Pediatricians Leading the Way: Integrating a Career and a Family/Personal Life Over the Life Cycle

Abstract

Integration of personal and professional aspects of one's life over the course of the life cycle is a growing issue for women and men in all professions.1–8 This is especially so for individuals at the chronological ends of the career spectrum: those who are in training or early career, a time that overlaps with the childbearing and child-rearing years, and those who are reaching traditional retirement age, who might like to continue working but not at the same level of intensity. Individuals at both ends of the spectrum would benefit from flexible hours, reduced work schedules, and a wider diversity of career choices. Pediatricians, who specialize in the healthy physical and emotional development of children, should lead the medical profession in modeling child- and family-sensitive career paths. In the past 2 generations, the face of pediatrics has changed dramatically. As of 2002, women comprised nearly 70% of pediatricians in training,9 49.7% of all pediatricians,10 and 63% of pediatricians taking the American Board of Pediatrics certifying examination for the first time.11 In addition, pediatricians constitute the highest percentage of part-time physicians of all specialties.12 Of pediatricians working part-time, 87% are women.13 However, with the exception of adolescent medicine, women pediatricians are underrepresented in subspecialty training, academic medicine, and research.11,14 Women pediatricians' choice of career path seems to be driven predominantly by lifestyle issues and family considerations15,16 but also may be influenced by underlying workplace expectations and structures that make it more or less difficult to combine a competitive career and family/personal life.4,5 The future pediatric workforce will be strongly and adversely affected by a decline of pediatric subspecialists and physician-scientists unless those in leadership positions develop diverse and creative solutions to address this potential … Address correspondence to Diane K. Shrier, MD, 1616 18th St NW, Suite 104, Washington, DC 20009-2521. E-mail: diane.shrier.med.64{at}aya.yale.edu