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. 2022 May 31;79(21):2119-2126.
doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.03.371.

Becoming a Parent During Cardiovascular Training

Estefania Oliveros  1 , Sonya Burgess  2 , Neelima Nadella  3 , Laura Davidson  4 , Yevgeniy Brailovsky  5 , Nosheen Reza  6 , Erika Squeri  7 , Roxana Mehran  3 , Doreen DeFaria Yeh  8 , Ki Park  9
Affiliations

Becoming a Parent During Cardiovascular Training

Estefania Oliveros et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. .

Abstract

Background: Specialty training in cardiovascular diseases is consistently perceived to have adverse job conditions and interfere with family life. There is a dearth of universal workforce support for trainees who become parents during training.

Objectives: This study sought to identify parental policies across cardiovascular training programs internationally.

Methods: An Internet-based international survey study available from August 2020 to October 2020 was sent via social media. The survey was administered 1 time and anonymously. Participants shared experiences regarding parental benefits/policies and perception of barriers for trainees. Participants were divided into 3 groups: training program directors, trainees pregnant during cardiology fellowship, and trainees not pregnant during training.

Results: A total of 417 replies were received from physicians, including 47 responses (11.3%) from training program directors, 146 responses (35%) from current or former trainees pregnant during cardiology training, and 224 responses (53.7%) from current or former trainees that were not pregnant during cardiology training. Among trainees, 280 (67.1%) were parents during training. Family benefits and policies were not uniformly available across institutions, and knowledge regarding the existence of such policies was low. Average parental leave ranged from 1 to 2 months in the United States compared with >4 months outside the United States, and in all countries, paternity leave was uncommon (only 11 participants [2.6%]). Coverage during family leave was primarily provided by peers (n = 184 [44.1%]), and 168 (91.3%) were without additional monetary or time compensation.

Conclusions: This is the first international survey evaluating and comparing parental benefits and policies among cardiovascular training programs. There is great variability among institutions, highlighting disparities in real-world experiences.

Keywords: cardiovascular fellowship; parenting; policy; pregnancy; training; women in cardiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Reza was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number KL2TR001879. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1. Comparison of Parental Leave Inside and Outside the United States
Differences in parental leave during cardiovascular training in the United States and outside the United States: In the United States, the average leave is 1–2 months, whereas outside the United States, it is >4 months.
CENTRAL ILLUSTRATION
CENTRAL ILLUSTRATION. Becoming a Parent During Cardiology Fellowship
Common phases when becoming a parent during training, differences in parental leave, breastfeeding and radiation policies: 1) the time when fellows became parents was equally distributed across all phases of training; 2) only 26% of the programs had readily available breastfeeding pumping, policies, and resources; 3) nearly one-half of the programs offered rearrangement of schedules due to radiation concerns; and 4) wide range of variability regarding parental leave worldwide. In the United States, leave is 1–2 months, whereas across the world, it is >4 months.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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