Was particularly difficult to wade through.ĭr. But not unique during the pandemic, as we all experienced so much loss in grief. And so, I think just the culmination of all those factors, which at that point was somewhat unique for an individual. And then my husband as an internist, started on the COVID wards immediately at that point. And then, my mother passed away just shortly after that. Our second baby was born on the leap year in 2020, and then the pandemic hit just a couple weeks after that. Rita Watterson: At the start of the pandemic, I think was especially challenging for our family. Caroline Gérin-Lajoie: And Rita, how about you?ĭr. It was incredibly challenging and stressful, I think for her and for me.ĭr. And then at the same time, I'm clearing out my home office that really had functioned as a storage room for eight years and trying to turn it into a home office as well.
She's a pro and we're a pro at virtual online school as well throughout the waves. Really had minimal screen time exposure in comparison to two years later. My daughter was in grade two at the time, so was not independent. We had to learn all these different apps and passwords. I remember the first attempt at online school in my mind, it did not go so well. It was a completely different world for me. Really, I have such great respect for what our teachers do. And I think that the biggest impact was virtual school. Shelley Zieroth: So, I think we were all very much unsure of what was to come. Caroline Gérin-Lajoie: When the pandemic began, how did it impact you as a mother? And Shelley, let's start with you.ĭr. Shelley Zieroth: Thanks for having us.ĭr.
And full disclosure, I'm a psychiatrist based in Ottawa, married to an emergency room physician.
She is also President-Elect of the Federation of medical women of Canada. Shelley Zieroth is a busy mom and cardiologist in Winnipeg. Rita Watterson is a psychiatrist and mother of two children. Caroline Gérin-Lajoie: We have two physician mothers joining us to offer a reality check on being a physician mother. And how so much has not changed when it comes to policies, when it comes to culture that there's just a lot of room for growth here that needs to happen.ĭr. And I think, I mean, it speaks a lot, I think, to the culture of medicine and I mean, how deeply patriarchal it is.
We have the sense, especially these days, oh that the gender roles are more egalitarian and particularly in these younger folks and relationships. It's a number that shocked Elena Frank, the study's author.Įlena Frank: Incredibly startling. In households with two physician parents, that number dropped to 0% of men. Of the 215 early career physician parents surveyed, 25% of the women said they were primarily responsible for providing childcare or schooling. Part of the reason, is that physician mothers take on a disproportionate share of childcare. According to a recent study, published in network open, physician mothers scored substantially higher on measures of anxiety and depression. But for one group of physicians, the impact has been particularly acute. In this podcast series, we've spoken to a range of physicians about the toll COVID 19 has taken on their mental health. There's no doubt healthcare workers have suffered tremendous stress of the pandemic. Caroline Gérin-Lajoie: Welcome to season two of sound mind, a podcast about physician wellness and medical culture. Mom and COVID-19: The stress of being in constant demandĭr.