Program Director Perceptions of Parenthood and Pregnancy During Plastic Surgery Residency

Introduction: Increased focus on wellness and diversity in surgical training has resulted in policy changes to support family planning for residents. This study investigated program director knowledge of available accommodations for residents with or seeking to start families, their perceptions of these policies, and their attitudes towards the effect of parenthood on resident performance.

Methods: A survey was sent to 88 plastic and reconstructive surgery integrated residency program directors (PDs) in the United States. 

Results: 31 respondents completed the survey (35.2%). 83.9% had children themselves and 32.3% had children during residency. Most PDs were “unsure” about accommodations for nursing mothers during the in-service exam (67.7%) and written board exams (80.6%), but 64.5% knew of accommodations for nursing mothers who were actively operating. 51.6% were unsure about financial support available for fertility treatment. PDs feel strongly that hospitals should provide childcare for children, allow 12-week leave for childbearing residents, and that the current resident salary offered by their institution was sufficient to support one resident parent and one child. PDs from the northeast disagree that resident unions will effectively advocate for reasonable parental leave and fertility support policies. Overall, PDs did not believe that resident wellness is affected if they have a child during training regardless of childbearing status. 

Conclusion: While PDs are supportive of residents becoming parents, there are knowledge gaps in providing support for resident parents. Further study regarding outcomes of different policies for residents who become parents is warranted given the variety of accommodations and attitudes seen in this data.