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Pregnancy among residents enrolled in general surgery (PREGS): a survey of residents in a single Canadian training program
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Interest in general surgery has declined, and lack of adequate accommodation for pregnancy and parenting may be a deterrent. We explored resident experiences with these issues within a single general surgery program. METHODS: We surveyed residents enrolled in the University of British Columbia general surgery program from 1997 to 2009 using a Web-based survey tool. Information regarding demographics, pregnancy, postpartum issues and issues pertaining to maternity/parenting policies was obtained. We used the Student t test, Z test and Fisher exact test for statistical comparisons. RESULTS: Of the 81 residents surveyed, 53 responded (65% response rate). There were fewer pregnancies during residency among female residents than among partners of male residents (PMRs; 9 pregnancies for 6 of 25 residents v. 23 pregnancies for 15 of 28 PMRs, p = 0.002). One of 9 pregnancies among female residents and 5 of 23 among PMRs ended in miscarriage (p > 0.99). Female residents and PMRs reported pregnancy-related complications with equal frequency. All female residents breastfed for at least 6 months; however, 67% (4 of 6) felt their resident role prevented them from breastfeeding as long as they would have liked. Most (5 of 6, 83%) pursued a graduate degree or research during their "maternity leave." More than 50% of residents reported that their own workload increased because of a colleague's pregnancy. Many (36 of 53, 68%) were unaware of the existence of any maternity/parenting policy, and most were in favour of instituting such a policy. CONCLUSION: Resident mothers do not breastfeed for the desired duration, and precluding factors must be explored. Contingency plans are needed so colleagues are not overburdened when pregnant residents cannot perform clinical duties. General surgery programs must have a formal policy addressing these issues.
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“Having such policies and plans will provide for greater happiness among everyone concerned [26].”
From How Can We Reduce Attrition in General Surgery Residents? (2018) · cites this paper as [26]
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“Non-academic factors may be more important in predicting attrition [26].”
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“While medical student applicants must be academically acceptable, non-academic factors may be more important [26].”
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Cited by
How Can We Reduce Attrition in General Surgery Residents?
DM, A. (2018) · Austin Journal of Surgery · doi:10.26420/austinjsurg.2018.1129 · Cited by 1
Department of Surgery, T. U. O. A., M Avery, D., G Harrell, A., Department of Surgery, T. U. O. A., C Wallace, J., Department of Surgery, T. U. O. A., E Geno, C., Department of Family, I. &. R. M., Taylor, G., University of Alabama School of Medicine, U., et al. (2018) · International Journal of Innovative Surgery · doi:10.33582/2639-9229/1003 · Cited by 1
Metadata
- Authors
- Merchant, S.
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Merchant, Shaila
- ORCID
- Merchant, Shaila
- Venue
- Canadian Journal of Surgery
- Publisher
- CMA Joule Inc.
- Published
- 2011-12-01
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 375-380
- ISSN
- 0008-428X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3238337
- OpenAlex
- W2047141926
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 5.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Canadian Journal of Surgery (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Diversity and Career in Medicine
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Work-Family Balance Challenges
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Reproductive Health and Contraception
- Keywords
- pregnancy during residency, general surgery residents, maternity leave, parenting policy, breastfeeding, postpartum complications, miscarriage, resident workload, graduate medical education, female residents
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attitude of Health Personnel, Breast Feeding, Canada, Female, Humans, Internship and Residency, Male, Pregnancy, Surveys and Questionnaires, General Surgery, Parental Leave, Workload
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