medical school family planning Archives

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If a baby’s what you want, then go for it! Here are the challenges.

M2 Jack Klitgaard and M4 Fallon Jung are both expecting newborns in the coming months. M2 Regan Demaris has a couple toddlers already, and CCOM Registrar and Curriculum Director Carrie Bernat had her children while putting her husband through medical school two decades ago. In short, it’s the perfect group to talk about the challenges and triumphs of cuddling kids while cramming the Krebs cycle.

Fallon’s challenge will be how to apply for residency positions with a new little one. Jack faces starting his clinical rotations while stepping into the role of father. Fortunately, both of their spouses are going to stay at home to be the primary caregiver. Regan’s toddlers came into the world before medical school and as her husband was in the Navy, which presented its own moments of terror–like how to cope with a daycare disaster while he was incommunicado on a boat somewhere. And Carrie–well, 20 years ago she was working at another medical school and having babies while her husband navigated an MD/PhD program. They were handling it well until her second child was born with a chromosomal microdeletion, upending carefully laid plans.

The common thread: parenting is an adventure, but generally speaking, med schools accommodate! From rearranging exam days all the way up to taking some time off, there are lots of possibilities. That perhaps wasn’t true in decades past–some faculty still remember the days when having children during medical education was close-to-forbidden, or at least, ill-advised.

Today, it’s a necessity for schools to support young families as best they can. CCOM has supplied respirators for anatomy lab fumes, or rearranged clinical rotations to make things less messy. Sometimes it’s complicated–a leave of absence might be necessary though no-one’s first choice–but we’ll find a way. Just like parents pivoting their way through child-rearing challenges, schools make their own adjustments on the fly.

Episode credits:

Producer: Dave Etler
Co-hosts: Carrie Bernat, Fallon Jung, Jack Klitgaard, Regan Demaris
Production: SCP Media Lab–Anna Royer, Cyrus Barati, Isa Perez-Sandi, Zach Grissom, Sarah Upton, Srishti Mathur, David Lee, and Jacob Thompson

The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions.

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