Maternity Leave During Internship

[HvnBkly]

Hi everyone,

I start internship this month at an APA accredited government-based site. Recently, I've had a bit of a surprise in my personal life... Do you think it is possible to go on maternity leave during internship and meet all of my requirements? If it makes a difference, my site only requires the minimum number of hours for licensure in my state and for HSP credential. I had a baby during graduate school (APA accredited program) so I have experience with recovery from childbirth, adjusting to life with a newborn, breastfeeding/pumping struggles, and guilt over returning to work. However, I obviously have not been on internship before. Is this something I can realistically manage (assuming I have a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and baby)?

Any advice and/or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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[AcronymAllergy]

They can't actually stop you from going on maternity leave, of course, although I'd imagine you'll need to make the time up somehow (my guess is by extending your training year). Given that you're an intern and likely don't have much sick/annual leave built up, much of the leave will probably be without pay, but I'd imagine actually having it available wouldn't be a problem. Not sure what the limit on said leave would be, though.

With the site being APA-accredited, they're required to have you complete a full year of training, which includes a certain number of face-to-face hours, supervision, and didactics.

 

[WisNeuro]

At places I have been, they extend your training year by the time that you took off for leave.

 

[Pragma]

Ditto to the above, and that is also how I have seen it handled on postdoc.

 

[HvnBkly]

Okay, that's what I was expecting. Not being paid during leave will not be a problem. I'm very lucky to have a husband who supports my career even though he makes more than enough money to support our family on his own. In that case, the major issue is that if I have to extend my internship, I will have to delay post-doc. Is that correct? Or are there ways around that?

 

[CheetahGirl]

I would venture to guess that a delay in post-doc may be expected...due to the intensity of internship and (IMO) parenting demands of little kids/babies.

I'm finishing up internship and decided to take a year between both. I have kids and have been so absent this past year. For me, it was necessary.

Okay, that's what I was expecting. Not being paid during leave will not be a problem. I'm very lucky to have a husband who supports my career even though he makes more than enough money to support our family on his own. In that case, the major issue is that if I have to extend my internship, I will have to delay post-doc. Is that correct? Or are there ways around that?

 

[HvnBkly]

I would venture to guess that a delay in post-doc may be expected...due to the intensity of internship and (IMO) parenting demands of little kids/babies.
I'm finishing up internship and decided to take a year between both. I have kids and have been so absent this past year. For me, it was necessary.

I can definitely see that. I was considering taking a break between internship and post-doc anyway. I'm already feeling awful about being away from my daughter so much during this coming year. Thank you for sharing. I'm glad to know that it can be done (even if it is tough emotionally).

 

[CheetahGirl]

Oh, yes. It can all be done...and if someone has not done it before (whom you know), then you will carve out the path. Internship has been mentally-taxing and emotionally draining. I realized I was loosing grip on my strong bonds with my 4 kids (ages 3-11). I am also fortunate to have a spouse who supports us financially and really stepped-up to the plate to be Super-Dad on top of all he already does (I prepared him for internship year since my first year). I looked up one day and said 'Whoa! What's the rush?!? Let me stabilize my family-unit again and then run my merry way to post-doc!' I built excellent relationships with my internship supervisors (so the rec ltrs are ready!) and I was offered a part-time gig at my VA to keep my foot in the door while I'm applying for the post-docs in Dec/Jan. My youngest will be starting school when I plan to return to full-time work so it's a win-win. We will all grow and learn during the day, and rejoin as a family at the end of the work day. Life has curve-balls and turns..but sometimes it's all about the journey not the destination, right?

Congratulations on your pregnancy! And internship match! Best of luck.

 

[PsychPhDone]

Congratulations! I don't know anything about maternity leave on internship, but it sounds like you're starting Internship soon, and I wanted to share that most of the postdocs my cohort accepted have September/October start dates. I've also heard of people successfully delaying the start of postdoc for pregnancy/maternity reasons. I hope this is helpful information for you.

 

[cara susanna]

Yeah, everyone I know (including me) is starting post doc in September. Plus a lot of post-docs/jobs seem to pop up throughout the year.

 

[HvnBkly]

Thank you everyone! This has all been very helpful and reassuring. I'm a little stressed out but also very excited! This will be a big year.