During their first year in post, assistants may, at their request and subject to the favourable opinion of the practitioner exercising the functions of head of the department or, failing this, head of the internal structure to which they are assigned, be placed on unpaid leave for a maximum of thirty days per year, with a view to replacing practitioners practising either in public or private health establishments, or in private practice.
From the second year of employment, assistants may, at their request and subject to the opinion referred to in the previous paragraph, be granted unpaid leave of up to forty-five days per year in order to carry out an activity outside their establishment of assignment.
The period of leave granted in application of the first two paragraphs is taken into account when calculating the seniority of hospital assistants.