Family Planning Among Canadian Plastic Surgeons and Trainees

Area of Science:

• Medical Specialties
• Surgical Training
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Advocacy for family leave policies is increasing.
• Limited data exists on family planning and parental leave in Canadian plastic surgery.
• Understanding the experiences of plastic surgeons and trainees is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey Canadian plastic surgeons and trainees.
• To examine experiences with family planning, parental leave, and breastfeeding.
• To assess attitudes and challenges within the specialty.

Main Methods:

• Anonymized survey distributed to Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons members and residents.
• Data collected and analyzed using a customized REDCap™ database.
• Descriptive statistics used for results reporting.

Main Results:

• 72.3% of respondents had children; 67.8% reported supportive colleagues regarding parental leave.
• Financial concerns impacted parental leave decisions for 45.6%; 61.6% felt career did not influence family size.
• 21.0% used fertility services, 9.8% used assisted reproductive technologies; 80% of breastfeeding surgeons lacked adequate pumping time at work.

Conclusions:

• Canadian plastic surgeons typically have children post-training, opting for shorter parental leaves as careers progress.
• Workplace support for parental leave and breastfeeding has increased, according to survey respondents.
• Infertility and the need for fertility services are prevalent among Canadian plastic surgeons, exceeding general population rates.