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Ideally, one would go into medical school or any other mind-taxing, demanding endeavor childless and without any burden or distraction. Then, there would be single-mindedness and a clear focus toward accomplishing goals on time. For medical students who are also parents, the challenges can sometimes overpower personal resolve, making them quit prematurely.
Medical Students Who are Also Parents
Some med student-parents start medical school and get pregnant along the way. Others already have families, but that did not stop them from fulfilling their dreams (not that it should). There is really no best time to start a family or go to medical school, says Britt DeRuyter, who was a parent and a medical student at Medical College of Wisconsin. The mother of four boys admitted that it could be incredibly exhausting physically and emotionally to strive to be a successful student and parent simultaneously, AAMC Student Residents noted.
Study asks: Why isn’t anyone talking about medical students with children?
A new paper by Brown University researchers is one of the first to call attention to the need for more support for medical students who are pregnant or parenting.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] There are no national studies on medical students who are parents and very little information about what medical schools are doing to support these students, a review by researchers at Brown University found.
In fact, there isn’t even an accurate measure of exactly how many such students there are: According to the Association of American Medical Colleges’ 2020 Medical School Graduation Questionnaire, 7.3% of graduating medical students reported “having at least one non-spouse dependent” an inclusive phrase that covers, but doesn’t differentiate, parents of children.
There are no national studies on medical students who are parents and very little information about what medical schools are doing to support these students, a review finds.
In fact, there isn’t even an accurate measure of exactly how many such students there are: According to the Association of American Medical Colleges’ 2020 Medical School Graduation Questionnaire, 7.3% of graduating medical students reported “having at least one non-spouse dependent” an inclusive phrase that covers, but doesn’t differentiate, parents of children.
Without data on these students, it’s harder for medical schools to provide the support they need when they need it, says Shayla Durfey, coauthor of a new scholarly perspective piece on pregnant and parenting medical students. She cites longitudinal studies of PhD students showing that beginning to support pregnancy and parenting at the faculty level, rather than at the student level, creates a “leaky pipeline” that can cause trainees to