Social Sciences
Medical Aspirations and Planning Parenthood- The Experiences of Future and Foundation Doctors
1 April 2016 - 30 September 2016
PI/s in Exeter: Professor Karen Mattick
CI/s in Exeter: Associate Professor Alexandra Allan
Research partners: Dr Claudia Leitner (Project Lead, University of Exeter Medical School) and Dr MC McNeill (Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital)
Funding awarded: £ 2,000
Sponsor(s): The Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME)
About the research
Junior doctors in the UK report that conflicts between personal
and professional life represent a significant source of stress in the initial
years post qualification1. The number of female doctors in the UK is
increasing, although their distribution across specialties varies. Furthermore,
there is a drop in female representations across all specialties from the
transition from trainee to consultant with unclear cause, suggesting a lack of
progression into senior roles. The culture and duration of medical training may
create difficulties for doctors who desire children. Doctors are less likely to
marry, have fewer children than the national average, lower national fertility
rates and the first birth at 34 years compared to a national average of
approximately 28. Thus, both men and women in medicine have to make difficult
decisions when it comes to parenthood, specialty choice and career progression.
It is difficult to answer whether there is a good time to
have a family, especially for those who chose to undertake higher education and
enter a vocational profession, but it seems especially difficult to decide in
the medical career. There is little published qualitative analysis of attitudes
towards parenthood in UK medical students or junior doctors with regards to
specialty choice.
We aim to explore the experiences and beliefs that influence
decisions about timing of parenthood in senior medical students and foundation
doctors in the South West of England, including perceptions of the support
available and workplace culture. We ask: What are senior medical students’
and foundation year doctors’ perceptions and experiences of planning for a
professional medical career and parenthood?
The research will be undertaken as an interpretive and
collective case study of the perceptions and experiences of approximately 25 senior
(5th year) Peninsula medical students and foundation year doctors from the
Royal Devon & Exeter hospital, in relation to planning for a professional
medical career and parenthood. A semi-structured interview will be the main
data collection method (max 60min), using open-ended questions, prompts and
probes. The interview schedule will cover the key themes (e.g. timing,
parenting and childcare, career aspirations, support, prospective plans) but
will be flexible so that the participants can share their own thoughts and
feelings. A life grid will also be used. The interviews will be audio-recorded
and fully transcribed. The data will be thematically analysed using a constant
comparative method. A purposive sampling method will be utilised to maximize variation.
A final report, conference presentation, and publication in
a peer-reviewed journal will be produced, plus a short news article targeting
Specialty Leads, Training Programme Directors, Postgraduate Deans, Health
Education England to demonstrate how different specialties are seen by junior
doctors and the changes that might need to occur to persuade them to consider a
career in that specialty.