Ethical issues surrounding maternity and paternity leave

As parental leave becomes increasingly common in dermatology residency programs, ethical questions arise regarding redistribution of clinical responsibilities. We examine whether requiring coresidents to cover additional on-call duties during colleagues' parental leave is ethically justified using the principles of autonomy, justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and honesty. Although residents have an autonomous right to parental leave, programs should recognize the impact on coresidents. Temporary redistribution of duties may be necessary to maintain patient care, but justice requires that added workloads be distributed fairly and mitigated to avoid burnout, compromised education, and threats to patient safety. Residency programs should implement transparent parental leave policies, engage residents in policy development, and adopt equitable scheduling strategies rather than relying solely on peer coverage. Ethical parental leave policies should balance support for residents taking leave with fairness to their colleagues while maintaining resident well-being, educational quality, and patient care.