Evolving trends in balancing work and family for future academic physicians: a role for personal stories

Overlapping trends in medicine include, (1) an increasing number of women entering medicine, (2) a growing number of generation X physicians, (3) the implementation of duty hour regulations, and (4) a diversifying workforce which have all contributed to the need for mentoring learners and young faculty in the area of balancing work and family. In pace with the increasing complexity of their lives and practices, women trainees and young physicians are seeking creative solutions to the challenges of simultaneous work and parenting. As teachers and mentors in academic medicine, it is our calling to share our own personal stories about personal and professional balance to help attract, retain, and anchor the next generation of physicians and identify policies in need of change.