What advice would you give to someone contemplating quitting residency to become a SAHM for pretty much all the reasons which have been listed already? Would you call that cutting your losses or insanity? Let me know your thoughts....

I've been thinking about quitting more and more lately. CCSAHMMD, how did it go telling your mom? I have so many fears about quitting and honestly, how to tell my mom is a BIG ONE!

MammaDoc, I think these are the reasons to stay:

- you probably have student loans that will be hard to pay off otherwise

- the working conditions will probably get much better after residency

- when your kids get older, you will feel less of a pull to stay home with them

- after some time away, you may miss patient care

- you may find in the future that you need to bring in some money in order to support your family

- re-entry is difficult since there is no defined pathway and many people will doubt that you can do it

- re-entry is more difficult if you have not even completed a residency prior to quitting

Good luck!

hang in there mammadoc. residency doesn't last forever. you need to be 100% certain you never want to practice to quit now.

MammaDoc-
I agree with sahmd and maitai.
I have been home for 5 years after residency and now find the middle 5 points on SAHMD's list apply to me!

I'm so glad to read so many folks are taking their own paths! I took a year off between med school and residency and wouldn't give it back, and am so glad that I did b/c it's helping get through residency and not quit. I don't think I could go back to being a full SAHM, and having this personal knowledge is at time the only thing that has kept me from quitting. I just have to slog through 1 more year, then fellowship is much easier...I definitely plan to do what some of you are doing with minimal part time, or give up clinical medicine and just do some research or research consulting.
MammaDoc- hang in- you have so many more options if you just finish residency.. you could see if you can take a leave from your program, depending on it's size. Some of the bigger programs can absorb and handle this - I know mine has. You could then refresh, and finish, then take more time again to figure out what works best for you, but then have all your options.

I'm a stay-at-home and work-from-home mommy doc and over the last 8 years, I've been coaching physicians in all kinds of business development, career transition and professional situations.

Last week I started a new website/ blog at Women Leaving Medicine to learn more about and help address the challenges and rewards of being a woman physician who decides to quit practice (or cut waaaaaay) back. My first podcast interview with a psychiatrist/author mommy doc who quit practice years ago went up yesterday. Dr Berger has lovely insights to share.

I'd love to offer Women Leaving Medicine as a complementary resource to all of you here -- a place to look for inspiration and role models. I'm collecting the stories of women who have made this transition and figured out fulfilling ways to use their education, intelligence, and training.

I wrote a Manifesto (http://www.womenleavingmedicine.com/manifesto) that could use some feedback to truly represent what we SAHM women physicians feel about our roles and how we can continue to contribute meaningfully to our communities and society.

My long-term goal is to uncover as many resources and opportunities as possible for women physicians to do some gainful work to bring in some income WITHOUT compromising our roles as child-raisers, caretakers and self-nurturers.

If anyone has a story they'd be willing to share in a podcast interview over the phone, I invite you to let me know (there's a contact form on the site, and you can check out the Women Leaving Medicine Podcast Women Leaving Medicine Podcast page to get the link too).

I look forward to hearing from you :-)

Hang in there MammaDoc. Residency is so difficult and the hours are incredibly long away from your family. There is life after residency and jobs (including part time or job share) that are mentally satisfying professionally plus better hours to spend with family and take care of everyone including yourself. Residency is a small blip in time that seems like forever when you are going through it. Think long and hard about your decision, you debt and financial future and the fact that your family needs will change in time. Good luck, we've all been there if that helps any!

i whole heartedly support you CCSAHMMD!!!! you are doing an amazing thing for your family. i find many dual career families are finding it harder and harder to raise a happy healthy family all on their own these days and without help around the answer is usually 1 adult has to back down off the career ladder (whether it be temporary or permanent) in order to let your family flourish.

until my husband and i got married we were neck and neck in terms of our career resume--college/med school/residency etc. once we started having children we realized that my job in primary care just wasn't going to pay off in terms of sacrificing family time for income potential vs my husband's career as a specialist (to no fault of my husbands...for some reason the world has decided that primary care docs should get paid a 3rd of what most specialists make). so i made the painful and pride swallowing decision to hop off the career train. i work 15 hrs a week getting paid peanuts with no potential for career advancement but it allows me to be available for my family first and foremost so i am so happy. sometimes i wonder if i should have done a fellowship after residency but then i would have probably put off having my 2 beautiful children so i have no regrets! parents who put family first over career are sllent heroes in my book.

here's a weblink that may interest some of you:

www.womenleavingmedicine.com