Internship & Possible School Closures

[sevenhells]

Any other parents out there about to start internship (or postdoc) worried about school closures this fall? I'll be starting a neuro internship next month and my kids will likely be doing online schooling from home. Although they are old enough (middle & high school age) to be home alone, it isn't an ideal situation. I'm remaining hopeful that my program will allow some flexibility in my schedule to write reports and do other tasks remotely, but that isn't guaranteed. I don't really expect any solutions by posting here, but I've felt rather alone on this issue. Anyone else in a similar situation?

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[Therapist4Chnge]

I'm not personally impacted by that scenario, but I think it is a great topic and I'm hopeful that others can chime in and share.

 

[WisNeuro]

Not on internship or postdoc, but do have a kid in daycare. Definitely planning on possible closures (although unlikely). More likely scenario is that we have to burn some PTO when the kid gets some of the regular kid sicknesses and can't go to daycare because of a cough or fever. We had to cancel some vacations anyway due to the pandemic, so I've been banking those. I'm almost at the use it or lose it stage, so I could conceivably take more than a month off if necessary. Other than that, I do neuro, so it's easy for me to pack in clinical work on certain days and score/write reports from home other days if necessary.

I would just say, if you can, just show them that you can maintain the same productivity with some remote work, it may take some juggling of schedule to get most of your charting/notes/reports on certain days/times, but it can be done if they work with you.

 

[sevenhells]

Not on internship or postdoc, but do have a kid in daycare. Definitely planning on possible closures (although unlikely). More likely scenario is that we have to burn some PTO when the kid gets some of the regular kid sicknesses and can't go to daycare because of a cough or fever. We had to cancel some vacations anyway due to the pandemic, so I've been banking those. I'm almost at the use it or lose it stage, so I could conceivably take more than a month off if necessary. Other than that, I do neuro, so it's easy for me to pack in clinical work on certain days and score/write reports from home other days if necessary.

I think this sort of highlights the unique problem I have as a trainee & parent during a pandemic. I don't have banked PTO (we have to earn our time off with each pay period). Same for my husband, who moved across the country with me and is starting a new job. We're also in a completely new state, unfamiliar with the area and without our support system we built up during grad school. These are things we of course expected with internship year, but the pandemic has really changed the balance of things.

I would just say, if you can, just show them that you can maintain the same productivity with some remote work, it may take some juggling of schedule to get most of your charting/notes/reports on certain days/times, but it can be done if they work with you.

This is my hope! Since I'll only be doing a neuro rotation for the first half of the year, I'm hoping I'll be able to see patients on site 1-2 days a week and work remotely on most other things.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

This is my hope! Since I'll only be doing a neuro rotation for the first half of the year, I'm hoping I'll be able to see patients on site 1-2 days a week and work remotely on most other things.

While there may be some adjustments needed for the supervision and didactic/journal club parts of your neuro rotation, hopefully this can be doable. I know from a practice standpoint, I made the shift back in March, and now I don't think I'm ever going back to being in the office more than 2 days per week. Best of luck!

 

[R. Matey]

I'm starting postdoc soonish and we're a little nervous about it. I have a preschooler and as far as we know, the preschool will still be open in the fall. We weren't by relatives for grad school when our kiddo was very little and it was very stressful. My faculty were really understanding, when I had to miss things or bring my little to a meeting. I don't have answers for you at all, but I just wanted to say that I feel ya

 

[GradStudent2020]

Any other parents out there about to start internship (or postdoc) worried about school closures this fall? I'll be starting a neuro internship next month and my kids will likely be doing online schooling from home. Although they are old enough (middle & high school age) to be home alone, it isn't an ideal situation. I'm remaining hopeful that my program will allow some flexibility in my schedule to write reports and do other tasks remotely, but that isn't guaranteed. I don't really expect any solutions by posting here, but I've felt rather alone on this issue. Anyone else in a similar situation?

I’m finishing internship and lost childcare mid-March with one days notice and my spouse out of state. Not ideal.

Managing pandemic related issues during internship is VERY different than if we were regular employees. As you already pointed out, we don’t have the luxury of plenty of PTO or the option to take unpaid leave. We also don’t have the same protections as regular employees if we choose to leave an unsafe work environment (ex. inpatient hospital without PPE).

I would have switched to part-time or taken a leave of absence if I had been employed in a traditional sense.This isn’t really an option for internship.

My advice to you would be to have a backup plan for your backup plan. I am starting post-doc and have already discussed options with my supervisor if (when) my daughter’s school closes. I’m more comfortable taking a leave if I need to this year, even if it means extending post-doc. My kiddo is 3 so needs direct supervision and can’t be hanging in the background during telehealth clinical work.

If your site cannot allow work from home flexibility, maybe they can adjust your hours so you work 4-10’s, or 3-10’s, 2-5’s. That may allow you to support your kids in their learning 1-2 weekdays.

You may find out if you’d be eligible for the FFCRA benefit, if you need it. My site made this available to interns, but I’m not sure the eligibility requirements.

Good luck! You are almost there!

 

[sevenhells]

My advice to you would be to have a backup plan for your backup plan. I am starting post-doc and have already discussed options with my supervisor if (when) my daughter’s school closes. I’m more comfortable taking a leave if I need to this year, even if it means extending post-doc. My kiddo is 3 so needs direct supervision and can’t be hanging in the background during telehealth clinical work.

If your site cannot allow work from home flexibility, maybe they can adjust your hours so you work 4-10’s, or 3-10’s, 2-5’s. That may allow you to support your kids in their learning 1-2 weekdays.

You may find out if you’d be eligible for the FFCRA benefit, if you need it. My site made this available to interns, but I’m not sure the eligibility requirements.

Good luck! You are almost there!

Thank you, these are great suggestions!!