{"id":20428,"date":"2026-07-31T10:32:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:32:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/sessions\/resident-reported-barriers-to-utilizing-lactation-and-parental-leave-policies-in-a-family-medicine-residency-program\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:32:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:32:52","slug":"resident-reported-barriers-to-utilizing-lactation-and-parental-leave-policies-in-a-family-medicine-residency-program","status":"publish","type":"wsa_session","link":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/sessions\/resident-reported-barriers-to-utilizing-lactation-and-parental-leave-policies-in-a-family-medicine-residency-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Resident-Reported Barriers to Utilizing Lactation and Parental Leave Policies in a Family Medicine Residency Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The US is the only high-income country without national paid parental leave (PPL) laws.The national average\u00a0 for PPL is about 6-8 weeks, compared with the global standard of\u00a018 weeks. In 2018, the ACGME added lactation support provisions to their basic requirements for training programs; however, awareness of PPL and lactation policies\u00a0remains\u00a0limited and is not routinely incorporated into professional training, including family medicine residency which impacts policy uptake.We developed a 12-question survey exploring themes such as awareness of institutional policies, access to resources, barriers to\u00a0utilization, and perceived confidence in navigating available\u00a0supports.\u00a0Sixteen\u00a0residents (67%) responded out of the twenty-four who received the survey.The policies at our institution provide allowances for PPL and lactation support that meet or exceed national averages.\u00a0As part of it aims to facilitate a supportive training environment for parent-residents and better understand gaps affecting\u00a0resident\u00a0well-being,\u00a0this group sought to investigate persistent barriers to PPL and lactation resource utilization despite the presence of robust institutional policies.Half the respondents (50%) reported that they felt\u00a0very familiar\u00a0with the institution\u2019s PPL policy.\u00a0Nonetheless, the survey revealed a lack of information and resources\u00a0as the\u00a0most\u00a0frequently\u00a0reported\u00a0barrier faced when requesting PPL, while the most reported barrier to breastfeeding was scheduling conflicts.Graduate medical education often overlaps with childbearing years. Formal leave and lactation policies when they exist, facilitate smooth transition for residents between their roles as parent and trainee, and support re-integration into clinical duties. However, even when documented, knowledge of and access to these policies are often lacking. \u00a0In addition,\u00a0perceptions\u00a0reinforced by the hidden curriculum in medicine, along with logistical constraints pose barriers to breastfeeding and by extension\u00a0parent and child wellbeing.Our findings indicate that highlighting available lactation and PPL policies, for instance through formal curricula, orientation sessions, or discussion panels, can increase understanding and utilization of current parental leave and lactation support resources during medical training. Additionally, innovative solutions to scheduling-related barriers are needed to better support lactating parents during family medicine residency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-20428","wsa_session","type-wsa_session","status-publish","hentry","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session\/20428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wsa_session"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}