Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] Early career (EC) cardiologists within the first 7 years of graduation represent a unique professional group. Faced with the task of building a practice on the professional front and raising a family on the personal front, many EC cardiologists encounter several simultaneous challenges. Entering independent practice, defining a clinical niche, meeting clinical productivity targets,1 launching a research career, obtaining research funding, and potential lack of mentorship2 are some of the professional challenges EC cardiologists face. EC cardiologists may have to navigate numerous personal challenges such as sustaining a successful marriage,3 supporting a family, raising children, paying student debt, and planning for a strong financial future. Although each of these challenges is unique in its own way, striking a balance between busy professional schedules and parental responsibilities remains pivotal to ensuring success on both fronts. These parenting challenges have been further amplified for physician parents during the COVID-19 pandemic, given the disruption to daycare routines, with subsequent parental anxiety.4,5 Although some previous studies evaluated the challenges of pregnancy during residency and fellowship training,6-8 these studies did not explore the parenting challenges beyond childbirth and are not uniformly applicable to physicians in practice. A paucity of literature addresses parenting challenges of EC physicians, and data are even more sparse in the field of cardiology. [To read more, click View Resource.]
