Returning to Surgical Residency After Maternity Leave: Exploring Challenges and Shining a Light on the Motherhood Advantage

Objective

Surgeon and surgical resident mothers continue to face discrimination and inequities related to motherhood. Current literature reports on the logistical challenges and some of the negative perceptions faced by these individuals, but we do not know the whole story of how women navigate these challenges. With increasing attention to EDI, understanding women's experiences is crucial for transforming surgical culture.

Design

Using constructivist grounded theory, the experiences of surgical residents as mothers were explored as they reflected on their transition back to work after maternity leave. Semi-structured interviews were conversational, and interview questions evolved throughout the study. Interview transcripts were analyzed using constant comparative analysis.

Setting

This was a Canadian-wide study, including current trainee or faculty participants who had completed surgical training at Canadian institutions.

Participants

Eligible participants were any faculty surgeon or current trainee who had taken a maternity leave from a Canadian surgical program between 2012 and 2022. Twenty-one participants were included from the specialties of general surgery, plastic surgery, vascular surgery, orthopedics, urology, ophthalmology, and obstetrics and gynecology.

Results

Participants detailed the challenges they faced returning to surgical residency after maternity leave, and the factors that made this transition easier. Upon reflection, participants described this transition as transformative for their professional identity, highlighting how motherhood facilitated the development of essential skills including communication, empathy, and setting boundaries.

Conclusions

Despite efforts to better support women in surgery, challenges with the transition back to work following maternity leave persist. Both individuals and systems need to reevaluate priorities, design more flexible call schedules, implement better accommodations for chest-feeding parents, and establish mentorship programs for all parents. Negative perceptions of and biases against surgeon mothers must also be challenged. Notably, this study’s novel findings that motherhood enhances, rather than detracts from, surgical skill development should be recognized.