Choosing the ideal time to start a family is always a tough decision, and it can get even more complicated when a medical career is on the line.
For Dr. Jason Fox, a senior radiology resident at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, and his wife Nicole, the choice required some multitasking. The couple is expecting their first child this summer, and they timed the birth so that the baby will be born after Fox’s oral exams in June.
Fox also took a lesson from some of his colleagues who became parents during their second year of residency. He watched as scheduling conflicts became increasingly difficult for them to overcome.
"It seems like it really disrupted their lives," he said. We just really wanted the best time to get this done. For us, the math worked out and our finances will be better."
Having a child requires forethought to avoid taxing an already-strained budget, workload, and social calendar. As many radiology residents and former residents are coming to discover, finding time for family can be even more harrowing than their medical training.
Inspired by a query posted during the "How I Survived My Radiology Residency" discussion in February, AuntMinnie.com checked in with financial experts, family counselors, and radiology residents themselves for some sound advice on the feasibility of ramping up a radiology career while raising a family.
Worth the wait
For Dr. Kim Ruzek, a first-year resident at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, there was never any doubt as to how to approach the issue. Married two years, Ruzek and her husband have decided to wait until her residency is completed to have kids. Though she credits radiology for being a field that is flexible enough to allow both a thriving career and a fulfilling family life, the rigors of residency would demand too much of her time.
"We absolutely know we do not want any children [right now]," she said. "If you try to balance that with spending enough time with your kids, it becomes a very difficult thing. I don’t want to put myself in that position."
Others who have been through the residency ringer agree. "Similar to other arduous professions, in radiology there's no right time to begin a family, and the decision must be a personal one that will suit an individual's particular situation," said Dr. Douglas Beall, a fellow in musculoskeletal radiology at the Mayo Clinic. "Many radiologists early in their career are also finding that time is at a premium, and what initially seemed like a shortage of quality family time may just be a harbinger of things to come."
Dr. Eren Yeh, a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, did exactly what Ruzek plans to do. She waited until she’d weathered her residency before having kids, though not for long. On staff at the hospital for a year and a half, she already has a 21-month-old daughter and a 5-month-old son. Despite the risk of health problems associated with having children in her 30s, it was worth it for Yeh.
"I didn’t want them to be a second priority while I finished my work," she said. "Once you’re finished with your training, you can really relax and enjoy your kids more. I’m glad I waited."
Babies and budgeting
Parenting during residency can be successful. "If residents and fellows waited until [they] had enough time and financial resources to start a family, no children would be born during the time spent in graduate medical education," Beall said.
Of course, money -- or the lack of it -- needs to be seriously assessed before family planning gets underway. Most residents have big loans to repay and can't expect much income for several more years. Still, it's never too early to begin building a nest egg, and financial planners can sometimes help prioritize budgets.
While every situation is unique, a couple considering a family should have enough money saved to last at least six months, preferably in a savings, money market, or other interest-bearing account, said registered representative Shane Moncada of AXA Advisors, a financial services firm.
"That way, no matter what happens, you have a six-month cushion," said Moncada, who is based in Tucson, AZ. "You need to make sure you can weather any bad situation." He also suggested that couples purchase life and disability insurance.
Several Web sites offer basic information and other resources for family planning. The Association of American Medical Colleges, the National Association of Residents and Interns, and the Physicians Planning Service all provide helpful tips.
Of course, the emotional price tag associated with family planning should be taken into account as well. Dr. Marilyn Foley, a psychologist and counselor at the University of California, San Francisco, said it’s important to play the devil’s advocate in these situations.
"You have to weigh the pros and cons," Foley said. "What’s the urgency to have the child now? Why wouldn’t you want to wait until later?"
‘Like changing from a sprinter into a marathon runner’
Deciding to have a child during residency requires a certain amount of discipline for the parents. Dr. Benjamin Taragin and his wife had two kids while he was still in medical school. Now a first-year resident at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, Taragin said he wouldn’t change his decision to be a father and a resident simultaneously. Still, "you really have to plan things out well," he said.
For example, each year a resident in his program is required to present a lecture. Most residents generally start prepping a week or two in advance. In order for Taragin to adequately tend to both his fatherhood and medical responsibilities, he had no choice but to allow two months to ready his presentation.
Similarly, term papers and other assignments must be spread out over time. The bottom line? No "binge studying," as Taragin called it. "You’re not going to have time to binge like you did before. It’s like changing from a sprinter into a marathon runner," he said.
Taragin suggested that those who are shopping around for the best residency training look at the programs themselves: Do other residents there also have children, or are they simply too strapped for time? What about call schedules?
"If you can work out a call schedule that’s compatible with kids, that’s a step in the right direction," he said. In addition, some programs may require residents to be published on a regular basis, while others do not. And he says proximity to family and friends who are willing to take care of kids when necessary is an important consideration.
However, other hidden problems may still crop up later. When Jason Fox began his residency four years ago, he enrolled in the college’s health insurance plan. Since then, his family has been dropped by three different obstetrician/gynecologists who stopped accepting the insurance.
Fox’s situation highlights an often-overlooked yet crucial detail when determining a suitable time for children: How much support can you expect from your institution?
Unfortunately, when such problems do arise, there’s little recourse for residents except to take their concerns to the residents’ committee, Beall said. Carefully combing through the contract, whether written or verbal, before accepting the position is the resident’s best defense.
"It is the resident’s responsibility to figure out anything that may play on their well-being over the next four to five years," he advised.
By Jason E. BullockAuntMinnie.com contributing writer
April 9, 2001
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