EXPERIENCES OF PARENTING IN RESIDENCY AMONG FEMALE RESIDENTS IN ALBERTA

Objectives The proportion of women in medicine continues to increase. More than half of female trainees will have their first child during residency and the conflicting demands of parenting on residents' time adds additional stress. Little research has been done to characterize the pregnancy and motherhood experiences of female residents. Methods A qualitative, anonymous online survey was distributed by the PGME offices at the Universities of Alberta and Calgary between November 2017 and January 2018. All female residents who identified as having pregnancies or children in residency were eligible to respond. Results There were 118 completed surveys, equally divided betweenboth Universities. Respondents included non-surgical (55.1%), surgical (21.2%), and family medicine (23.7%) trainees. Majority of respondents felt that their program directors, staff, and resident colleagues were neutral or supportive of their family planning choices and most who took a maternity leave felt that it was adequate. However, almost half chose to discontinue breastfeeding because of lack of lactation support and/or conflicts with clinical duties. 52% reported witnessing or personally experiencing colleagues making derogatory comments about female trainees becoming pregnant or having children during residency. The parenting experience in residency of female trainees made 42% of them strongly reconsider their career choices in their chosen field. Conclusions Survey responses yielded significant insight into experiences of resident mothers in Alberta. While most were neutral or positive in nature, a number of recurrent challenges are identified. Results suggest that there is a need for a more supportive, non-judgmental, and breastfeeding friendly model for residency training in Alberta. The proportion of women in medicine continues to increase. More than half of female trainees will have their first child during residency and the conflicting demands of parenting on residents' time adds additional stress. Little research has been done to characterize the pregnancy and motherhood experiences of female residents. A qualitative, anonymous online survey was distributed by the PGME offices at the Universities of Alberta and Calgary between November 2017 and January 2018. All female residents who identified as having pregnancies or children in residency were eligible to respond. There were 118 completed surveys, equally divided betweenboth Universities. Respondents included non-surgical (55.1%), surgical (21.2%), and family medicine (23.7%) trainees. Majority of respondents felt that their program directors, staff, and resident colleagues were neutral or supportive of their family planning choices and most who took a maternity leave felt that it was adequate. However, almost half chose to discontinue breastfeeding because of lack of lactation support and/or conflicts with clinical duties. 52% reported witnessing or personally experiencing colleagues making derogatory comments about female trainees becoming pregnant or having children during residency. The parenting experience in residency of female trainees made 42% of them strongly reconsider their career choices in their chosen field. Survey responses yielded significant insight into experiences of resident mothers in Alberta. While most were neutral or positive in nature, a number of recurrent challenges are identified. Results suggest that there is a need for a more supportive, non-judgmental, and breastfeeding friendly model for residency training in Alberta.