Table 4.

A selection of open-ended comments provided by respondents

Was there a conscious decision to engage (or not) in life events during GME training?

In regards to my parent's illness, I was essentially not able to be present for it to provide support. (male)

When I arrived at fellowship, we began trying to get pregnant and ultimately realized we were dealing with infertility. I don't know how my decision to push off starting a family for 4 years really effected this (whether I would have had problems anyway), but it was the hardest thing I have ever been through. (female)

Getting time off from residency and fellowship for major life events can be politically damaging in my opinion …. Program leadership or chief residents can look at asking for time away as a ‘weakness’. (male)

I chose not to go to my grandfather's funeral. (male)

I decided not to become pregnant during residency. I felt that pregnancy was not encouraged/supported in my program. (female)

I delayed marriage until I was at the cusp of completing my training and already had a job lined up. (male)

Did life events have impact on career choice or whether to pursue further GME training?

Having kids made me lean away from academics to pursue a job with more vacation and money and less after-hours investment. (male)

I will likely not go into fellowship because I want to spend more time with my young children. (male)

The birth of my child will likely prevent advanced fellowship training due to poor compensation of trainees. (male)

Greeting married, having a stepchild and having two loved ones die in residency re-focused my priorities (female)

Chronic illness diagnosis affected plans for fellowship (male)

My life has evolved around my chosen career … kinda sad (female)