Parental leave policies for faculty in U.S. medical schools

To assess medical school policies for maternity and other parental leaves as well as related opportunities for part-time employment, flexibility in tenure systems, and the availability of child care centers.

Cross-sectional survey of all 127 U.S. medical schools based on telephone interviews and review of faculty handbooks.

Ninety-three percent of medical schools responded. Twenty-two percent of medical schools have no written guidelines for maternity leave, 45% categorize maternity leave as a form of sick or disability leave, and only 34% have developed specific policies. Most schools (61%) require that maternity leave be taken from allotted sick days or from vacation days (or from both) for women to obtain salary support. The time available from sick and vacation leave averages 6.8 weeks. Although 72% of schools make allowances in the tenure probationary period for extended leaves of absence, few have developed specific provisions for childbearing or childrearing. Finally, 18% of medical schools have child care facilities.

Considerable work is needed to develop adequate support for faculty members who are parents. Recommendations include developing specific parental leave policies and flexible tenure systems and providing adequate child care facilities.