Timing of pregnancy as a first time attending?

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viao

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Hi everyone,

I was hoping to gather thoughts re timing of pregnancy w respect to first time attending job. How bad is it to take maternity leave within the first year that one is hired as an attending? I would like to have another baby before it is too late (based on age) but I don't want to mess things up as an attending - and I know how hard it is in the first year of life with sleep deprivation etc.

What do people think? Since it is very different as a resident/fellow.

Also, do people negotiate (paid) maternity leave upfront in their contract?

I am not in a family friendly subspecialty of medicine btw.

Thanks for the help
 
But how does one have the (awkward) convo about paid time off up front? Seriously..in a specialty where there are only male doctors. I don't want to jeopardize the job or make people upset. How do I do this?
 
viao said:
But how does one have the (awkward) convo about paid time off up front? Seriously..in a specialty where there are only male doctors. I don't want to jeopardize the job or make people upset. How do I do this?
Click to expand...
Covert way is to ask about short term disability as pregnancy counts for that generally speaking.

That said, I think anyone that hires female doctors of child bearing age are aware that having babies is a common thing.
 
viao said:
But how does one have the (awkward) convo about paid time off up front? Seriously..in a specialty where there are only male doctors. I don't want to jeopardize the job or make people upset. How do I do this?
Click to expand...

Show up to the interview pregnant??

Ok. Seriously. I think you just be real and practical especially with a bunch of dudes, "Hey guys, I'm going to get pregnant because I want to and I'm not getting any younger. I hope this isn't a huge deal. I don't want to inconvenience anyone but it might and I can't help that. Just FYI so we can all work together around it"
 
I'm very traumatized about how people responded to pregnancy during training and all of the issues that came up with maternity leave.

I have no idea if it would be worse or better as an attending. And I'm scared about doing anything in the BEGINNING of my first attending job - maybe I shouldn't but somehow I am...

What is typical leave time when one is an attending? Is it expected to all be paid?
 
viao said:
I'm very traumatized about how people responded to pregnancy during training and all of the issues that came up with maternity leave.

I have no idea if it would be worse or better as an attending. And I'm scared about doing anything in the BEGINNING of my first attending job - maybe I shouldn't but somehow I am...

What is typical leave time when one is an attending? Is it expected to all be paid?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't expect to be paid outside of whatever short term disability that may apply.
 
viao said:
Hi everyone,

I was hoping to gather thoughts re timing of pregnancy w respect to first time attending job. How bad is it to take maternity leave within the first year that one is hired as an attending? I would like to have another baby before it is too late (based on age) but I don't want to mess things up as an attending - and I know how hard it is in the first year of life with sleep deprivation etc.

What do people think? Since it is very different as a resident/fellow.

Also, do people negotiate (paid) maternity leave upfront in their contract?

I am not in a family friendly subspecialty of medicine btw.

Thanks for the help
Click to expand...

My wife (a physician) got pregnant within a year of being hired. She is currently on paid maternity leave for three months. You won't get fired for getting pregnant and taking some time off. It is too difficult to hire a doctor so it just isn't practical for your employer to do so. You are valuable and so is your family. Don't worry about it!
 
Agree with sentiments above - have a kid whenever you and your family want to.
My employer requires you to “build up” your PTO time - 4wks total, which happens relatively “quickly” - 8hrs per pay period. some employers have a 200hr max (carryover from prev year 120hrs). After that, break in to FMLA time - or do part time when the little one is young. Depends on your preference on how soon you want to go back.

I would just ask:
How much PTO?
Do these hours build up over time or fully available after 3months/or so of employment?

I would try to negotiate more PTO - despite them saying “this is standard for everyone”.

Good luck
 
Also, it is super illegal for anyone to fire you, or withdraw a job offer, or take away promotion opportunities, or in any way treat you differently for being pregnant or talking about getting pregnant in the future. It's sex discrimination, plain and simple.

You can help employers not discriminate against you for being interested in getting pregnant by not asking about it until they've made an offer. Because if they make an offer, then you ask about pregnancy accommodations, and then they withdraw the offer, that becomes a very cut and dried case of sex discrimination and you can and should report them to the EEOC and have a lawyer get you a nice settlement. If you ask before you have an offer, it's not as clear and they can say they had other reasons for picking a different candidate.
 
If you want more kids and bio time is running out then that’s priority a and what your job wants is priority zzz-. You re the hot commodity, not them. A year on board would give you fmla protection though. And yeah there is absolutely no need to share your plans with anyone before you are pregnant.
 
Get pregnant. If this is a job that's meant to be, they'll work around it. If they don't it's better you find out early rather than waste a few years of your life finding that out later.
 
In my experience, somewhere during the interview negotiation process you can get the chance to meet with a benefits person to learn what they can offer. Much of it is preset for hospital employees, but for a private group there may be room for negotiation.

You might want to consider or ask about how coverage would work if someone needed medical leave in thr group? (Do they hire locums, or does everyones call increase, whats the process). If you are interested in maybe part time ask about flexibility for change in schedules, starting or changing to 0.6 or 0.8 fte etc
 
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