The American Association for Women in Radiology (AAWR) has issued a statement on paid family and medical leave, published September 10 in Clinical Imaging.
In the document, the AAWR recommended a minimum of 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave within a 12-month period for attending physicians, medical physicists, and trainees. It further highlighted that these are needed for physician well-being, patient safety, and health equity.
“Nationally standardized 12-week paid leave, supported by medical societies, would promote retention, diversity, and optimal care delivery,” wrote a team led by Melissa Reichman, MD, from Weill Cornell Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and colleagues.
While the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides unpaid job-protected leave, it excludes many workers. These include employees at practices with fewer than 50 staff members and those who have not worked long enough or for enough hours. The statement authors noted that this disproportionately impacts women, minorities, and low-income families.
“Extensive evidence shows that paid family and medical leave improves maternal and child health, increases workforce retention, and supports equity in the medical profession,” they wrote.
The AAWR argues that establishing national paid leave standards across medical specialties “would align healthcare systems with the principles they promote for patients, fostering a more diverse, inclusive, and resilient workforce.”
The association’s recommendation for a minimum of 12 weeks of paid leave applies to departments, practices, and training programs within diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, radiation oncology, medical physics, and nuclear medicine. It also supports institutional policies aimed at covering the shifts of employees who are out on leave.
“This is especially critical in maintaining collegial relationships, as many individuals taking leave are trainees or early-career faculty,” the authors wrote.
The AAWR also called for future policies to include provisions for enough time and space for lactating mothers who return to work. It also recommended institutionally subsidized childcare options, including both onsite and backup options.
Finally, the AAWR highlighted the importance of mentorship for residents and junior faculty as they transition in and out of leave. Effective mentorship can also provide emotional support and career planning assistance.
And institutions can address inequities by implementing flexible career policies, the AAWR authors wrote. These could include offering flexible time toward promotion with a tenure clock extension.
“The AAWR encourages broad implementation and monitoring of these policies to help support and counter flexibility bias and significantly reduce barriers to the use of such policies, which will be beneficial in faculty retention,” the team concluded.
Read the full statement and recommendations here.