Advocating For a Culture of Support for Lactating Medical Residents in Hawai'i

Abstract

Lactating medical residents face unique barriers due to intense clinical work schedules, limited support in the clinic and hospital workspaces, and competing pressures between career development and childcare. The objective of this project was to explore the perceived culture of breastfeeding support among medical trainees and design an action plan to improve support for lactating residents in Hawai'i. Resident and faculty representatives from the Hawai'i Residency Programs and the University of Hawai'i John A Burns School of Medicine participated in an 8 month national learning collaborative to review the existing resident lactation policy and resident perception of lactation support. In a pre-survey, the majority of residents (88%) agreed that 20-30 minutes every 2-3 hours should be allowed to express milk but only 18% felt comfortable asking for a change in schedule to accommodate time to pump. An action plan was created with the following objectives: (1) revamping the existing policy to address protected pumping times, lactation spaces, and responsibilities of administration, faculty, and residents; (2) improving lactation space through uniform provision of educational material on available facilities and efficiency tips for new parents, and (3) improving awareness of the unique challenges lactating residents face and empowering faculty and trainees to advocate for lactating residents through department and educational presentations. Medical residents in Hawai'i recognize the importance of breastfeeding but perceive a lack of support in the workplace. A comprehensive action plan to revamp the resident lactation policy and improve faculty and resident education may foster an increased culture of lactation support and healthy development of the physician workforce.