1/ In the twilight of my pregnancy, I've been thinking about a pregnant resident I worked with in the ICU as a third-year medical student. A thread about pregnancy/childbearing in medical training.
2/ She had apparently started having contractions earlier that evening. We were on 30-hour call and it was a busy night. We admitted something like 8 patients, many of them critically ill. She expertly managed each of them despite her contractions as I watched in awe.
3/ The next morning, she signed off the admitting pager and checked herself directly into the L&D ward. Her baby was born later that day. I can still hear the chatter of her attendings, fellows, and co-residents in my head, referring to her as a "beast," a "boss, a "badass."
4/ I remember thinking that I wanted to be like her someday. A "strong woman" who could handle anything the hospital threw my way, all while bringing life into this world. I'd earn the respect and admiration of my colleagues.
5/ I didn't realize that my resident probably did this out of necessity and not desire. And the problem is that our collective reaction normalizes, even glorifies, the suboptimal conditions under which female physicians have been asked to experience pregnancy and childbearing.
6/ Here's a thought: let's stop spending our energy slapping the backs of female trainees for toughing it out. Instead, let's hold programs and institutions accountable for making policies that protect women during this vulnerable period.
7/ Let's honor women trainees by providing: a) coverage for infertility treatments and advance family planning, b) reasonable amounts of paid parental leave, c) appropriate accommodations for pumping, and d) childcare resources.
8/ As an attending in a supportive division having my first child, I was lucky to have access to many of these resources. But my decision to postpone childbearing until after training and my early academic career was still not without health-related consequences.
9/ Moms in medicine are undoubtedly some of the strongest people I know. But we can and should do better for those who will come after us, and especially our trainees. #WomenInMedicine

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Pamela Tsing, MD

Pamela Tsing, MD Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(