Is it really hard to balance your work and family relationships if you're a doctor?

I have a strong passion for science, maths and children. I would love to be a surgeon but having a family that I can spend quality time with is really important to me. Also, does having children and taking maternity leave severely disrupt your career/chances of promotion? Thanks x

Reply 1

randdom

20

Original post by embem10

I have a strong passion for science, maths and children. I would love to be a surgeon but having a family that I can spend quality time with is really important to me. Also, does having children and taking maternity leave severely disrupt your career/chances of promotion? Thanks x

Hi

I am a doctor (qualified 4 years ago and training to be a GP). I know plenty of friends who have got married and seem to have a happy relationships with their partners. It is harder because you have to navigate difficult shifts and professional exams but that is not exclusive to medicine. The other difficulties that people face is the uncertainty about where they will get a job in the country but again that can be worked around.

While it will slow things down it is possible to be a surgeon and have children. Again I know a few. It is a competitive field and I wouldn't say it is easy because with surgery you may have to stay late in theatre to get your numbers up. But it is doable. Even if you felt that surgery was going to be too tricky to work there are other areas of medicine which are more family friendly.

Reply 2

nexttime

22

Original post by embem10

I have a strong passion for science, maths and children. I would love to be a surgeon but having a family that I can spend quality time with is really important to me. Also, does having children and taking maternity leave severely disrupt your career/chances of promotion? Thanks x

To be honest with you, surgery does not seem very family friendly at all from what i've seen. Long hours, lots of exams, very competitive. The need to move around the country to find jobs (true of a lot of specialities but given the competitiveness of surgery and the decreasing need for surgeons it will be worst there).

Some aspects of medicine are actually very family friendly - getting part time work in GPland or paeds/anaesthesia is far easier than it is in other comparable professions.