Balancing Career and Family: Parental Leave for Resident Physicians

Parental Leave for Resident Physicians: Are Top Training Programs Doing Enough?

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Mira Elwood in Health & Wellness October 2026 • 4 min read.

"A new study reveals a significant gap in paid leave policies for resident physicians compared to faculty at top medical schools. Is it time for an overhaul?"


Balancing career and family is a persistent challenge for physicians, particularly during residency. These intense training years often coincide with prime childbearing years, demanding long hours and inflexible schedules. This makes adequate parental leave policies not just a benefit, but a necessity for well-being and gender equity in medicine.

While progress has been made in supporting faculty with families, a recent study highlights a concerning disparity: resident physicians often lack comparable support. A 2016-2017 report found that faculty physicians at 12 top U.S. medical schools received an average of 8.6 weeks of paid childbearing leave. But what about the residents in these same institutions?

A new investigation into institution-level childbearing and family leave policies at 15 graduate medical education (GME)-sponsoring institutions affiliated with those top medical schools sought to answer that question. The findings reveal a significant gap in support for resident physicians, raising questions about institutional priorities and the well-being of future doctors.

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How Leave Policy Took Shape

Family leave policies allow workers to take time away from work to care for family members, while maternity leave refers to time granted to mothers around childbirth. For resident physicians, parental leave decisions are typically made with residency program directors, whose decisions are influenced by specialty board policies. Residency overlaps with prime childbearing years and often involves long, inflexible hours, making leave policies relevant to physician well-being and gender equity. Research on family medicine residents also describes adequate parental leave as part of a supportive workplace and reports higher satisfaction when residents feel their newborn’s needs are met, including opportunities to breastfeed.

The Parental Leave Gap: Disparities in Paid Leave for Residents

Balancing Career and Family: Parental Leave for Resident Physicians

The study, conducted between February and July 2018, scrutinized the leave policies at 15 GME-sponsoring institutions. These institutions were affiliated with the 12 medical schools previously examined in the 2016-2017 faculty leave report and were ranked among the top in funding or academics. Researchers sought to determine the duration, constraints, and provisions related to paid childbearing leave (for birth mothers) and family leave (additional leave for either parent).

Key findings from the study include:

  • Only 7 of the 15 institutions had a GME policy providing paid, designated childbearing leave.
  • The mean duration of this leave was just 5.7 weeks (ranging from 2-8 weeks).
  • When combining childbirth leave with designated family leave for childbearing mothers, the mean maternity leave duration totaled 6.6 weeks (ranging from 2-10 weeks).
  • 6 of these institutions, plus one other that lacked basic provisions for birth mothers, offered paid family leave for non-birth parents.
  • Among those seven, the mean paid leave for non-primary parents was 3.9 weeks (ranging from 1-8 weeks).
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Recent Research on Trainee Leave

A study of programs affiliated with the top 15 medical schools found that only 8 had a formal policy providing paid parental leave for residents; the reported average duration was 6, though the supplied summary does not specify the unit. Research on infectious disease fellowship describes historically inconsistent or ambiguous graduate medical education leave policies, or no policies at all, with governing-body guidance emerging only recently. A national survey of pediatric fellowship raises the possibility that concerns about leave adequacy may lead trainees to defer childbearing until after training, when leave may be more substantial.

Board Rules and Program-Level Support

Specialty board policies can shape program directors’ decisions about resident parental leave, and residents who exceed permitted leave may need to extend training to qualify for board certification. The supplied article summary reports an investigation of childbearing and family leave policies at 15 GME-sponsoring institutions affiliated with top medical schools, describing a significant support gap. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) have established requirements and policies concerning parental-leave compensation and duration; the cited article connects shorter leave with higher burnout rates.

These results underscore a significant disparity between the leave provided to faculty (8.6 weeks) and residents (5.7-6.6 weeks) at comparable institutions. Moreover, the resident leave falls far short of the 12 weeks proposed in federal legislation supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics. While the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) mandates 12 weeks of unpaid leave for eligible employees, residents often don't qualify due to the 12-month employment requirement.

Balancing Needs: The Path Forward for Parental Leave Policies

The study's findings reveal that a minority of GME-sponsoring institutions provide paid leave for residents, even though the affiliated medical schools typically offer such policies for faculty. It also shows the duration of paid total maternity leave in programs that do offer leave is less than the leave offered to faculty and less than a potential federal law.

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Improving Return-to-Work Support

A study reported in April 2026 describes Canadian family physicians returning to work after childbirth and notes that their timing is influenced by practice models. The report contrasts these returns with general Canadian parental-leave patterns, in which most people take between nine and twelve months off. The study’s authors recommend strengthening parental leave and return-to-work supports as a way that could improve physician well-being and retention.

Policy Access and Systemic Pressures

A study of surgical trainees assessed perceptions before and after a comprehensive family medical leave policy was introduced in a training program, with the hypothesis that the formal policy would improve feelings of support. Separately, a 2025 study examined all ACGME-accredited, non-military residency programs in the United States across 10 surgical specialties, collecting leave-policy and program information from websites and testing differences in policy availability. A report published in April 2026 highlights systemic challenges for pregnant physicians, including income loss during leave, maternal discrimination, and associated psychological toll.

Leave’s Educational and Career Effects

A study published in May 2026 aims to describe the educational and career impacts of parental leave and parenthood as perceived by the nonchildbearing resident parent. Its stated focus brings the nonchildbearing parent’s perspective into research on how leave and parenthood affect residents’ training and careers. A separate study describes childbearing and family leave at 15 GME-sponsoring institutions affiliated with 12 US medical schools appearing on top-10 lists for funding or ranking.

Creating supportive parental leave policies for residents requires a delicate balancing act. Institutions must consider the physical and emotional needs of new parents, the imperative to ensure clinical competence among all residents, and the potential impact on patient care within systems that heavily rely on resident labor.

Further research is needed to identify parental leave policies that support the shared goals of resident well-being, comprehensive medical education, and quality patient care.

What limits comparisons of resident leave

  • The separate family-medicine survey drew on program directors’ reports, and not all faculty they described were employed by residency programs.[1]

How the resident-leave findings compare

That same survey found that some programs reported no paid maternity leave, and the share reporting no paid paternity leave differed between residents and faculty.[1]

A nationwide obstetrics and gynecology resident survey reported that formal policies were more common for childbearing parents than for nonchildbearing parents, underscoring that policy availability can differ by parent role.[2]

Questions the policy evidence leaves open

  • How often do training extensions associated with leave affect whether residents take leave, and how do those effects vary by specialty?[3]
  • How does leave coverage affect colleagues’ workloads when a resident is away from training?[2]

Questions about resident parental leave

Why might residents defer parental leave even when it is paid?

A potential training extension, which can depend on specialty-board rules, may carry economic and career implications and deter residents from taking time away.[3]

Sources

  1. Parental Leave Policies and Practices of US Family Medicine Residency Programs (journals.stfm.org)
  2. Pregnancy and parental leave among obstetrics and gynecology residents: results of a nationwide survey of program directors. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  3. Parental Leave for Residents at Programs Affiliated With the Top 50 Medical Schools. (2019)

About this Article -

Written with AI assistance from published research, and reviewed by the Mystum team. See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1001/jama.2018.14414, Alternate LINK

Title: Childbearing And Family Leave Policies For Resident Physicians At Top Training Institutions

Subject: General Medicine

Journal: JAMA

Publisher: American Medical Association (AMA)

Authors: Kirti Magudia, Alexander Bick, Jeffrey Cohen, Thomas S. C. Ng, Debra Weinstein, Christina Mangurian, Reshma Jagsi

Published: 2018-12-11

Everything You Need To Know

1

What are the main findings of the study regarding parental leave for resident physicians?

The investigation found that at 15 Graduate Medical Education (GME)-sponsoring institutions, only 7 had a policy providing paid, designated childbearing leave for resident physicians, with an average duration of 5.7 weeks. This is in stark contrast to the faculty at the affiliated medical schools, who often receive significantly more paid leave. The study also reveals that when combining childbirth leave with designated family leave for childbearing mothers, the mean maternity leave duration totaled 6.6 weeks. The implications of these disparities include potential negative impacts on the well-being of resident physicians and may exacerbate gender inequities within medicine.

2

Why do resident physicians often receive less support compared to faculty?

Resident physicians often receive less support than faculty due to several factors. The study highlights that while faculty at top medical schools received an average of 8.6 weeks of paid childbearing leave, residents often receive less. The study's findings underscore a significant disparity between the leave provided to faculty and residents at comparable institutions. This is further compounded by the fact that residents may not qualify for unpaid leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) due to its employment requirements. This disparity highlights the need for policy changes to ensure equity.

3

What are the specific numbers related to leave duration for resident physicians?

The key findings revealed that out of 15 GME-sponsoring institutions, only 7 provided paid childbearing leave for resident physicians. The mean duration of this leave was just 5.7 weeks. When combining childbirth leave with designated family leave for childbearing mothers, the mean maternity leave duration totaled 6.6 weeks. Furthermore, only 6 of these institutions, plus one other that lacked basic provisions for birth mothers, offered paid family leave for non-birth parents, with a mean of 3.9 weeks. These numbers are important because they show a significant difference compared to the leave given to faculty physicians and fall short of the 12 weeks proposed in federal legislation supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

4

How can inadequate parental leave affect the well-being of resident physicians?

The well-being of resident physicians can be significantly impacted by inadequate parental leave policies. Residency training often coincides with the prime childbearing years, demanding long hours and inflexible schedules. Without adequate parental leave, residents may experience increased stress, burnout, and difficulty balancing their career with family responsibilities. The disparities in leave policies can also affect gender equity. The lack of sufficient leave can disproportionately affect female residents, potentially hindering their career advancement and contributing to gender-based inequities in medicine. Addressing these issues is crucial for fostering a supportive environment for future doctors.

5

What is the study's focus and why is it significant?

The study focuses on the parental leave policies at 15 GME-sponsoring institutions affiliated with top medical schools. It examines the duration and type of leave provided to resident physicians, specifically focusing on paid childbearing leave and family leave. The study's significance lies in revealing disparities between the support offered to residents compared to faculty, highlighting the need for policy improvements to ensure physician well-being and promote gender equity in medicine. By scrutinizing these policies, the research aims to inform and advocate for changes that better support residents during their demanding training years.

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