Project PARENT: A Family Leave Database for US Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics Residency Programs

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics and Radiation Oncology Education
• Graduate Medical Education Policy
• Family and Medical Leave

Background:

• National policies increasingly emphasize family and medical leave for medical trainees.
• Existing variability in residency program leave policies may impact trainee well-being and recruitment.
• Lack of centralized data on parental leave policies hinders informed decision-making for programs and applicants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish Project PARENT, a comprehensive database of parental leave policies.
• To assess current parental leave provisions in United States (US) radiation oncology (RO) and medical physics (MP) residency programs.
• To identify variability and trends in family leave policies across these specialties.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach combining a 29-question survey and document analysis.
• Survey distributed to all US RO and MP residency programs (physician and medical physics).
• Website data abstraction and verification opportunities ensured high program representation (99% RO, 100% MP).

Main Results:

• Survey response rates: 38% for RO physician programs and 50% for MP programs.
• Median maximum parental leave was 12 weeks for RO and MP birthing and non-birthing parents.
• Median paid parental leave across both RO and MP programs was 6 weeks.

Conclusions:

• Project PARENT provides the first comprehensive resource on parental leave in any medical specialty.
• The developed database empowers residency program leaders and prospective trainees.
• This resource facilitates navigation of family leave policies, benefiting all stakeholders in graduate medical education.