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How do people have families and be a doctor?
Just asking a question? #doctor #career-counseling #healthcare #finance #higher-education
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Vijay’s Answer
Hi Angel,
I am the son of a doctor. Also the brother of one. My mom was very focused on starting a family as well as being a physician. She understood that there were certain specializations that had more "normal" hours than others. Her professors were pushing her into surgery. Her love was pediatrics. But unfortunately both of these fields had very demanding "on call" hours and would make a family life more challenging. She focused on Pathology, which has more stable hours. She raised two children and was the director of her hospital's lab for over 20 years. I know my mother also considered Radiology, but you probably have a feel for which specializations have more stable hours. I would never want to discourage you from surgery or pediatrics if either of those are your passion. I just wanted to let you know what worked for my mother.
I am the son of a doctor. Also the brother of one. My mom was very focused on starting a family as well as being a physician. She understood that there were certain specializations that had more "normal" hours than others. Her professors were pushing her into surgery. Her love was pediatrics. But unfortunately both of these fields had very demanding "on call" hours and would make a family life more challenging. She focused on Pathology, which has more stable hours. She raised two children and was the director of her hospital's lab for over 20 years. I know my mother also considered Radiology, but you probably have a feel for which specializations have more stable hours. I would never want to discourage you from surgery or pediatrics if either of those are your passion. I just wanted to let you know what worked for my mother.
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Walt’s Answer
Hi Angel - I can only answer this question as the partner of a physician, but I'll say that it's absolutely doable; however, achieving balance between work and your personal life as a doctor can be more challenging than in many other fields.
My wife and I have an almost 2 year old son and I have a demanding career in tech and we are able to do it, so I think that anyone who is as determined as my wife was can absolutely lead a career as a successful doctor while managing family life. I think that the hardest years for family-minded and aspiring physicians are the early years (e.g., medical school, first year of residency). Fellowship - depending upon your field - can be challenging as well. For this reason, some doctors decide to start a family a little bit later than they might have otherwise. However, with great time management and some support, you can definitely start a family while still completing your training, especially in cities with a manageable cost of living and/or proximity to family.
Once you finish your training, family life is easier to manage. Today, thanks to our hard work up to this point, we are able to afford a nanny who begins caring for our son early and stays with him until the end of the workday so that we are covered when my wife needs to be in the hospital early and/or I have early meetings. This arrangement would have been more difficult for us to afford during her training, but allows us to have great balance today. She also works far fewer weekends, which means that we have more time to spend together as a family of three.
Ultimately, it's been well worth it for my wife. She loves her work and loves her family as well. And I know that our son will be very proud of the fact that his mother works hard to help deliver excellent care to people who need her help every day.
My wife and I have an almost 2 year old son and I have a demanding career in tech and we are able to do it, so I think that anyone who is as determined as my wife was can absolutely lead a career as a successful doctor while managing family life. I think that the hardest years for family-minded and aspiring physicians are the early years (e.g., medical school, first year of residency). Fellowship - depending upon your field - can be challenging as well. For this reason, some doctors decide to start a family a little bit later than they might have otherwise. However, with great time management and some support, you can definitely start a family while still completing your training, especially in cities with a manageable cost of living and/or proximity to family.
Once you finish your training, family life is easier to manage. Today, thanks to our hard work up to this point, we are able to afford a nanny who begins caring for our son early and stays with him until the end of the workday so that we are covered when my wife needs to be in the hospital early and/or I have early meetings. This arrangement would have been more difficult for us to afford during her training, but allows us to have great balance today. She also works far fewer weekends, which means that we have more time to spend together as a family of three.
Ultimately, it's been well worth it for my wife. She loves her work and loves her family as well. And I know that our son will be very proud of the fact that his mother works hard to help deliver excellent care to people who need her help every day.
Updated
Krista’s Answer
I am not a doctor, but I interned for three physicians in managed care for a health insurance company when I was pre-med in college. One physician told me that if I was looking to have a family and practice medicine, that it would be very difficult and as a mother herself, she wouldn't recommend it. However, the managed care/health plan environment was completely different than working in a clinical setting. These physicians work desk jobs as medical directors that have a normal 40 hour work week with way less stress. They review case studies and literature to determine if a certain service or technology should be covered- (amongst other things) , and honestly, it was very interesting! Something to consider if you're pursuing a career as a physician, want a family, and wouldn't mind working a desk job vs clinical practice.