Parental leave and family building experiences among head and neck surgeons in the United States: Career impact and opportunities for improvement

Caitlin McMullen; Alexandra Kejner; Elizabeth Nicolli; Marianne Abouyared; Orly Coblens; Katie Fedder; Punam Thakkar; Rusha Patel

doi:10.1002/hed.27752

Parental leave and family building experiences among head and neck surgeons in the United States: Career impact and opportunities for improvement

Head Neck. 2024 Mar 21. doi: 10.1002/hed.27752. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Caitlin McMullen¹, Alexandra Kejner², Elizabeth Nicolli³, Marianne Abouyared⁴, Orly Coblens⁵, Katie Fedder⁶, Punam Thakkar⁷, Rusha Patel⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Head & Neck - Endocrine Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA.
² Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
³ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
⁴ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, UC Davis, Sacramento, California, USA.
⁵ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
⁶ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
⁷ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
⁸ Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.

PMID: 38511311
DOI: 10.1002/hed.27752

Abstract

Background: The availability of paid parental leave is an important factor for retention and wellness. The experiences of head and neck surgeons with parental leave have never been reported.

Methods: A survey was electronically distributed to head and neck subspecialty surgeons in the United States. Responses were collected and analyzed.

Results: Male surgeons had more children and took significantly less parental leave than women. Thirty percent of respondents reported that parental leave negatively impacted compensation, and 14% reported a delay in promotion due to leave, which impacted women more than men. The vast majority reported they are happy or neutral about covering those on leave. Most respondents utilized paid childcare, and approximately one quarter of respondents spending 11%-20% of their income on childcare.

Conclusions: This study illuminates the current disparities regarding parental leave-taking within the subspecialty of head and neck surgery in the United States. Women surgeons are more likely to be impacted professionally and financially.

Keywords: burnout; family leave; head and neck surgery; maternity leave; wellness.