Being a Pediatrician & a Mother

Job Satisfaction

Although the data was not sorted by gender, the AAP reported 43 percent of pediatricians were happy with the amount of time they spent with their children in 2003. In contrast, 88 percent were happy with their patient relationships and 82 percent satisfied with their medical practices. Pediatricians who are female are more likely to work part-time, and those who worked part-time said they were more satisfied with the amount of time they had with their children and their balance of work and family life.

Pregnancy

One issue for pediatricians who are female is the timing of education and childbearing. Although it has become more common for women to have their children in their 30s, from a biological standpoint, a woman in her 20s is more likely to conceive easily. A pediatrician often goes from high school to college, medical school and residency during her 20s – adding one or more pregnancies to the mix of long hours and the time needed for study can make for a very tired Doctor Mom.

Recommendations

If you want to mix motherhood with the practice of pediatrics, an article in the February 2006 issue of “Pediatrics” has some specific recommendations. Spend plenty of time discussing and planning how you will meld your career in medicine with being a mother. Make sure you and your partner are on the same page. Spend whatever it takes to assure you have reliable, high-quality child care. Avoid perfectionism, and learn to delegate. Make sure you have time for play, exercise and hobbies.

Make Changes if Necessary

When you are a working mother, it’s normal to struggle with work-life balance. Obviously, you can’t send the children back to the store, but you might want to work part-time when they are small. If you find day care isn’t working well because of your commute or the hours the facility is open, consider hiring a nanny. Band together with other mothers in health care and get 24-hour day child care at your hospital. If your practice requires that you take hospital emergency calls, see if you can negotiate fewer hours while the children are little, or if you can limit your practice to office work. Creative schedule solutions can help you to balance the twin demands of medicine and motherhood.