For a study, researchers sought to discover parental policies in cardiovascular training programs worldwide. Social media was used to distribute Internet-based multinational survey research that will be available from August 2020 through October 2020. The survey was given only once and was completely anonymous. Participants discussed their experiences with parental benefits and policies and their perceptions of impediments for trainees. Participants were separated into three groups: training program directors, pregnant trainees during cardiology fellowship, and non-pregnant trainees.

A total of 417 answers were received from doctors, including 47 (11.3%) from training program directors, 146 (35%) from current or previous trainees who were pregnant during cardiology training, and 224 (53.7%) from current or former trainees who were not pregnant during cardiology training. During training, 280 participants (67.1%) were parents. Family benefits and policies were not offered equally across institutions, and awareness of the presence of such programs was poor. Average parental leave in the United States varied from 1 to 2 months, compared to >4 months in other nations, while paternal leave was unusual in all countries (only 11 participants [2.6%]). Peers supplied the majority of coverage during family leave (n = 184 [44.1%]), with 168 (91.3%) receiving no further monetary or time remuneration. It was the first international assessment of parental benefits and policy in cardiovascular training programs. There was a lot of variation amongst institutions, highlighting differences in real-world experiences.

Reference: www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.03.371

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