Gina O’Grady’s specialty is Paediatric Neurology—her husband Greg is a general surgical trainee who took time out of his training to complete a PhD. They have recently moved to Sydney, Australia to complete their training, but lived in Auckland for the last four years. They have two children, aged one and three.
- How have you fitted in training since finishing medical school?
I finished my medical degree at the University of Auckland in 2003. My husband and I then spent our first two house-surgeon years working in Nelson. The broad range of experience and responsibility provided by a provisional experience gave us an excellent stepping stone into a registrar position. We moved to the Hawke’s Bay where I had an opportunity to gain excellent experience as a Paediatric Registrar. The following year saw my husband posted to Wellington as a surgical trainee. The difficulties of coordinating positions in the same centre then became apparent, as surgical placements were announced well after paediatric job applications closed. Fortunately I was able to secure a late position to continue my paediatric training in Wellington. In 2008 we chose to move to Auckland where my family is based. I worked as a Paediatric Registrar at Starship Children’s Hospital whilst my husband commenced his PhD. Greg’s foray into the world of research provided an opportunity to live in one city for several successive years and we chose this time to start a family. Our first son Liam was born in August 2008. I ended up taking 17 months of maternity leave because of difficulty arranging a Paediatric Neurology training position to return to. Such positions are very limited in New Zealand, and with fantastic support from the Starship Hospital Neurology Department I was able to secure a Starship Foundation Fellow position which allowed me to return to work 0.5 FTE in 2010. This position provided a wonderful opportunity to both continue my training and maintain family time. In Dec 2010 our second son Rory was born. Given I had ongoing funding from the Starship Foundation I chose to return to work 0.5 FTE when Rory was five months old. Balancing a clinical work load, poor sleep, and expressing was a challenge, but has enabled me to maintain a balance whilst continuing my training. - Do you have any advice for doctors-in-training who are thinking about balancing a career and kids?
Complete clinical exams prior to starting a family if possible. I have seen several colleagues face the challenge of not being able to complete their exams because of pregnancy, and have the utmost respect for those who do manage family, work and exam study. We employed a nanny which I highly recommend—although the more expensive option, the flexibility and peace of mind it has provided has been invaluable. The presence of a stable caregiver, who both boys have loved, has ensured our boys have secure attachment relationships and are well adjusted to their parents’ comings and goings. I highly recommend medical couples considering having a family sit down and work out a training plan and also consider the financial burden as childcare costs can be considerable. We sat down together several years ago and wrote a three to five year plan of how we were each going to finish our training. This advanced planning has been incredibly helpful as arranging funding and fellowships required several months of preparation. Consider less conventional options, such as research positions, which can provide a greater degree of flexibility. Greg’s PhD, although a tremendous undertaking, has provided our family with many opportunities for increased family time. - How has a medical career affected your family?
Recently, my training has seen our family move from our settled life and own home in Auckland to Sydney. Having chosen a small specialty such as Paediatric Neurology I am not able to complete my training in New Zealand. The logistical challenge and financial burdens of moving family, even a short distance to Australia, are not to be underestimated. Having a medical husband means we are each continually struggling to meet our clinical commitments, but we do have an appreciation of each other’s stresses and challenges. Any free time is committed to family or training. But the joy of watching your own children grow and learn has far outweighed the loss of individual time. - What support do you get from your family?
We have been fortunate to have very supportive families, with one set of parents always living within an hour’s drive away. Balancing a career and family has frequently meant family have been called upon to look after the boys to cover additional meetings or work-related trips. - How have you managed your training while bringing up a family?
Prior to having children I had no appreciation of the amount of family time that would be needed. Although we wouldn’t swap this for anything, the opportunity to easily catch up on a few hours work or study in the evenings and weekends is long gone. Commitment to textbook-based learning has been significantly reduced, whilst “on the job” learning has become a much greater priority. I do however feel that first-hand experience with children has been immensely valuable to my paediatric practice. Parents do find it easier to relate to other parents, and I know how privileged I am to look after other parents’ most treasured possessions. - How did you find the support from your college?
I am grateful that the college has continued to sign off my prospective approval forms and accredit my training, slowly adding up the months. - What, if any, problems did you encounter when returning to training?
The biggest challenge is finding a position that fits around the demands of looking after young children, and I encourage others to look around for different options. I wanted to be able to work part time, however such positions are difficult to find. The Starship Foundation Fellowship has provided me with a fantastic opportunity to both continue my career and spend quality time with my family. I am also indebted to the support I have received from the Starship Paediatric Neurology Department. - How did you/Did you maintain CME while on maternity leave?
I found minimal opportunity to maintain CME whilst on maternity leave, considering it instead a time to devote myself entirely to family. Although I am certain I did lose considerable knowledge after my recently completed clinical exams, it does return quickly on re-entering the workforce.
