and subject to continuation or discontinuation at the discretion of the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. The maximum length of a house officer appointment is five (5) years.

Minimum Salary

House officers will be compensated at a rate that is competitive with other higher education institutions in NC State’s peer group. Base rates are determined by the Associate Dean and Director of Veterinary Services and approved through the Faculty Committee on House Officer Program (FCHOP), pending review of compensation data of peer institutions.