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Been browsing the website and have some questions? Chances are you'll find the answers in the section below. Should you not, however, simply drop us a line.
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Did you know you, too, can enjoy the year-end holiday break? |
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You are entitled to take a maximum of 5 consecutive days’ leave for your Christmas or New Year’s holiday!
Year-end holiday leave is split among residents. Each of you is entitled to take one of the two statutory holidays (Christmas Day or New Year’s Day). The collective agreement allows you to combine this with annual leave or other statutory holidays to make a total of five straight days.
Example: Sunday, December 24 is a statutory holiday for your current rotation site, and you take from December 20 to Saturday, December 23 (4 days) = 5 days. Article 23.05 of your collective agreement
At Christmas or New Year’s, the resident shall be entitled to take up to five (5) consecutive days of annual vacation or accumulated statutory holidays, including Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Article 23.01 of your collective agreement
The establishment shall recognize and observe during the year thirteen (13) paid statutory holidays. These holidays shall be noted on a list drawn up by the establishment and given to each resident by July 1 of each year at the latest. |
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| 002 - |
What is the tuition fee amount eligible for tax credits? |
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This amount corresponds to the amount you actually paid out, so $700 a year. Since the difference between the fees normally charged by the university and the amount of $700 disbursed by the resident is paid by the establishment or its representative, the excess is not eligible for provincial or federal credits. For new residents, the portion of tuition fees earmarked for medical clerkship is eligible for these credits. |
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| 003 - |
Why is there no number of months entered on the T-2202A issued by the university for the federal education credit? |
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Generally speaking, since January 1, 2004, an individual has been able to claim the amount with respect to education even if he received a salary while pursuing training relating to his job. However, you may not claim the education deduction if your tuition fees have been reimbursed by the employer. Since under the FMRQ MHSS collective agreement the establishment reimburses the university for anything over $700 in fees normally charged by the university, you cannot benefit from the education deduction. It must be pointed out, however, that for new residents this rule does not apply for the medical clerkship period, so for the number of months entered you can claim the education deduction for that portion of the calendar year. |
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Are there any special provisions to be borne in mind in preparing my tax returns with regard to the La Capitale group insurance plan? |
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You do not have to complete Revenue Quebec's Schedule K (Annexe K) if you were covered for the entire year by a group insurance plan. But you must enter the number identifying your situation-14-in Box 449 on your return. Failure to indicate anything in Box 449 could mean your having to pay additional taxes on your tax return, as you would have to pay a contribution to the Quebec drug insurance plan. In 2007, the contribution was $44.83 a month from January to June and $46.42 a month from July to December.
For new residents who began their residency on July 1, 2007, you must complete Schedule K (Annexe K) and indicate that you had group insurance coverage from August 2007 onward. |
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| 005 - |
Can I deduct my conference expenses, exam fees and training card fees on my tax return? |
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No, these expenses are not eligible. Unlike a self-employed worker (practising physician), the expenses you can deduct on your income tax return are very limited. In the Income Tax Act, certain criteria have to be met for an expense to be eligible. Exam fees, for instance, are not eligible since the bodies governing exams are not deemed to be educational institutions accredited under the Income Tax Act. However, since the fees paid for these exams will enable you to bill fees once you are in practice, they will then be eligible expenditures in your first year of practice. As to conference expenses, the Income Tax Act does not allow an employee to deduct those expenses. This situation will change when you are in practice, since conference expenses will then be allowed as expenses arising from your practice. The training card is defined by the Collège as a card for individuals on training rotations. Since the Collège des médecins du Québec, which issues the training card, is not deemed to be an accredited educational institution, the fees paid for this card are not deductible.
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From when am I covered with my collective insurance ? |
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After one month of continuous service (at work); so, for those beginning their residency on July 1, the coverage is effective August 1. |
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| 007 - |
Can I withdraw from the La Capitale group insurance plan? |
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No, the plan has been mandatory since 1988. Setting up a mandatory plan leads to substantially lower premiums. In addition, since January 1, 1997, all residents of Quebec have been required to have insurance under a prescription drug plan to comply with Bill 33. As a result, anyone with access to a private insurance plan has to join it, at least for the portion concerning prescription drugs, as is the case with you. The only way of not having to join the plan is to be already covered by one’s spouse’s group plan, or in some cases, one’s parents’ plan. In no case are you eligible for the RAMQ’s public plan, since you have access to a private plan.
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If my spouse does not have access to a private plan, do I have to cover him/her? |
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Yes, the Act respecting prescription drug insurance requires you to cover your spouse. In such a case, you must ask for family coverage in your La Capitale insurance plan. |
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Collective insurance - Am I covered for...? |
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Am I covered for ? | Drug Insurance | Yes | La Capitale | | Hospitalization insurance | Yes (Except Basic Plan) | La Capitale | | Other health professionals | Yes (Except Basic Plan) | La Capitale | | Short-term disability insurance | Yes | Collective agreement | | Long-term disability insurance | Yes | La Capitale | | Life insurance | Yes | Collective agreement | | Supplementary life insurance | Yes | La Capitale | | Travel insurance | Yes | La Capitale | | Trip cancellation insurance | Yes | La Capitale | | Dental insurance | No | N/A |
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I'm leaving on a trip. Do I need travel insurance (e.g. Blue Cross) ? |
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No, you don't need this type of insurance since your plan includes travel insurance, and trip cancellation insurance. Only your baggage is not covered in case of loss or theft. In case of loss by the airline, that company will reimburse a certain amount of the loss. Also, your home insurance covers you in case of loss or theft in such a situation, on the terms and conditions set out in your policy. |
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Do I need supplementary disability insurance ? |
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The coverage in effect provides benefits equal to 80% of your salary as a resident from the sixth day of disability, and the benefits can continue up to age 65. For most residents, this coverage is sufficient. However, in certain cases, and depending on your situation (indebtedness, family responsibility, etc.), additional coverage may be an attractive optionworth considering. In this regard, you have probably already been solicited by independant brokers to take out an individual insurance policy. Did you feel you were adequately advised or that you gave in to sales pressure ? The FMRQ can offer you advice on how to best meet your needs, without any obligation on your part. An agreement with Sogemec Assurances, a subsidiary of the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ), means that exclusive, quality products are offered at lower cost than an individual policy. What is important is that you can count on professional advice that takes your real needs into account. Often, after learning about your personal situation, the recommendation will be to wait until you start out in practice before taking out supplementary insurance. And as for any concerns over losing your insurability while in residency, there are ways of obtaining insurance without proof of insurability in the plan offered by Sogemec, both for residents in a specialty and for those in family medicine. |
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How many call duty periods can I be asked to do within a 28-day period? |
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If you perform call duty at home, that is, if you are free to leave the hospital grounds while on call duty, you can perform up to nine (9) call duty periods per 28 day period. The establishment does not have to respect a particular time interval between at home duty periods when it produces the call duty list.
If you perform call duty in an establishment, the establishment can ask you to do up to six (6) call duty periods per 28 day period. These call duty periods must be at specific intervals, namely, one call duty every four (4) days – for instance, if the duty period is Sunday, the next one must be Thursday – and, once during the 28 day period, the establishment can ask you to do one call duty period every three (3) days. |
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Can I do less call duty when I take leave during the period? |
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The number of call duty periods has to be proportional to the number of days worked in a period. For instance, if you take one week’s vacation in a 28-day period, you must not perform more than four (4) call duty periods in an establishment. To reach this result, first you have to determine the number of days on which you are able to work. In the case of vacation, the weekends before and after have to be taken into account. So you are available for nineteen (19) days, that is, twenty-eight (28) days – (5 days’ vacation + 4 weekend days before and after). 4 call duty periods = 6 call duty periods X x call duty periods
28 days 19 days However, if you take one week’s leave for study or a conference, you are available for twenty three (23) days. So you can perform five (5) on-call duty periods. If you perform call duty at home, the calculation is done the same way, you just have to change the number of call duty periods to nine (9).
In all cases, the result must be rounded out the usual way (results of .5 and over are rounded up).
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How do I set about obtaining a waiver? |
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IN A SPECIALTY
A doctor wishing to practise in a hospital whose physician resource plan (PEM) is full has to apply for privileges to the director of professional services (DSP) at that hospital. The DSP forwards the application to the health and social services agency (ASSS), which passes it on to the waiver committee. This committee, made up of representatives of the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ), the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MHSS) and the Fédération des médecins résidents (FMRQ), evaluates the waiver application and conveys a recommendation to the Deputy Minister, who makes the final decision. This decision is sent to the Agency, which forwards it to the DSP of the hospital where the waiver application originated.
The criteria considered when a waiver is evaluated include humanitarian grounds (eg., family situation), the candidate’s contribution of special expertise, the volume of activity and the waiting lists of the hospital requesting the waiver, the possibility of development and the stabilization of a team (age, etc.). Several variables affect whether or not a waiver is accepted. We strongly suggest you contact us to talk about it.
IN FAMILY MEDICINE
A doctor wishing to practise in a region whose regional physician resource plan (PREM) is full may make a waiver application so as to be able to practise in that region. The doctor sends his waiver application to the regional department of general medicine (DRMG) of the region where he wishes to practise. The DRMG evaluates the application and forwards it for approval to the FMOQ/MHSS parity committee. That committee has 30 days following receipt of the doctor’s application to notify the doctor of its decision. A waiver is authorized only in exceptional circumstances. |
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How do I set about doing a general practice locum? |
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A locum involves temporarily replacing a general practitioner in his usual duties or offsetting the lack of physician resources preventing the delivery of urgent, essential care to the public in an establishment. Those responsible for establishments have access to a locum bank in which physicians register on a voluntary basis. A general practitioner wishing to take part in the locum mechanism and enjoy the associated pay conditions has to register with the locum mechanism using the appropriate forms, which are available on the Internet at http://wpp01.msss.gouv.qc.ca/appl/H38/public/H38LoggedOut.asp |
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