Organization advocates for family-friendly guidelines during medical training for women
The Association of Women Surgeons has released new recommendations that support the balance of surgical education with personal and family needs.
The recommendations, published in JAMA Surgery, advocate for implementation of universal policies that meet the needs of diverse trainees across U.S. medical institutions.
“The lack of family-friendly policies continues to contribute to the underrepresentation and attrition of surgical trainees,” Helen M. Johnson, MD, breast surgical oncology fellow in the department of breast surgical oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues wrote. “Women in surgery face unique challenges in balancing surgical education with personal and family needs...The Association of Women Surgeons is committed to supporting surgical families and developing equitable family-friendly guidelines.”
Experts convened on a set of recommendations to specifically address adequate paid parental leave, child care access, breastfeeding support and insurance coverage of fertility preservation and assisted reproductive technology.
Regarding parental leave, the expert panel recommends the development and implementation of an 18-week, inclusive paid parental leave policy that includes surrogacy, fostering and/or adoption.
For women who breastfeed, programs that provide access to clean, private and conveniently located lactation rooms equipped with a sink and refrigerator, as well as allow for time away from clinical duties for breastmilk expression and support the use of wearable breast pumps in the operating room, are recommended.
According to the guideline, affordable and convenient child care should be offered onsite with extended and weekend hours. Moreover, partnerships with local organizations are recommended to offer emergency child care services, including sick child care, discounts and prioritized scheduling for trainees, as well as flexibility for single parents and parents of children with disabilities.
“Surgical training programs must actively support residents and fellows desiring and/or with children in order to promote healthy surgical families and continue to attract a skilled, diverse workforce,” Johnson and colleagues wrote. “While family planning decisions are complex, trainees should not have to delay starting a family due to insufficient pregnancy accommodations, parental leave policies or institutional support for child care.”
The Association of Women Surgeons urges all surgical residency and fellowship programs to engage in family-friendly practices that support trainees in all stages of parenthood, from family planning to pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy, and through the postpartum period and beyond, they continued.
“The specific recommendations outlined [here] form the basis of a comprehensive initiative for supporting surgical families and should be used as a foundation on which programs can build to meet the unique needs of each trainee,” Johnson and colleagues wrote.