Hi all,
I have a four-month-old son and would like to spend quality time with him over the next three years without sacrificing the quality of my training. I am wondering if anyone can provide suggestions as to what I should be looking for/what questions I should be asking when looking at programs in regard to my goals as a parent: What call schedules seem to work better with young children, who has daycare, quality of life, etc.
FWIW, the programs I am looking seriously at are BWH, UW, MGH, UCSF BIDMC, OHSU, BU, and Stanford. I am also looking at the primary care tracks (which I know means less call at most of the above.) If anyone (especially parents!) has specific opinions regarding being a parent at those programs, that would be helpful too.
Any thoughts?
We're very much in the same boat, you and I. I have a 5 month old son, and I have decided to make family number one; however, I too would like top level training.
Just so you know where I'm coming from, I'm not 50 or 40 or even 30 years old. I'm 27 and been married 5 years. So, I'm a family man to be sure, but I'm still a young guy. (I put this here, because some of what I write below sounds older than this....

)
You asked about call schedule. I would imagine that night float vs overnight would be the major decision here, as it is for anyone. And, I would also think that night float would be more amenable to a parent so that we
may be able to see our kids to bed and such. ("may" being the operative word) That being said, I really want the experience of overnight call. Now, how often I want that experience is something I'm struggling with and may not ever really know until I'm going through it.
Ok, so you also mentioned quality of life. Now, I don't know your situation. You may be independently wealthy, your wife may be a high powered lawyer or investment banker.... supermodel... I don't know. But, for me, I really want a city that is family friendly. I want a place that will allow a great quality of life for my wife and child and those to come. So, I really didn't apply to Boston, San Francisco, New York, etc... I'm looking at places where I can get a nice house, with room for more kids, close enough to the hospital so I'm not commuting or stuck in traffic. Again, I don't know your tastes... you may be itching for some "big city" amenities; you may have family in Boston or California. But, for us, we just would not take advantage of anything in one of these places, we don't have family their, and I'm just not willing to sacrifice
their quality of life.
So, what I'm asking on interviews. I try to get a sense of what percentage of the house staff is married and what percentage has kids. I really don't want to be with a bunch of single people who want to go "clubbing" or whatever all the time and feel like an outcast because I want to spend time with my family. I want events that people bring their kids to. I also ask about resident spouse networks. Daycare is not something I ask about, because we're not using daycare; my wife does some work from home so she can be with the kids. As I mentioned before, I ask about quality of life and cost of living quite a bit. I really want a sense of how far people are living and what kind of places their living in. I cannot live in a little one bedroom apartment thirty minutes away for $2000 a month. I also cannot live in an unsafe area. Obviously, wanting to live close to the hospital, this precludes some programs right away.... some big programs (big in name only...) that I canceled interviews at for this very reason.
So, mainly I'm looking for a house staff that is at least 50% married with perhaps half of those with kids, a strong spousal support network, and a safe area around the hospital with affordable housing. (Is that too much to ask...

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Places I've interviewed at that fit the mold...
Vanderbilt
Michigan
Mayo-Rochester
OHSU a bit less so... (I didn't get the same vibe as the above places, but a resident posted above so, take their word over mine)
I'm to Duke soon, and I'm hopeful, but we'll see.
So, I know this is a bit long, but I hope I answered some of your questions. Please pm me with any other thoughts. It's nice to talk to someone with the same concerns.