Parenting and Childbearing in Neurosurgical Residency: Perspectives from the United States and Canada

Samuel, Nardin; McQueen, Sydney; Barnett, Randaline; Everson, Megan C.; Fiala, Clare; Lau, Ruth; Zadeh, Gelareh

doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2023.01.004

Cited by 4 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…5,13 Trainees face substantial difficulties with having children during residency. 11,13,24,25 Findings of the present study suggest that the general discouragement toward family planning begins in medical school. In Canada, there are supports for generous paid parental leave in training, yet participants in our study continued to receive the message that taking parental leave is not necessarily supported by the wider medical community.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Medical students were concerned about returning to work with young children due to long training hours, workload, extracurricular expectations, financial instability, and childcare. Strategies beyond paid parental leave are needed to truly support parenthood within medicine …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While there is a heavy focus within residency programs to build individual resilience, systemic factors largely influence physician burnout . In the current constrained medical system, there is an overreliance on trainees, such that a single absence overburdens the remaining team . Taking pregnancy or parental leave is therefore perceived as a disruption to the team, adding workload to peers .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…11,12 Residents who face these challenges are more likely to experience greater professional dissatisfaction, burnout (emotional, physical, or mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress), and decreased wellness. 11,13 These difficulties are especially pronounced in surgical specialties. 14,15 Our objective was to conduct semistructured interviews with a diverse sample of fourth-year medical students to understand how students developed their family planning goals and the timing of family building in the context of specialty choice.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Female participant)expressed by participants of the present study, including a busy work schedule and a desire not to extend training, are messages circulating through the hidden curriculum from supervisors and peers.24 Medical students were concerned about returning to work with young children due to long training hours, workload, extracurricular expectations, financial instability, and childcare. Strategies beyond paid parental leave are needed to truly support parenthood within medicine 11,…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Medical Students’ Perspectives on Family Planning and Impact on Specialty Choice

Dason,

Maxim,

Gesink

et al. 2024

JAMA Surg

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ImportancePhysicians are known to delay childbearing compared with nonphysicians and to experience higher rates of age-related pregnancy complications. Delay of childbearing is more pronounced in surgical specialties, and family planning and building goals may influence specialty choice.ObjectiveTo assess medical students’ perspectives on the development of family planning goals and the timing of family building within a medical career to elucidate how these perceptions impact their choice of specialty.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis qualitative study included fourth-year medical students at the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and was conducted between May and August 2021. Participants were purposively sampled to maximize diversity of gender and specialty choice. Interviews were conducted via videoconferencing software that were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and verified for accuracy. Thematic analysis was completed independently by 2 researchers and consensus on final themes was reached through discussion among study investigators. Data were analyzed between September and December 2021.Main Outcomes and MeasuresParticipants were asked to share their perceptions of personal family planning goals, support currently in place, family planning education in medicine and factors contributing to their choice of specialty and program. Thematic analysis was completed.ResultsA total of 34 fourth-year medical students (median [range] age, 26 [24-33] years; 23 females [67.6%]) were interviewed. Four main themes were identified: (1) there is no ideal time to family build in a medical career, (2) family planning is a taboo topic, (3) surgical specialties offer less support for family building, and (4) residents who have children are perceived to place a burden on their colleagues. Medical students considered their family planning while deliberating among specialty choices and their experiences were highly influential in shaping their specialty selection.Conclusions and RelevanceResults of this qualitative study suggest that medical students perceive that family building during training may have unfavorable implications for team dynamics and relationships with colleagues, and these perceptions may affect specialty choice and family planning goals. Integration of family planning discussions and support for family building into medical curricula is needed along with efforts to improve culture by supporting team dynamics and workload when students take parental leave.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Medical Students’ Perspectives on Family Planning and Impact on Specialty Choice

Dason,

Maxim,

Gesink

et al. 2024

JAMA Surg

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Resident and Fellow Perspectives on Family Planning and Building During Training

Dason,

Kapsack,

Baxter

et al. 2024

JAMA Netw Open

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ImportancePhysicians, especially surgeons, delay family building, and face age-related complications of pregnancy.ObjectiveTo explore factors that are associated with family building decisions among residents and fellows and to understand their thoughts on accessing family building supports, workplace culture, and attitudes toward family planning.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis qualitative study was conducted from May to August 2022 at postgraduate training sites across Ontario, Canada. Participants included 29 postgraduate learners. Purposive sampling from 80 eligible trainees was used to ensure diverse demographics, including sex, specialty, and institution. Semi-structured individual interviews lasting 30 to 90 minutes were conducted over a virtual platform. Participants were asked to share their thoughts and experiences on family planning in a medical career, family building goals, the role of mentorship, and knowledge of current family planning supports.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThemes associated with residents’ perception of family planning within the context of a medical career.ResultsTwenty-nine trainees, ages 25 to 37 years old (22 [75.9%] were female, 26 [89.7%] were heterosexual; median [range] age, 30 [25-37] years) from various institutions took part in this study. The participants included both 24 residents (82.8%) and 5 fellows (17.2%) and 8 (27.6%) were from surgical specialties, 3 (10.3%) from pediatrics and subspecialties, 4 (13.8%) from internal medicine and subspecialties, 2 (6.9%) from obstetrics and gynecology, 3 (10.3%) family medicine, 2 (6.9%) from anesthesia, and 7 (24.1%) other medical specialties. Four themes were identified: (1) tension between role as a physician and role as a parent; (2) impact of role models and mentorship on family planning choices; (3) family building is discouraged during training, especially in surgical specialties; and (4) need for tangible family planning supports in training.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this qualitative study of residents’ and fellows’ perspectives on family building, trainees did not perceive residency and fellowship programs as supportive for individuals who want to family build during training leading to personal and professional dissonance. Trainees identified that more tangible supports, transparent information, and mentorship may improve a trainees’ feeling of support.

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Showcasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in neurological surgery: a comparative analysis of neurological surgery residency program websites in the United States

Price,

Chow,

Bauman

et al. 2024

Neurosurg Rev

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Parenting and Childbearing in Neurosurgical Residency: Perspectives from the United States and Canada

Cited by 4 publications

References 39 publications

Medical Students’ Perspectives on Family Planning and Impact on Specialty Choice

Medical Students’ Perspectives on Family Planning and Impact on Specialty Choice

Resident and Fellow Perspectives on Family Planning and Building During Training

Showcasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in neurological surgery: a comparative analysis of neurological surgery residency program websites in the United States

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