Browsing by Subject "work-life balance"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Gender Differences in Academic Surgery, Work-Life Balance, and Satisfaction
    (Elsevier, 2017) Baptiste, Dadrie; Fecher, Alison M.; Dolejs, Scott C.; Yoder, Joseph; Schmidt, C. Maximillian; Couch, Marion E.; Ceppa, DuyKhanh P.; Surgery, School of Medicine
    Background An increasing number of women are pursuing a career in surgery. Concurrently, the percentage of surgeons in dual-profession partnerships is increasing. We sought to evaluate the gender differences in professional advancement, work-life balance, and satisfaction at a large academic center. Materials and methods All surgical trainees and faculty at a single academic medical center were surveyed. Collected variables included gender, academic rank, marital status, family size, division of household responsibilities, and career satisfaction. Student t-test, Fisher's exact test, and chi-square test were used to compare results. Results There were 127 faculty and 116 trainee respondents (>80% response rate). Respondents were mostly male (77% of faculty, 58% of trainees). Women were more likely than men to be married to a professional (90% versus 37%, for faculty; 82% versus 41% for trainees, P < 0.001 for both) who was working full time (P < 0.001) and were less likely to be on tenure track (P = 0.002). Women faculty were more likely to be primarily responsible for childcare planning (P < 0.001), meal planning (P < 0.001), grocery shopping (P < 0.001), and vacation planning (P = 0.003). Gender-neutral responsibilities included financial planning (P = 0.04) and monthly bill payment (P = 0.03). Gender differences in division of household responsibilities were similar in surgical trainees except for childcare planning, which was a shared responsibility. Conclusions Women surgeons are more likely to be partnered with a full-time working spouse and to be primarily responsible for managing their households. Additional consideration for improvement in recruitment and retention strategies for surgeons might address barriers to equalizing these gender disparities.
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    Managing Invisible Boundaries: How "Smart" is Smartphone Use in the Work and Home Domains?
    (2014) Chatfield, Sarah E.; Boyd, Elizabeth; Hundley, Stephen P.; Sliter, Mike; Grahame, Nicholas J.
    The present study sought to examine the impact of technology in permeating the boundaries between individuals’ work and family domains, testing and extending the current theoretical model of boundary management. The first goal, to explore predictors of the boundary management styles (BMS) people use with respect to communication technology (CT), was accomplished by demonstrating that three factors predicted BMS for CT use: preferences for integration, identity centrality, and work/family norms. The second goal, to examine outcomes that could result from varying CT use boundary management styles, was also supported in that BMS for CT use was a predictor of work-family conflict and enrichment. However, one key component of the model was not supported in that perceived control over BMS did not moderate the relationship between BMS and outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, as well as suggestions for future research on boundary theory and CT use. By exploring tangible boundary management behaviors, the present study offers interesting implications that could ultimately assist organizations in developing policies regarding CT use both at home and at work.
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    Parental Leave During Anesthesiology Fellowship
    (2022-04-28) Rigueiro, Frank; Yu, Corinna
    Introduction: Parental leave is an important consideration for many residents and fellows as they choose programs balancing their career goals with their goals for family planning. Benefits of parental leave are decreased infant mortality and increased breastfeeding, which has health benefits for infants and mothers. In 2018, one study found only 7 of 15 residency training institutions in the local area had an institutional GME policy providing paid designated childbearing leave. A study at Mayo Clinic at 269 programs found that 40% of residents and fellows planned to have children during training. 89% of fathers rated parental leave as an important benefit, and pregnancy and childbirth plans altered choice of GME program in women more often than in men. The ACGME encourages allowances for parental leave but does not provide specific recommendations on how to manage the leave, giving programs institutional control over their own policy. Leave policies can be complicated by requirements from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, the Veterans Health Administration, and the National Institutes of Health, depending on allocations for resident/fellow salary. Objective: As prospective anesthesiology fellows research programs with family planning in mind, how accessible are these local GME policies on parental leave? Methods: We compiled a list of all 140 ACGME-approved anesthesiology fellowship programs including 60 pediatric, 74 adult cardiothoracic, 63 critical care, 39 regional and acute pain medicine, 41 obstetric, 111 chronic pain medicine & 1 clinical informatic program. We performed online searches of each program’s website to look for institutional GME policies on parental leave. If we could not find the results within 10 minutes, it was considered not easily accessible. Results: Out of 140 anesthesiology ACGME-approved fellowship programs, 99 programs had parental leave policies easily accessible online (71%) whereas 41 programs did not have policies easily accessible online (29%). Of these 41 programs, 6 of them required a log-in for access to their parental leave policies. Discussion: Anesthesiology fellowship programs should consider having a generous parental leave policy and making this policy easily accessible online to demonstrate support for physician well-being and work-life balance. We found that many anesthesiology fellowship programs do not have parental leave policies easily accessible online for interested applicants. Reasons many trainees don’t use parental leave include the sense of being a burden to colleagues, anticipation of a heavier workload later, delayed program completion, not needing the time, or not being the primary caregiver. Additional research should pursue opportunities for competency-based training, flexible scheduling of work hours or start dates, part-time options, and childcare benefits to meet the rising demands of the current workforce. Conclusion: Parental leave is an important public health priority and an important aspect to physician well-being. Residency and fellowship programs should ensure they have established institutional GME policies and share them publicly in an easily accessible format online with interested applicants to remain competitive and guarantee a diverse applicant pool.
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    Women in Thoracic Surgery 2020 Update—Subspecialty and Work-Life Balance Analysis
    (ScienceDirect, 2022) Giuliano, Katherine; Ceppa, DuyKhanh P.; Antonoff, Mara; Donington, Jessica S.; Kane, Lauren; Lawton, Jennifer S.; Gottlieb Sen, Danielle; Surgery, School of Medicine
    Background While women comprise nearly half of medical school graduates, they remain underrepresented in cardiothoracic (CT) surgery. To better understand ongoing barriers, we aimed to delineate issues relevant to the CT subspecialities, emphasizing personal life. Methods An anonymous REDCap survey link was emailed to female diplomats of the American Board of Thoracic Surgeons (ABTS). The survey included questions on demographics, professional accolades, practice details, and personal life. Survey responses were compared across subspecialities using chi-squared testing. Results Of 354 female ABTS diplomats, we contacted 309, and 176 (57%) completed the survey. By subspecialty, 42% practice thoracic, 26% adult cardiac, and 10% congenital cardiac; 19% report a mixed practice. The subspecialties differed in length of training (congenital the longest), practice location (mixed practice less urban), and academic rank (thoracic most full professors at 17%), but were largely similar in their personal lives. Among all respondents, 65% are in a committed relationship, but 40% felt that being a CT surgeon negatively impacted their ability to find a partner. 60% have children, but 31% of those with children reported using assisted reproductive technology, surrogacy, or adoption. The number with leadership roles (e.g. division chief, committee chair of national organization) did not differ among subspecialities, but was low, ranging from 0 to <30%. Conclusions Women remain underrepresented in CT surgery, particularly in the academic rank of full professor and in leadership positions. We advocate for scholarship and mentorship opportunities to encourage women to enter the field, increased female leadership, and policies to enable families.