Guest pumpkina88 Posted February 13, 2002 Report Share Posted February 13, 2002 Hi there, hoping to get in this fall, and wondering... - Has anyone had kids while studying medicine at McMaster? - Was the school receptive to you taking time off? Is that even possible given the way the program is organised? - Was the school receptive to you trying to balance your home and school lives? - We all need different amounts of time to study, etc., but did you find you had time to have a life with your partner/child(ren) outside of school? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted February 13, 2002 Report Share Posted February 13, 2002 Hi Pumpkina88, Since I don't have any kids of my own (no plans to either!), let me refer you to this link, which has some other relevant information, though not all from a McMaster perspective. By the way, welcome to the forums! pub44.ezboard.com/fpremed101frm31.showMessage?topicID=45.topic Ian UBC, Med 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gucio93 Posted February 13, 2002 Report Share Posted February 13, 2002 Hi Pumpkina88! I believe there are a few individuals who have had children during med school at Mac, but they tend to be the men in the class. More individuals try to postpone having a child until residency when you're entitled to full maternity benefits. I don't know how possible it would be to take time off as there are some mandatory sessions during the week (ie tutorials, clinical skills). One could however choose to take a full year off and complete their studies with a different class. It would also be difficult to take "some time off" because of clerkship and the fact that organization of core rotations is a complex process, and there's little leeway in terms of flexibility once everything is set in place. As far as balancing home and school, it is definitely possible. It does help if you have a supportive partner who can take care/help out with some of the more mundane aspect of running a home (ie. cooking, cleaning, laundry, feedings, etc). If that is possible, you definitely have a chance to spend a good amount of quality time with your family. If that is not possible, but you have good time management skills (and most people who have a family tend to develop these ) it'll be more challenging, but I think still quite possible. I'm in first year, and I can definitely find the time to spend with my husband and my son. Of course the fact that my son is 8 yrs old makes it a lot easier in terms of the physical demands of raising a child as he is much more independent. I also lacked out in the husband department, as my husband is involved in a lot of the upkeep and childcare and is very supportive and flexible with regard to my schedule changes, etc. Unfortunately I can't comment about how things will change during clerkship (which begins in December of 2nd year). I'm sure at that time life will become much more hectic as call responsibilities will come into play. Hope that helps. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mn Posted February 13, 2002 Report Share Posted February 13, 2002 thanks for your comments, gucio93, about balancing school, family and home life. I'm always looking for positive testimonials by married moms in med school! Judging by the tone of your comment, I'm presuming you meant you "lucked out" rather than "lacked out" with your helpful husband! Quite a different meaning otherwise! cheers, and good luck in keeping that balance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Carolyn Posted February 14, 2002 Report Share Posted February 14, 2002 Just to add: There is a woman in my class who had a child near the end of 1st year (her fifth I think!) She is a superwoman though - took off 2 weeks and then was back - she brought the baby to tutorial as he was sooo young he didn't make a peep and brought him to lectures as well. She has a nanny and a very supportive husband as well! I know of another girl here at Mac in the year above that took off a year when she had her 2nd child at the end of 2nd year - I think she may be doing research at the same time and will start up soon and finish up with my class. So It can be done! Take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted February 14, 2002 Report Share Posted February 14, 2002 ***FIVE kids?!?!?!?!?!*** And med school too? Do you guys have some kind of super-coffee in Hamilton? Ian UBC, Med 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gucio93 Posted February 15, 2002 Report Share Posted February 15, 2002 Indeed, I meant "lucked out" - must have been late when I was typing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pumpkina88 Posted February 15, 2002 Report Share Posted February 15, 2002 Hi all, Thanks for your responses. As with most things, it seems to boil down to creatively making things work for you. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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