The Art of Mamma Docing

Overview:

In this episode, Tiffany talks with a panel of Super Doctor Mammas about the art and challenge of mamma docing. The panel openly discusses challenging topics in an attempt to demystify and destigmatize the daily struggles all of us mammas in medicine face throughout medical school, residency and beyond. Listen as we discuss topics such as when to disclose your pregnancy, the lack of firm maternity leave policies in residency, and touch briefly on dealing with miscarriage and infertility during medical training.

References

• ACGME Institutional requirements: https://www.acgme.org/Portals/0/PFAssets/InstitutionalRequirements/000InstitutionalRequirements2018.pdf?ver=2018-02-19-132236-600
• Greenfield NP. Maternity and medical leave during residency: Time to standardize?. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2015;1(1):55. Published 2015 Feb 20. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2014.12.009
• Humphries, LS, Lyon, S, Garza, R, et al. Parental leave policies in graduate medical education: A systematic review. American Journal of Surgery. 2017; Oct;214(4):634-639.

Key Points

• In the era of Times Up Healthcare, I hope concrete ACGME policy change to accommodate moming in medicine is on the docket.
• You need to sit down with your PD and make a concrete policy for your individual pregnancy and maternity leave because there are few well laid out policies in general in GME.
• When planning maternity leave during residency, do not just look at it as the short time frame of delivery to first few months post-partum. Plan it in the context of your entire 3-4 years of residency (depending on the program) and have early discussions with your PD on how to arrange your blocks over those 3-4 years.
• MAMMAS IN MEDICINE: YOU ARE AMAZING!!!! AND YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!