Parenthood Among Orthopedic Surgery Residents: Assessment of Resident and Program Director Perceptions on Training

Abstract

Orthopedic residency training overlaps with common childbearing ages. The purpose of this study was to describe factors affecting male and female residents' family-planning decisions and attitudes of program directors (PDs) toward parenthood during residency. In 2018, using an anonymous survey model, residents and PDs in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited orthopedic surgery programs were asked about their perceptions of parenthood on training, the availability of family-oriented services at their programs, and the effect of residency culture and policies on their decision to have children. This survey occurred in 2018. Three hundred forty-nine (76.2%) of 458 resident respondents were male and 109 (23.8%) were female. Two hundred four (49.9%) of 409 residents were unsure of their program's parental leave policy. Male residents reported taking an average of 0.8 weeks (95% CI, 0.0–4.0 weeks) of parental leave and females an average of 4.6 weeks (95% CI, 2.0–6.5 weeks) ( P <.001). Female residents were more likely to report delaying having children during residency (56.73% vs 38.71%, P =.001) and were more likely to cite reputational concerns (57.63% vs 0.76%, P <.001) and effects on career opportunities (42.37% vs 7.57%, P <.001) as reasons for delaying parenthood. The most commonly cited negative effect of parenthood on residency training by PDs was reduction in off-duty educational time (15 of 29, 51.72%). Twenty-four (80%) of 30 PDs believe that training may need to be extended based on amount of maternity/paternity leave time taken off. Although parenthood during orthopedic training is common, both male and female residents reported delaying parenthood because of residency-related factors. Improved clarification of leave policies and establishment of clear guidelines for parenthood in residency may improve resident wellness. [ Orthopedics . 2021;44(2):98–104.]

Pregnancy, parenthood, and fertility in the orthopaedic surgeon

“…A summary of these papers can be seen in Table I and key results in Supplementary Table ii. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Out of the 19 studies, 11 included female orthopaedic surgeon respondents only, and four included both male and female orthopaedic surgeons; this was a total of 4,327 survey responses (3,394 female, 993 male). Out of the remaining four studies, two were analyses of training programmes, and two were responses from training programme directors.…”

“…Overall, 48.4% to 67.0% of female orthopaedic surgeons reported voluntarily delaying childbearing during training (residency). 8,17,18 Reasons included missing training time, financial constraints, time limitations, and missing quality time with family. 17,18 Reid et al 17 surveyed 458 residents comparing both males and females, with females significantly more likely to report delaying having children (56.73% vs 38.71%; p = 0.001).…”

“…8,17,18 Reasons included missing training time, financial constraints, time limitations, and missing quality time with family. 17,18 Reid et al 17 surveyed 458 residents comparing both males and females, with females significantly more likely to report delaying having children (56.73% vs 38.71%; p = 0.001). They also found that females were more likely to cite additional reasons including concerns regarding reputation (57.63% vs 0.76%; p < 0.001) and effects on career opportunities (42.37% vs 7.57%; p < 0.001).…”

Perceptions on pregnancy and parenthood among program directors in pediatric dentistry

“…Additionally, female residents self‐reported deferred having children because they were in residency with about half of these residents also reported experiencing bias from co‐residents or faculty attendings 16 . Another set of surgical residents delayed having children in residency reporting reputational concerns and impact on career opportunities 17 . For surgical residents, many reported a desire for greater mentorship on integrating work and motherhood, with some discouraging female medical students from a surgical career due to work‐life balance issues 18 .…”

“…16 Another set of surgical residents delayed having children in residency reporting reputational concerns and impact on career opportunities. 17 For surgical residents, many reported a desire for greater mentorship on integrating work and motherhood, with some discouraging female medical students from a surgical career due to work-life balance issues. 18 Male surgical trainees felt there was a negative stigma associated with taking parental compared to female co-residents.…”