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Study: Pregnant surgical residents face challenges

Residency Program Insider, March 30, 2018

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A self-administered survey of 347 general surgeons who have had one or more pregnancies during residency found that 39% considered leaving residency and nearly 30% would discourage female medical students from entering surgery due to the difficulties associated with balancing training with pregnancy and motherhood.

According to the results of the survey, which were published in JAMA Surgery, 72% of respondents felt the duration of maternity leave was inadequate and 82% cited the American Board of Surgery’s leave policy as a major barrier to the desired length of leave.

Nearly 64% of the surgeons surveyed said they were concerned that their health or the health of their unborn child was adversely affected by their work schedule. While the majority of respondents said breastfeed was important, 58% reported stopping earlier than they wanted due to poor access to lactation facilities and being unable leaving the operating room.

Source: JAMA Surgery

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