Post by Harvard Medical School

Becoming a surgeon is demanding, but nowhere is the load heavier than on surgeons in training who are pregnant and trying to start a family, says acute care and general surgeon Erika Rangel. Rangel, an HMS associate professor at Massachusetts General Hospital, confronted her own pregnancy challenges 16 years ago while in her fourth year of general surgical residency. Her first child, and a second one later on, were born prematurely, spending considerable time in neonatal intensive care. “At the time, pregnancy during clinical training was rare and not normalized,” she recalls. “There was little infrastructure in place to accommodate someone having a child. As a result, I pushed myself hard, harder than I should have.” Through her advocacy and lectures around the country, Rangel is building awareness of a subject that is often kept private. Her work has helped fuel policy changes within residency programs and surgical departments nationwide. Through her study of 690 female surgeons, she found: ▶︎ 42% of female surgeons suffered a pregnancy loss ▶︎ Nearly half experienced major pregnancy complications ▶︎ More than half worked over 60 hours per week during pregnancy ▶︎ 16% reduced their hours She recently led a new clinical trial of childbearing trainees, outlining a four-part support package that includes a responsive smart bassinet, a wearable breast pump, access to a 24/7 virtual support network, and mentorship from a faculty member who is also a mother. Those who received the intervention had burnout scores that remained essentially unchanged, suggesting the supports were protective. Her findings show that practical, structured interventions can translate research into meaningful change.