what would you do?

[HouseofWool]

My first was born before medical school, but with my daughter was born in the middle of MS4. I purposely chose a smaller community hospital instead of one of the larger academic hospital along with an OB who was private practice. I didn't want a med student there. A resident wouldn't have been too bad, but I didn't want one of E's colleagues to see me in such a vulnerable position. It made me uncomfortable.

That said, when my son was ill and hospitalized, it was nice that one of E's fellow students was assigned our case. So, it can go both ways.

[Urowife]

I allowed residents and med students to be involved in my care during DD's delivery. It was nice to have the resident check in frequently - more frequently than the attending. The med students didn't really add or detract too much during labor and delivery, but I was annoyed at their pre-rounding in the post-delivery days. I just wanted to be left alone.

The resident actually delivered my baby, but the only reason I was at all comfortable with that was the fact that the attending was present the entire time. So, I knew she could step in at a moment's notice (and not have to be called in, etc.). I didn't know the resident, nor did DH. I know they need the practice, so I was comfortable with it, like I said, as long as the attending was right there.

Also, I didn't want the anesthesia resident to do my epidural, but fortunately, DH coordinated it so the attending would do it.

[Mrs. MD, Esq.]

My fiance and I have actually discussed this scenario -- for me, I would not be comfortable with it...if it makes you uncomfortable, I say do what you need to do. Afterall, this should be a comfortable and wonderful experience as possible for you, hubby and baby.

[alison]

I didn't/don't have a problem with residents or med students. Many of the anesthesia residents where I delivered are more routined at epidurals than attendings! That said, an attending did my epidural as a courtesy to dh (and to the resident who would have had to do mine). It has to be stressful as a resident to do the epidural for the wife of your immediate superior.

I have no problem with residents or med students providing my care. So what if they see me at my absolute worst. They aren't allowed to tell anyone else not directly involved in mu care and compromise my privacy as a patient. IMO it's just not a big deal to me.

I delivered my first baby at one of the hospitals where DH did his residency work. The FPs did do OB rotations (no OB res), but my doc was in a solo practice and was on call for all her patients, so it just wasn't an issue. But I had DH under strict orders that no students/residents were allowed near my room (other than to pop in and coo over the baby afterward, ha ha). To me it's more an issue of my medical privacy rather than concern about the skill of the resident (although that was part of it). I just don't want DHs colleagues having that much info about me. For example, he offered to put in my Paragard after our last baby, and it would have been great and easy to have him do it, but I don't want his entire staff knowing what our birth control choices are.

[Tenacious_D]

I allowed residents when I had my boys. Dh is a pathologist, his colleagues would not have been involved. I might have felt differently if he were an ob resident.

Same thing as Jenn. Dh is a radiologist so no one he really knew was coming our way. In med school, I didn't allow students unless the hooha was covered. We all lived in the same apt buildings and I wanted to avoid awkwardness in the elevator.

[SuzySunshine]

I should double check that this is in the debate forum before I post this...

How are they going to learn gang? Med students I get - they probably won't even go into OB. But as families of doctors are we not expected to also help other doctors learn? How did our docs learn? I understand that childbirth is a very touchy subject because this helpless baby is involved but they still have to learn. I'm amazed at the number of people who want nothing to do with residents in their delivery.

[Deebs]

Not only that. We now live in a community with about 100,000 people. I see my kids' pediatrician in the grocery store, my OB/Gyn at church, and my internist's wife all over town. Medical spouses, of all people, should realize that physicians are professionals. Someone asked my DH a while ago how frequently women he sees shave (sorry if TMI). He didn't know because he doesn't really notice. It's not so much what he's looking for. I ended up in a meeting with the OB resident who was primary on my case right after I returned from maternity leave. I didn't think twice about the fact that three months prior he had been checking my cervix. It's just not like that.

[diggitydot]

I don't have a problem with residents or med students being involved in most of my family's care. My mom worked in a teaching office so as a kid I always had med students doing check-ups and what not. I'm accustomed to it and think that they sometimes need someone to work on who won't flip out if they say something wonky.

However, for my OB care I prefer to not have someone I socialize with going south of my Mason/Dixon line. Resident or not. Our family care doc doesn't do my OB because we see him at various functions and parties. While he's extremely professional, it would squick me out. It isn't about him. It's about me and my comfort level at whichever social function we happen to run into each other.

[peggyfromwastate]

Since my dh entered med school and residency, our kids have had some surgeries. I think there have been 3 total. Yes, I lose track. But the attending is the only one allowed to do the surgeries- that's just the policy. The residents do not operate on other residents kids. Even tho these types of surgeries are simple (like ear tubes) and typically the attendings only handle complex cases.

There must be a rationale for this... Anyway I think if a woman is not comfortable with the resident delivering her that is reason enough. For my disasterous birth it was a case of an intern who even by may did not have a clue what she was doing. No attending in sight, no chief resident. And she was trying to put a scalp monitor on ds and she just could not do anything right. The only way we made it thru was my family doc showed up to observe almost at the end. She did not have to do this. She wanted to be there. Then soon after a team of Peds attendings was there, the ob attending, etc bc by then ds was in distress.

My point is that things happen fast in the delivery room. You don't have control always. You don't know who is there. Your dh should be familiar with the experience level of the person who is managing the delivery. If they are jr residents, ask to have an attending present even if it means waking them up. But don't wait for the **** to hit the fan before you sort it out.

[SuzySunshine]

I get the part about it being someone you know "south of my Mason/Dixon line" (funny by the way!) Its the others I don't get.

[madeintaiwan]

I should double check that this is in the debate forum before I post this...

How are they going to learn gang? Med students I get - they probably won't even go into OB. But as families of doctors are we not expected to also help other doctors learn? How did our docs learn? I understand that childbirth is a very touchy subject because this helpless baby is involved but they still have to learn. I'm amazed at the number of people who want nothing to do with residents in their delivery.

ITA with you Cheri. My last c-section, the anesthesiologist was a resident who worked with DH. And DH had his vasectomy performed by a resident. If you're really anti-resident learning then you should really consider delivering at a private non teaching hospital. If you're at a teaching hospital it's kind of part of the deal. I'm with Cheri on this one. How would our spouses ever learn and become proficient if patients constantly demanded to not be treated by residents? I can see lay people not understanding the process and the importance, but medical families who have someone going through training?

[diggitydot]

I figure it's to each his or her own. If someone is totally kosher with it, great. If not, that's fine, too. We all have different levels of comfort. There are some residents I would prefer work on my loved ones over some attendings. Depends on the situation.

I think the number of cases of resident family members being worked on has to be minuscule compared to their typical patient lode. Even completely removing all medical peep families from their care isn't going to drastically undercut residents' experiences or educational opportunities.

[madeintaiwan]

For me it's the concept. You expect others to allow your spouse to learn [what's wrong with them if they want to see a "real" doctor], but you're unwilling to do the same. It's ok for those people to be guinea pigs, but not you. I get there are maybe certain circumstances if you know the resident and it may be uncomfortable. But the general attitude is kinda WTH?

[TigerLily]

I should double check that this is in the debate forum before I post this...

How are they going to learn gang? Med students I get - they probably won't even go into OB. But as families of doctors are we not expected to also help other doctors learn? How did our docs learn? I understand that childbirth is a very touchy subject because this helpless baby is involved but they still have to learn. I'm amazed at the number of people who want nothing to do with residents in their delivery.

for me, it isn't the fact that they are residents at all, it's more that they are our friends. I would trust any of the residents with my and my families health care just as much as any of the other doctors. All of the other care we get I have no problem at all with having residents or med students. My daughter was just in the hospital with RSV and I loved having the residents come and see her. And it isn't at all that I don't trust them with the baby either. Like I said, it's because they are friends. I'm sure they wouldn't be bothered with delivering my baby and would probably not find it weird or awkward at all, but I think I would! Also, my husband on his OB rotation was present for a C-section where the baby totally unexpectedly didn't make it, and he was completely broken over it. I can't imagine what it would do to the relationship between us and a friend/resident if something like this were to happen.