Family Leave and Return-to-Work Experiences of Physician Mothers

Key Points Question What do physician mothers experience when taking maternity leave and returning to work? Findings In this cross-sectional survey study, 844 physician mothers across multiple subspecialties reported positive and negative experiences associated with taking leave, returning to work, breastfeeding or breast milk pumping, childcare, perceived discrimination, and important supportive factors. Meaning This study’s findings suggest that physicians taking maternity leave experience unique challenges that require creative solutions, the seeds of which can be found in the lived experiences of women in medicine captured in the present study.