Guest SLG1981 Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 Hi, I used to come on this board a lot a year or two ago, a lot has happened since then! Long story short I finished my undergrad, and am now engaged and expecting my first baby....my partner he really wants me to pursue my initial plans of going to medical school My question is anyone else currently in medschool with a small child? How do you balance it all? My baby will be almost two If I get accepted for starting in 2007, my partner also has a demanding career as an electrical engineer so I guess I am wondering what it is like having a family and being in medical school? Anyone have any imput? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest smalltownchic Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 There are a lot of women in medical school with children. Have a look at this web site http://www.mommd.com and it should answer a lot of your questions. There is a section just for med students. You can even learn how to pump breast milk in the ER while you are the only attending. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stepstofollow Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 Hey -- My husband and I are on an adoption waiting list -- motherhood can happen in med school in a variety of ways.....:rollin I say do it. It will be hard, at times, but not impossible. Very busy, but I do know people who are doing it -- itmeans that you end of beign organized differently and learning differently -- but what the heck. If you have support, and you want it -- do it. But both of you need to be prepared for a major life upheaval. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mimicat65 Posted August 2, 2005 Report Share Posted August 2, 2005 Hi, I have 3 kids, and I know a few other moms and quite a few dads of young kids in my program. Most of the parents I know treat medschool like a full-time job. They work pretty efficiently during the 8-5 workday, then spend time with family, then work again later at night if they need to. I pack lots of work into my weekdays, then don't open my books on the weekend at all. Do you have any family around that would be able to help out if you need some childcare? Good luck, Mimi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SLG1981 Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 hey thanks for the replies, Mimi your reply sounded promising, sounds like the key would be time management, and weekends off is more than I hoped for. As for daycare I am pretty sure we would be paying for daycare during the week, since Halifax (I hope to get into Dal) would be an hour away from grandma, I suppose it is a long ways away and I still have to write the mcatthis april, but I need to make the decision soon since I have opportunities from funded graduate work and I have to decide which avenue i want to pursue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest satsumargirl Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Interesting topic. I just wanted to throw out another related question. I have thought about the possibility of kids in med school. Although I lean more towards kids in residency. Does anyone have any thoughts about actually having your first child in med school? I have heard many examples of women who already have kids who go back to school. I am not suggesting that this is easy. But in my mind that is alot different than the idea of being pregnant while in school and then dealing with a newborn. I have witnessed many women struggle with a newborn when that is all they have to deal with. I can't imagine throwing in med school on top of it! If someone already has kids at least they are over that hump. And maybe the kids are at least in preschool, if not regular school and that seems like it would help alot. Thoughts? Experiences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mimicat65 Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Good questions. In our class there are a couple of Dads with newborns (born during first year), but no Moms dealing with newborn issues plus school. I think it would definately be more difficult than having older kids while in school. Sleep deprivation can be a real problem with a newborn in the house for sure, and breastfeeding would be more difficult (but not impossible) while at school. I believe that at Dal at least, and probably at other schools as well, there is an option to spread clerkship years out over 3 years instead of 2, so that might be an option if you were dealing with a new baby. First and second year is mostly daytime hours, so if you just treat it like a 8-5 job, I think it is doable regardless of the age of the child. Of course you would have to be ok with using childcare options if you don't have a spouse available to stay home during the day. The other thing to consider is that there would be no maternity benefits (EI) while you are a student (obviously), but you are eligible for maternity leave while a resident (although I doubt that many residents take more than a few months off, even though EI is available for 1 year in Canada). Once you are practicing, the cost of taking time off with a new baby becomes more of an issue. If you are a FP, you likely will have to hire a locum to cover your patients, and I'm not sure what the policy is for hospital-based specialists. I have a good friend who had her first baby during dental school, and her second during practice. She was only able to take a few weeks away from her practice with her newborn, and found that experience pretty disheartening. It was a big factor in her not having another child. Maybe someone with experience with a younger baby during medschool could add their perspective on the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NurseNathalie Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 I can't speak of parenting in med school (yet) as I'm just starting out! but I would think its probably very similar to having children while working in other 'busy' carreers I had my four kids while working 6 PT jobs as a nurse... plus volunteering on committees/boards/at school/3 boys in hockey, etc.. and I breastfed the baby and never missed one school outing (as a parent I would volunteer to go and help out) for 7 years .. it really helps, of course.. to have a reliable daycare provider (one you feel comfortable with..and trust!) and flexibility in your studies. I'm sure the school would be somewhat accomodating of your special circumstances, should you have a child during med school. There are different electives you could pick that would be less demanding, or that have less 'on-call' etc... We are told we need to balance life and school- so that we can be well-rounded physicians.. its totally doable! although I'm sure I will be VERY VERY busy in med school, I'm thinking it will be comparable to that busy time of my life. My kids are well grounded, happy, and good natured.. its all about organizing one self...and as someone wise once told me.. its not just the AMOUNT of time you spend with your kids.. its the quality of that time! and you quickly learn to 'fit' those special bonding times in between other duties at every opportunity the children can still have a routine, and clear expectations while mom and/or dad is busy.. and they learn how to manage our schedule from the start...so for them, its normal. just sharing my own experience of course... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.