Paying for Parenthood: Understanding Parental Leave Policies in Infectious Disease Fellowship

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Gastroenterology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Physician trainees frequently plan pregnancies during residency and fellowship.
• A prior study revealed internal medicine program directors often misinterpret American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) parental leave policies.
• This study focuses on Infectious Disease (ID) program directors' interpretation of these policies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how Infectious Disease (ID) program directors interpret current ABIM parental leave policies.
• To assess ID PDs' understanding and application of ABIM leave regulations for trainees.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed to 155 ID program directors (PDs).
• The survey assessed knowledge of ABIM leave policies and their application to trainee leaves.
• 155 ID PDs were surveyed regarding their interpretation of ABIM leave policies.

Main Results:

• 36% (56 of 155) of PDs responded to the survey.
• Approximately 70% of respondents incorrectly identified the permissible leave limits.
• A majority of PDs would incorrectly extend training for a competent fellow within the allowed leave duration.
• Most ID trainee maternity/birth parent leaves were 7 weeks or less (60%), with only 7% being 12 weeks or more.
• 50% of paternity/non-birth parent leaves were 3 weeks or less.

Conclusions:

• Infectious disease fellowship program directors frequently misinterpret ABIM leave policies.
• PDs incorrectly apply these policies when presented with hypothetical trainee scenarios.
• Misinterpretation impacts the correct implementation of parental leave for ID fellows.