Doctors delay Motherhood In relation to other occupations. Moreover, as a result of having children at a later age, they experience higher rates Pregnancy complications. A recently published analysis assessed the perspectives of medical students Family planning And how this may influence the choice of objectives specialty. The findings reflect that students believe that such planning is not adequately supported in a medical career and particularly during training. Related feature Surgical activities They give “little help” to give birth to children.
This is one of the conclusions that can be seen from an analysis published a few weeks ago by JAMA Surgery. “Surgery, in particular, is considered a specialty in which, in general, Family planning was discouraged For both men and women. “Students who were motivated to dedicate themselves to family formation were more likely to choose a specialty and program that they perceived as more supportive of their goals,” says the study, which involved 34 fourth-year medical students. . University of Toronto.
In addition to this idea, other ‘realities’ that these students have experienced and that justify the lack of support are also put on the table. is one of them There is no ideal time to start a family. in a medical career. Participants state that their choice to study this degree represents a delay in planning, compared to colleagues in other academic disciplines.
The factors that are considered are availability parental leave, Returning to work once you have a baby Work-life balanceFinancial stability, the structure of medical training (with its resulting financial burden), physical demands during pregnancy and childrearing, as significant sources of stress for balancing professional development.
Family planning is a taboo subject in the profession
But it’s not that there isn’t an ideal time to start a family, it’s a “plan” in itself.taboo subject”Because they feel that the current culture within medicine “discourages” open discussion on the subject.
“Assumptions about family planning and the relevance of family formation to a medical career were developed Informal discussions began The analysis details “raised through mentors or during internship experiences with supervising professors and residents. Additionally, participants explain that, although it is up to them to seek information to position themselves on the topic, they feel they should ask questions intelligently. , because they worry about how the children’s will will be perceived during training and that their prestige “May be at risk” if they address these issues.
A fourth and final point is related to this last argument: it can be seen that students who represent children Burden on the medical system and contribute to the exhaustion of their peers. “A common message students hear is that having children during residency disrupts the design of the training program and that peers are not, and perhaps should not be, supportive,” the study argues.
Interventions to have discussions about family structure
This analysis not only focuses on the opinion of these students, who have studied various specializations in Canadian universities, such as Gynecology either Family medicineBut to propose two early interventions to address the need to discuss family structure during medical training.
The first point they highlight is that open discussions on family planning within the degree and advocacy for creation should be incorporated into the medical curriculum and continued throughout residency in all specialties.
In addition, efforts are needed to improve the culture through Innovative interventions which supports Team dynamics and workload when the student is on parental leave.
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