Factors affecting family planning among general surgery trainees
Abstract Introduction Surgical trainees spend key years of their reproductive potential in training. However, their family planning needs are seldom addressed and remain poorly understood. This study was designed to understand the current landscape of family planning among General Surgery (GS) train...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06435-6 |
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| author | Caiwei Zheng Parker Bussies Luccie Wo Sarah Eidelson Chi Zhang Joelle Mouhanna Mecker G. Möller |
| author_facet | Caiwei Zheng Parker Bussies Luccie Wo Sarah Eidelson Chi Zhang Joelle Mouhanna Mecker G. Möller |
| author_sort | Caiwei Zheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Introduction Surgical trainees spend key years of their reproductive potential in training. However, their family planning needs are seldom addressed and remain poorly understood. This study was designed to understand the current landscape of family planning among General Surgery (GS) trainees and to identify the career-specific barriers they face. Methods We created a 26-question survey to assess GS trainee experiences surrounding family planning. The survey was distributed to residency and fellowship program directors nationwide. Outcome measures were evaluated using Pearson’s Chi-Square test and Fisher’s exact test. Results Two hundred thirty-four US GS surgical trainees completed the survey (male = 32.1%, female 66.2%, unreported = 1.7%). Work hours (p = 0.007) and female gender (p = 0.002) were associated with delayed childbirth. Time (93.2%), career/education goals (63%), and cost (59.5%) were most reported to prohibit childbearing. Females were significantly more impacted by time (p = 0.021) and career/education goals (p = 0.001) and more frequently considered fertility preservation (p < 0.001). Conclusion Time constraints and career goals are disproportionally more prohibitive to female surgeons when considering childbearing. Institutional resources should be tailored to gender-specific needs and address barriers to family planning. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-397e4fa2b8db428998ebc836e58e6b48 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-397e4fa2b8db428998ebc836e58e6b482025-08-20T03:13:58ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202025-04-012511610.1186/s12909-024-06435-6Factors affecting family planning among general surgery traineesCaiwei Zheng0Parker Bussies1Luccie Wo2Sarah Eidelson3Chi Zhang4Joelle Mouhanna5Mecker G. Möller6Department of Surgery, University of Chicago Pritzker School of MedicineCleveland Clinic Foundation, Women’s Health InstituteDepartment of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of MedicineDepartment of Surgery, University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Miami Miller School of MedicineUniversity of Miami Miller School of MedicineDepartment of Surgery, University of Chicago Pritzker School of MedicineAbstract Introduction Surgical trainees spend key years of their reproductive potential in training. However, their family planning needs are seldom addressed and remain poorly understood. This study was designed to understand the current landscape of family planning among General Surgery (GS) trainees and to identify the career-specific barriers they face. Methods We created a 26-question survey to assess GS trainee experiences surrounding family planning. The survey was distributed to residency and fellowship program directors nationwide. Outcome measures were evaluated using Pearson’s Chi-Square test and Fisher’s exact test. Results Two hundred thirty-four US GS surgical trainees completed the survey (male = 32.1%, female 66.2%, unreported = 1.7%). Work hours (p = 0.007) and female gender (p = 0.002) were associated with delayed childbirth. Time (93.2%), career/education goals (63%), and cost (59.5%) were most reported to prohibit childbearing. Females were significantly more impacted by time (p = 0.021) and career/education goals (p = 0.001) and more frequently considered fertility preservation (p < 0.001). Conclusion Time constraints and career goals are disproportionally more prohibitive to female surgeons when considering childbearing. Institutional resources should be tailored to gender-specific needs and address barriers to family planning.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06435-6Surgical trainingGeneral surgeryFamily planningFertility preservationGender differencesInstitutional support |
| spellingShingle | Caiwei Zheng Parker Bussies Luccie Wo Sarah Eidelson Chi Zhang Joelle Mouhanna Mecker G. Möller Factors affecting family planning among general surgery trainees BMC Medical Education Surgical training General surgery Family planning Fertility preservation Gender differences Institutional support |
| title | Factors affecting family planning among general surgery trainees |
| title_full | Factors affecting family planning among general surgery trainees |
| title_fullStr | Factors affecting family planning among general surgery trainees |
| title_full_unstemmed | Factors affecting family planning among general surgery trainees |
| title_short | Factors affecting family planning among general surgery trainees |
| title_sort | factors affecting family planning among general surgery trainees |
| topic | Surgical training General surgery Family planning Fertility preservation Gender differences Institutional support |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06435-6 |
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