Dataset Information

Pregnancy and parental leave policies at Australian and New Zealand medical schools.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Research into how medical schools support students who are pregnant or with current parental responsibilities has been mostly limited to the US context.

Objectives

To review pregnancy and parental leave policies for students at Australian/New Zealand medical schools.

Design

A cross-sectional survey.

Methods

Data were collected between June and September 2021. Websites of Australian/New Zealand medical schools (n = 23) were searched for freely available information on pregnancy and parental leave policies. Each school was contacted to provide supplementary information on the processes to support students who apply for pregnancy and/or parental leave. Outcome harvesting techniques were used to analyse the key attributes and processes used by medical schools.

Results

None of the 23 accredited Australian/New Zealand medical schools had specific pregnancy and/or parental leave policies. Fourteen of the 23 Australian/New Zealand medical schools responded to the request for more information. All confirmed, beyond their University's general student leave policies, they had no additional pregnancy and parental leave policy. Analysis of each school's processes identified the following themes: lack of school specific pregnancy and/or parental leave policies; lack of public statements of support for medical students who are pregnant and/or with current parental responsibilities; and lack of attention to the specific needs of medical students who are pregnant and/or with current parental responsibilities, including those with pregnant partners or are a birth support person.

Conclusion

There was a lack of documentation and formalized processes related to the support of this group of students. By creating easily accessible information on pregnancy and parental leave which is nuanced to the challenges of medical school and clinical placements, medical schools and medical education accreditation bodies in Australia/New Zealand can address the needs of medical students who are pregnant and/or with current parental responsibilities and normalize pregnancy and parental status within entry-to-practice medical courses.

SUBMITTER: McGrath C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9751152 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Pregnancy and parental leave policies at Australian and New Zealand medical schools.

McGrath Caroline C Szabo Rebecca A RA Bilszta Justin L JL

Women's health (London, England) 20220101

<h4>Background</h4>Research into how medical schools support students who are pregnant or with current parental responsibilities has been mostly limited to the US context.<h4>Objectives</h4>To review pregnancy and parental leave policies for students at Australian/New Zealand medical schools.<h4>Design</h4>A cross-sectional survey.<h4>Methods</h4>Data were collected between June and September 2021. Websites of Australian/New Zealand medical schools (n = 23) were searched for freely available inf ...[more]

PMID: 36510416

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Project description:BackgroundThe Australian Medical Council, which accredits Australian medical schools, recommends medical leadership graduate outcomes be taught, assessed and accredited. In Australia and New Zealand (Australasia) there is a significant research gap and no national consensus on how to educate, assess, and evaluate leadership skills in medical professional entry degree/programs. This study aims to investigate the current curricula, assessment and evaluation of medical leadership in Australasian medical degrees, with particular focus on the roles and responsibilities of medical leadership teachers, frameworks used and competencies taught, methods of delivery, and barriers to teaching leadership.MethodsA self-administered cross-sectional survey was distributed to senior academics and/or heads or Deans of Australasian medical schools. Data for closed questions and ordinal data of each Likert scale response were described via frequency analysis. Content analysis was undertaken on free text responses and coded manually.ResultsSixteen of the 22 eligible (73%) medical degrees completed the full survey and 100% of those indicate that leadership is taught in their degree. In most degrees (11, 69%) leadership is taught as a common theme integrated throughout the curricula across several subjects. There is a variety of leadership competencies taught, with strengths being communication (100%), evidence based practice (100%), critical reflective practice (94%), self-management (81%), ethical decision making (81%), critical thinking and decision making (81%). Major gaps in teaching were financial management (20%), strategic planning (31%) and workforce planning (31%). The teaching methods used to deliver medical leadership within the curricula are diverse, with many degrees providing opportunities for leadership teaching for students outside the curricula. Most degrees (10, 59%) assess the leadership education, with one-third (6, 35%) evaluating it.ConclusionsMedical leadership competencies are taught in most degrees, but key leadership competencies are not being taught and there appears to be no continuous quality improvement process for leadership education. There is much more we can do as medical educators, academics and leaders to shape professional development of academics to teach medical leadership, and to agree on required leadership skills set for our students so they can proactively shape the future of the health care system.

Project description:ImportancePhysician parents, particularly women, are more likely to experience burnout, poor family-career balance, adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, and stigmatization compared with nonparent colleagues. Because many physicians delay child-rearing due to the rigorous demands of medical training, favorable parental leave policies for faculty physicians are crucial to prevent physician workforce attrition.ObjectiveTo evaluate paid and unpaid parental leave policies at medical schools ranked by US News & World Report in 2020 and identify factors associated with leave policies.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional national study was performed at US medical schools reviewed from December 1, 2019, through May 31, 2020, and February 1 through March 31, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All medical schools ranked by US News & World Report in 2020 were included.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was the number of weeks of paid and unpaid leave for birth, nonbirth, adoption, and foster care physician parents. Institutional policies for the number of weeks of leave and requirements to use vacation, sick, or disability leave were characterized. Institutional factors were evaluated for association with the duration of paid parental leave using χ2 tests.ResultsAmong the 90 ranked medical schools, 87 had available data. Sixty-three medical schools (72.4%) had some paid leave for birth mothers, but only 13 (14.9%) offered 12 weeks of fully paid leave. While 11 medical schools (12.6%) offered 12 weeks of full paid leave for nonbirth parents, 38 (43.7%) had no paid leave for nonbirth parents. Adoptive and foster parents had no paid leave in 35 (40.2%) and 65 (74.7%) medical schools, respectively. Median paid parental leave was 4 (IQR, 0-8) weeks for birth parents, 4 (IQR, 0-6) weeks for adoptive parents, 3 (IQR, 0-6) weeks for nonbirth parents, and 0 (IQR, 0-1) weeks for foster parents. About one-third of medical schools required birth mothers to use vacation (29 [33.3%]), sick leave (31 [35.6%]), or short-term disability (9 [10.3%]). Among institutional characteristics, higher ranking (top vs bottom quartile: 30.4% vs 4.0%; P = .03) and private designation (private vs public, 23.5% vs 9.4%; P < .001) was associated with a higher rate of 12 weeks of paid leave for birth mothers.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cross-sectional national study of medical schools ranked by US News & World Report in 2020, many physician faculty receive no or very limited paid parental leave. The lack of paid parental leave was associated with higher rates of physician burnout and work-life integration dissatisfaction and may further perpetuate sex, racial and ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in academic medicine.

Project description:PurposeRecruitment to radiation oncology training programs has recently declined, and gender inequities persist in radiation oncology. Policies that promote inclusivity, such as the updated American College of Graduate Medical Education parental leave policy establishing minimum parental leave requirements, may support recruitment to radiation oncology.Methods and materialsWe surveyed 2021-2022 radiation oncology residency applicants and program directors (PDs) about program-specific parental leave policies, transparency of parental leave information during the residency application and interview process, and perceptions of the effect of parenthood on residency training, career advancement, and well-being.ResultsOf 89 radiation oncology PDs, 29 (33%) completed the survey. Of 154 residency applicants (current fourth-year medical students, international applicants, or postdoctoral fellows) surveyed, 62 (40%) completed the survey. Most applicants planned to start a family during residency (53%) and reported perceived flexibility to start a family influenced their decision to pursue radiation oncology over other career specialties (55%). Many applicants viewed time in residency (nonresearch, 22%), in research (33%), and as early career faculty (24%) as the best time to start a family. A small number of applicants used program-specific parental leave policy information in determining their rank list (11%), and many applicants sought information regarding fertility health care benefits (55%). Many applicants obtained parental leave information verbally, despite expressing a preference for objective means (slide deck, 63%; website, 50%; or handout, 42%) of information sharing. PDs were all supportive of a 6-week maternity leave policy (100% agree or strongly agree with the policy) and did not feel parental leave would negatively affect a resident's ability to pursue an academic (100%) or private practice career (100%).ConclusionsMany radiation oncology residency applicants plan to start families during training, seek and value program-specific parental leave information and health benefits, and prefer objective means of information sharing. These findings likely reflect those who have strong views of parental leave policies.

Project description:Policy Points: Historically, reforms that have increased the duration of job-protected paid parental leave have improved women's economic outcomes. By targeting the period around childbirth, access to paid parental leave also appears to reduce rates of infant mortality, with breastfeeding representing one potential mechanism. The provision of more generous paid leave entitlements in countries that offer unpaid or short durations of paid leave could help families strike a balance between the competing demands of earning income and attending to personal and family well-being.ContextPolicies legislating paid leave from work for new parents, and to attend to individual and family illness, are common across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. However, there exists no comprehensive review of their potential impacts on economic, social, and health outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature on paid leave and socioeconomic and health outcomes. We reviewed 5,538 abstracts and selected 85 published papers on the impact of parental leave policies, 22 papers on the impact of medical leave policies, and 2 papers that evaluated both types of policies. We synthesized the main findings through a narrative description; a meta-analysis was precluded by heterogeneity in policy attributes, policy changes, outcomes, and study designs.FindingsWe were able to draw several conclusions about the impact of parental leave policies. First, extensions in the duration of paid parental leave to between 6 and 12 months were accompanied by attendant increases in leave-taking and longer durations of leave. Second, there was little evidence that extending the duration of paid leave had negative employment or economic consequences. Third, unpaid leave does not appear to confer the same benefits as paid leave. Fourth, from a population health perspective, increases in paid parental leave were consistently associated with better infant and child health, particularly in terms of lower mortality rates. Fifth, paid paternal leave policies of adequate length and generosity have induced fathers to take additional time off from work following the birth of a child. How medical leave policies for personal or family illness influence health has not been widely studied.ConclusionsThere is substantial quasi-experimental evidence to support expansions in the duration of job-protected paid parental leave as an instrument for supporting women's labor force participation, safeguarding women's incomes and earnings, and improving child survival. This has implications, in particular, for countries that offer shorter durations of job-protected paid leave or lack a national paid leave entitlement altogether.

Dataset Information

Pregnancy and parental leave policies at Australian and New Zealand medical schools.

Background

Objectives

Design

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Pregnancy and parental leave policies at Australian and New Zealand medical schools.

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