Abstract
Objective
Pregnancy is common during residency, yet the duration of allowed paid leave is inadequate
and utilizing unpaid family medical leave act (FMLA) time has financial and professional
consequences. We evaluated the effectiveness of a novel parenting elective, consistent
with educational goals for pediatric residents, on resident parents’ financial, academic,
and family outcomes.
Methods
In 2010, a 2–4 week structured at-home elective of outpatient neonatal care with full
pay was implemented. Data were collected from all new parents in a large academic
pediatric residency from 2002 to 2018, including duration of leave, on-time graduation,
choice to pursue postresidency training, and unpaid FMLA leave. Data were compared
from before/after implementation and by parent type (mothers or resident partners
of mothers).
Results
Twenty-two pregnancies occurred prior to implementation and 42 afterward. In mothers,
leave duration was similar (7.9 ± 3.5 weeks before, 8.0 ± 0.3 after, P = .50) but the minimum time increased from 2 to 6 weeks and those taking ≥7 weeks
increased (54% vs 96%, P = .002). Mothers using unpaid FMLA time decreased (38% vs 7%, P = .04) although on-time graduation (69% vs 93%, P = .13) and postresidency training rates were similar. Among partners, leave duration
increased (0.8 ± 0.4 weeks vs 4.0 ± 1.7, P < .001) and 79% took ≥4 weeks, compared to 0% pre-elective (P < .001). In partners, postresidency training, FMLA, or on-time graduation rates did
not change.
Conclusions
Parenting a neonate provides learning opportunities for pediatric residents that can
be encompassed in an elective consistent with training requirements. This elective
improved outcomes for mothers and partners and is generalizable to any training program.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 08, 2020
Accepted:
February 6,
2020
Received:
January 30,
2020
Footnotes
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Identification
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 by Academic Pediatric Association
