New Physicians and New Parents

August 2024 - US Surgeon General's Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-being of Parents

2023 Update webinar Recording 

2022 Webinar link to the recording: 

CNBC Online article - 7 Ways New Mothers can prioritize their mental health 

Facebook group Dr. Milk Physician-only group (med students, residents, fellows, and attendings) moderated by trained lactation consultant physicians to ask any type of question from what is the best pump, to how to pump on a 24-hour shift, how to store milk, how to troubleshoot feeding/bottle issues, etc.

AAFP Policy on parental leave during residency training

06/14/2022 - AMA Adopts New Policies supporting parents in medical school and residency 
Supporting efforts to provide onsite or subsidized childcare for medical students and residents

Recognizing the lack of options available for affordable, accessible, quality childcare in the U.S. and the unique childcare challenges faced by physicians-in-training, the AMA adopted policy calling for onsite and/or subsidized childcare for medical students, residents, and fellows. Many health care workers, including medical students and residents, work outside the standard business hours, yet the number of childcare centers providing care during nonstandard hours is small—with only two percent offering childcare during the evening, six percent offering overnight care, and three percent offering weekend care. Given the fiscal challenges that medical schools and graduate medical education institutions may face in providing onsite and/or subsidized childcare, the AMA will also work with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Association of American Medical Colleges, and American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine to identify barriers to providing onsite care, as well as innovative methods and best practices for implementing onsite or subsidized care that meets the unique needs of medical students, residents, and fellows.

Ensuring adequate parental leave for medical students

While the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires covered employers to provide up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave to bond with a newborn or newly adopted child, FMLA does not have protections for students and schools are not required by law to accommodate parental leave. To ensure adequate parental leave for medical students, the adopted new policy encouraging medical schools to incorporate a six-week minimum leave allowance into their parental leave policies. Under the new policy, the AMA will also work with key stakeholders to advocate that anyone involved in providing medical training, such as residency programs, administration, fellowships, away rotations, physician evaluators, and research opportunities, do not discriminate against students who take family or parental leave.