FEMALE FAMILY PHYSICIANS IN OBSTETRICS - ACHIEVING PERSONAL BALANCE

Objective: To describe the experiences of female family physicians who practise obstetrics in balancing professional obligations with person al and family needs, given the unique challenges that such practice po ses for these physicians. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Ontario. Participants: A purposefully selected sample of nine female family ph ysicians who met the criteria of being married, having children and cu rrently practising obstetrics. Outcome measures: Experiences of female family physicians and their strategies in their personal, family and professional lives that enable them to continue practising obstetrics. Results: All participants continued to practise obstetrics because of the pleasure they derived from it, despite the challenges of balancin g the unpredictable demands of obstetrics with their personal and fami ly needs. To continue in obstetrics, they needed to make changes in th eir lives, either through a gradual, evolutionary process or in respon se to a critical event. Alterations to work and family arrangements pe rmitted them to meet the challenges and led to increased satisfaction. Changes included making supportive call-group arrangements, limiting work hours and the number of births attended and securing help with ho usehold duties. Conclusions: An in-depth examination, through the use of qualitative methods, showed the reasons why some female family phys icians continue to practise obstetrics despite the stressful aspects o f doing so. This knowledge may be useful for women who are residents o r experienced clinicians and who are considering including obstetrics in their practice.