Yes, at our hospital they let us bring our kids to the pedi floor when they are sick and charge like $3 per hour. The pedi nurses take care of them-can't get any more qualified than that! In terms of residency, as others have said, I think a once in awhile emergency is understandable but if it is a regular thing people will resent you for leaving work for them. Plus there are certain things you HAVE to do that you just can't leave....also remember in Family med you have to learn about OB, even if you ultimately don't do it. That is very unpredictable...

Someone posted, why does the husband have to have the "inflexible job" and not you? I do understand that times are hard now and jobs are far and few in between but YOU will most likely be the "main" breadwinner once done with residency unless your husband is an MD? so you need to discuss things with him (which I am assuming you may have) and figure out what can be arranged. YOU must go in with a plan though set in stone for the most part. Pick places that ARE family friendly and not all are. Go to interviews and ask the residents with families regarding the flexibility that you are asking here about.

Regarding husbands with inflexible jobs, I think that is often the case. Professional women still tend to marry "up," meaning that they marry professional men. On the plus side, that means that the OP does not have to worry about money right now and has a beautiful home. On the down side, her husband probably has to put in a lot of hours at work and is probably not willing to compromise any aspect of his successful job, especially now that he is the only breadwinner.

However, I can tell you from personal experience that even when the wife makes more money and should be considered the breadwinner with the more important job, the husband can still refuse to be available for domestic tasks, claiming that he cannot compromise his career in any way.

Other than "astronaut living in space station" or "President", I can think of few jobs that fit the "can't quit, inflexible" bill more than medical resident. And all for good reasons, generally. (I do agree with docmom, though, you can and should take time to be with your kid during emergencies for sure!) sahmd brings up a very good point, too, one that we don't give enough attention to.



Absolutely. Although do it with tact--I have been on some interviews where applicants have put themselves in a bad light because ALL they asked about were work hours/call schedule/vacations. Important, but wait to let the other applicants ask the tough questions first!

/rant

I suspect it's less often the job and more often the person holding that job that is "inflexible". Witness the neurosurgery resident/mother of two I ran into at church this morning. Sure, she was answering a page in the parking lot as I was arriving (late). And from the look of her attire, she was either coming from the hospital, or headed there, or both. But somehow in the middle, she managed to take communion with her family.

Flexible is as flexible does, you know?

good point asunshine, ask the questions but be careful how you do so as someone may get the wrong impression ...

I would like to thank all of you for your wonderful advice and recommendations!

We did a reality check, financially and logistically. The reason I said that my husband couldn't quit is because he'd be pretty stupid to. It is a highly lucrative career and he pays for everything - our nanny, nursery school, house, bills, student loans, insurance. His job requires travel and a lot of face time, billing hours. Even if I become a doctor with a practice, he will still make more than twice my salary, sadly.

It is a big sacrifice for all of us if he quits his job or do a part time option. We would have to sell our house because we wouldn't be able to maintain the charges. We've looked thoroughly for part time or work from home options and the job market hasn't been good in his specialty lately. The good thing is he has been willing to help.

So, is it work all the sacrifice and lifestyle to go back to residency? Reading posts on practicing physicians who want to leave is discouraging. I'm in my mid 30s. This reality check put a damper on my hopes. I'm thinking of trying to do alternative career paths instead.