Society for Women in Radiation Oncology Consensus Statement on Family and Medical Leave

Balancing work-life responsibilities is foundational to promoting well-being. Adding a child or other dependent to a family is a meaningful life event that profoundly affects those who bear children, partners, and adoptive parents, among others. Although this has long been recognized, policies supporting parental leave have varied considerably across individual professional training programs and institutions that deliver radiation oncology care. 1 Jagsi R Tarbell NJ Weinstein D Becoming a doctor, starting a family—leaves of absence from graduate medical education. N Engl J Med. 2007; 357: 1889-1891 Crossref PubMed Scopus (47) Google Scholar ,2 Magudia K Bick A Cohen J et al. Childbearing and family leave policies for resident physicians at top training institutions. JAMA. 2018; 320: 2372-2374 Crossref PubMed Scopus (47) Google Scholar Therefore, consistent and transparent policies increasing structural support for professionals throughout the trajectory of their careers are needed. 3 Weinstein D Mangurian C Jagsi R Parenting during residency: Practical policy solutions to promote change. N Engl J Med. 2019; 381: 995-997 Crossref PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar Fifty percent of women physicians will have their first child in residency, and the number of all trainees expected to start a family during residency is even higher. 4 Position Paper on Pregnancy During Schooling, Training, and Early Practice Years: American Medical Women's Association; November 1993. Available at: ​https://www.amwadoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Pregnancy_During_Schooling1.pdf. Accessed June 20, 2022. Google Scholar Parental involvement is crucial in early childhood development, 5 Zigler E Muenchow S Ruhm CJ Time Off With Baby: The Case for Paid Care Leave. Zero to Three: National Partnership for Women and Families, Washington, DC2012 Google Scholar and paid leave has been associated with improved health outcomes. 6 Lichtman-Sadot S Pillay Bell N Child health in elementary school following California's paid family leave program. J Policy Anal Manage. 2017; 36: 790-827 Crossref PubMed Scopus (36) Google Scholar