• Section 1 - Overview
• Section 2 - Scope
• Section 3 - Guideline
• Types of Clinical Loading and Eligibility Requirements
• Payment
• Review of Payments
• Fractional Appointments
• Authority and Compliance

Section 1 - Overview

(1) These guidelines detail the nature and purpose of clinical loadings applicable to medical and dental staff and explain the eligibility criteria and loadings applicable for payment.

(2) These guidelines need to be read in conjunction with the Remuneration and Working Arrangements Policy and Salaries and Benefits Procedures.

Section 2 - Scope

(3) Clinical loadings are paid to certain medical and dental academic staff to enable effective clinical teaching and research linkages between the School of Rural Medicine and its teaching institutions such as hospitals and teaching general practices and to enable the University to compete with those institutions for attracting medically qualified staff.

Section 3 - Guideline

(4) Clinical loadings are paid by University medical schools around Australia to medically or dentally qualified academic staff required to provide clinical teaching for the University's medical students in hospitals and in other sites of clinical practice in recognition of their particular responsibility for patient care and the need to retain some parity between the University academic clinician and the hospital specialist who performs like duties and has similar responsibilities.

(5) Clinical academics are appointed under the conditions of the UNE Academic and English Language Teaching Staff Enterprise Agreement 2020-2022, however the entitlement to Clinical Loadings is provided for by the Higher Education Industry - Academic Staff - Award 2010.

(6) Payment of clinical or pre-clinical loadings is determined on an individual basis. Whether a staff member is entitled to a full clinical or pre-clinical loading will be determined by the University in light of the nature and extent of the staff member's patient-care responsibilities in hospitals and in other sites of clinical practice. Other medically qualified staff in the School of Rural Medicine may be paid a pre-clinical loading. The individual loading will be recommended by the Head of School to the Director People and Culture for approval.

(7) Clinical loadings are paid to eligible staff as part of salary, are superannuable and are payable while the staff member is on study leave, annual leave, long service leave and upon termination.

Types of Clinical Loading and Eligibility Requirements

Full Clinical Loading

(8) To receive a full clinical loading the staff member must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a fulltime, medically qualified Professor, Associate Professor, Senior Lecturer or Lecturer (that is, in a teaching and research position levels B and above): and
2. Teach Students in the BMed or other program requiring clinical input; and
3. Registered as a medical practitioner to work in Australia; and
4. Have a continuing commitment and attachment to hospital, health centre, or general practice, involving clinical responsibility of patient-care on a regular basis which forms part of their duties with the University.

Pre-Clinical Loading

(9) A pre-clinical loading is payable to a staff member who is medically qualified and appointed to the level of lecturer Level B and above in a teaching and research role full time within the School of Rural Medicine but are not currently engaged in clinical work (e.g. academics in basic science units such as Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Physiology). These loadings are to assist the University to recruit for teaching and research posts for which a medical qualification may be an advantage.

Dental loading

(10) A dental clinical loading is applicable for dentally-qualified academic staff members, registrable with the Dental Board of New South Wales at Level B and above who are employed in the teaching of medical students. This rate is equivalent to pre-clinical loadings.

Payment

(11) In accordance with the definitions above, the following payments may be made at the discretion of the University:

Review of Payments

(12) Applicable loadings will be removed where the academic staff member ceases to meet the eligibility requirements. Eligibility for clinical loading payments will be reviewed annually. Upon appointment and each year thereafter, medically qualified academic staff will be required to evidence their 'continuing commitment and attachment to hospital, health centre, or general practice, involving clinical responsibility of patient-care on a regular basis'

Fractional Appointments

(13) Academic staff on fractional appointments may be eligible to receive the loading on a pro-rata basis determined by the Head of School recommendation to the Director People and Culture.

Authority and Compliance

(14) The Guideline Administrator, the Director People and Culture, pursuant to the University's Remuneration and Working Arrangements Policy, makes these Guidelines.

(15) UNE Representatives must observe these Guidelines in relation to University matters.

(16) These Guidelines operate as and from the Effective Date.

(17) Previous Guidelines relating to Clinical Loadings (Medical and Dental) are replaced and have no further operation from the Effective Date of this new Guideline.