Author(s)
Amanda Walsh, MD
Veranca Shah, BS
Sarah Rapoport, MD
Kelly Scriven Weiner, MD
Affiliation(s)
Georgetown University ;
Abstract:
Educational Objective: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants should be able to promote understanding of the challenges encountered by residents who choose to take parental leave during otolaryngology residency.
Objectives: There has been little research conducted on otolaryngology residents' perspectives regarding parental leave (PL) policies during training. We sought to evaluate resident physicians' attitudes toward pregnancy, parenthood, and PL during otolaryngology residency.
Study Design: Survey based study.
Methods: A 43 item survey using Qualtrics XM (Seattle, Washington) was sent to otolaryngology program directors via email for distribution to residents. The study was conducted from May through June 2022. Questions addressed general demographics and participants' perspectives on PL during training.
Results: 105 otolaryngology residents responded to the survey. One out of five residents (20%) had biological children during residency. Of these trainees, 71.4% took PL. Female residents usually took longer PL (4-6 weeks) than male residents (<2 weeks). The majority (93%) of residents who took PL during residency felt that the duration of their PL was inadequate. Although "strain on the residency program" was one of the most commonly cited barriers to taking parental leave, less than one-third of respondents felt that parental leave puts an unreasonable amount of strain on the program. Additional responses highlighted other challenges associated with childbearing during residency including lack of program specific policies, lack of time for prenatal appointments, and absence of lactation support postpartum.
Conclusions: Otolaryngology residents face significant challenges during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Several residents did not take any leave after childbirth, while others took shorter periods of leave than the 8 weeks of leave offered by the American Board of Otolaryngology policy. Nearly all residents did not feel satisfied with the duration of parental leave.