Benefits

Residents in the Diagnostic Radiology program at UCSF receive a comprehensive range of benefits. As part of the UCSF-wide system, residents receive competitive salaries well-adjusted for the cost of living, exceptional healthcare insurance coverage, subsidized housing options, and representation by the residency union, CIR, ensuring their rights and well-being are supported throughout their training.

Specific to the Diagnostic Radiology program, our residents benefit from a breadth of internal moonlighting shifts to supplement income, an education fund, and a free MacBook or PC laptop to keep! These benefits collectively contribute to a supportive and enriching environment for residents at UCSF Radiology.

Salary

Salaries are standardized across all UCSF residencies and determined by the contract negotiated by the resident union to ensure compensation which matches the cost of living in San Francisco. For reference, the average annual cost of living for a single household is $42,084.

The salary scale for UCSF residents in 2023-2024 are listed below*

*As of 2023-2024, housing stipends are bundled into the salaries as listed.

Moonlighting

Starting in November of their R1 year, residents in good academic standing who obtain a California Medical License and ACLS certification are eligible to participate in moonlighting opportunities offered by the Department of Radiology by covering contrast reactions and safety events at the various UCSF sites across the city. Shifts are available on weekends, weekdays, and weekday evenings. Pay is $85/hour. 

Vacation

Each resident is given 20 days paid vacation throughout the academic year. Vacation is flexible and can be taken in single day increments, so long as the resident misses no more than 5 days in a 4-week block. Attendance to present at academic conferences does not utilize vacation days, and instead comes from a separate pool of 10 academic days. Each resident is also given 12 days of sick leave per year, including up to 4 half days for routine medical appointments.

Our residents have access to 40 days of paid parental leave which can be used in any combination before the child’s first birthday, and in some cases may span two academic years. Normal rules about taking only 5 days off per 4-week block do not apply for parental leave, and vacation/sick leave can be combined with parental leave as the resident chooses.  

Healthcare and Retirement

The UCSF Medical Center provides highly competitive medical, dental and vision insurance to all residents and their spouses/domestic partners and children.  You may choose either an HMO (Anthem) medical insurance plan which is free of charge or a PPO (Anthem) medical plan which is $30/single, $60/plus adult or $90/family per month.

UCSF residents are automatically enrolled in the Safe Harbor Defined Contribution Plan which acts as a pre-tax contribution towards social security. Residents are also offered voluntary enrollment in additional retirement savings plans including the pre-tax 403(b) or 457(b) plans, as well as a post-tax Defined Contribution Plan. Many of our residents opt for the latter, which affords the unique ability to rollover these contributions directly to a Roth IRA account and contribute beyond the $5,000 annual limit. UCSF does not offer employer-match retirement contributions. 

Education Fund

Each UCSF Radiology resident receives an educational fund of $5,600 to use over the course of their 4 years of their training. This fund can be used for books, computer hardware, software, or any other residency-related expense. 

Our residents also receive a fund of $600 per year from the San Francisco Department of Public Health for similar educational expenses for their work at the San Francisco General Hospital. 

Separate from each resident’s alloted education fund, there are separate department funds to cover research conference expenses, medical licensing fees, American Board of Radiology registration, and the CORE examination fee.

Laptop

All residents receive a 13” laptop on their first day of residency, free of charge from the department. The resident is able to choose themselves whether they receive a MacBook Pro or Dell.

Subsidized Housing

UCSF offers a diverse range of subsidized housing options for its trainees. Aldea San Miguel is a family-friendly community nestled amidst a forest on Mount Sutro, while Avenues Homes is conveniently located in the Inner Sunset neighborhood near the Parnassus Heights campus. Mission Bay Housing, UCSF's largest complex, is situated on the Mission Bay campus, offering easy access to shuttle stops and the gym. Mount Zion Housing provides a smaller yet centrally located complex, allowing residents to walk to nearby restaurants and shops. The Tidelands, located in the modern Dogpatch neighborhood next to Mission Bay, boasts excellent amenities. Additionally, the upcoming Academe at 198 will offer a new housing option for UCSF, opening in late summer 2023.

Residency Union

One of the best things about being a resident at UCSF is that we have a union! We’re part of the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), which represents nearly 30,000 trainees at over 70 hospitals nationwide, including a strong majority of UCSF residents. This gives us a real seat at the table when UCSF makes decisions about our working conditions, allowing us to advocate for our patients and ourselves. 

At UCSF, we as residents are our union - we work together democratically with our colleagues across every department to make our lives better. The most important way we do this is by negotiating our employment contract together; in our most recent contract, we won: 

• Annual salary increases of 5-7% (17% total over 3 years)
• Doubled paid parental leave from 4 weeks to 8 weeks
• Increased meal stipends: $300/month at UCSF sites and $23/day at SFGH  
• Pay for orientation and 100% license reimbursement  
• Stronger protection for vacation days
• Protection from parking cost increases

Our co-residents have written about even more ways our union makes a difference, from defending our workplace rights to expanding patient care funds. Through both our union and our program’s democratic culture, UCSF radiology residents have an active role in shaping our training experience!

CME

Radiology residents may attend UCSF continuing medical education (CME) conferences free of registration charge.  The department has the most active CME program of any radiology department in the United States, with approximately 25 courses a year at locations around the world -- including Hawaii, Europe, Southern Africa and Australia.