I was in the last year of my medical training when i found out i was pregnant. I was so excited! As i soaked in the excitement, the next thought that came into my mind was “How will i do it all?”. I love being a doctor, wife and was really looking forward to being a mom. I started following female doctors on social media to get inspiration. Some were stretching themselves thin to “do it all”, others had cut down on working significantly to have time for family life. I started thinking what would i really want? After a lot of self reflection i figured out a strategy that worked for me. This might not work for everyone. However based on my personal experience and what i see around me – these are the 5 tips i have for female doctors achieving a work life balance.
- Part time work, direct care jobs: It is less known that physician jobs often do offer part time positions. These may be per-diem, locum tenes jobs. Some clinic based jobs do offer 3-4 days a week options. We often are not told about these during training. Shift work jobs such as ED, anesthesia, hospitalist and critical care jobs are great for part time work too as continuity of care is usually not present in these jobs. I personally work part time, about 2-3 days a week. An upcoming category of health care is direct care. In this model physicians directly work with patients without the involvement of insurance companies through direct pay or membership model. It is is more prevalent in primary care. Through this model you get to dictate your hours with potentially more flexibility. I know some friends in direct primary care and they find it very rewarding.
- Outsource tasks: We all have certain tasks that we consider chores. For me it is grocery shopping, cleaning the house. I however love cooking! I do not mind doing laundry. It might be different for you. Try to figure out the tasks that take more time, bring absolutely no joy to you and outsource it guilt free. I would rather cook a lovely meal than spend time at the grocery store. You can try meal delivery services life hellofresh, we did this for over a year and loved it!
- Childcare: Start figuring out what is your childcare situation early on. I started thinking about this in my third trimester. Start talking to friends who have children and ask for recommendations. If a parent can help you talk to them about how many days a week they can realistically help out. Talk to your partner and see how you can set up work so that you can cover each other. For example, my husband has most weekends off so i try to do a few weekends at the hospital so he can be with the baby at home.
- Me time: As women, doctors and moms we unfortunately put ourselves last. Me time i think should include some essentials and luxuries. Essentials – annual doctor visit, PAP smears, mammograms, exercising and time with loves ones. Luxuries – manicures, pedicures, spa time, shopping or whatever floats your boat. Remember ladies – always put your oxygen mask first otherwise you will not be good to anyone around you.
- Passive Income: Now with the advent of social media, blogging etc there are other non traditional ways to make good money on the side. If you are not interested in these avenues you can be savvy in your investments, real estate to ensure that you have a passive source of income so that you do not feel the need to increase your clinical time for income.
