I understand where the OP is going, but I want to say you are looking at Residency the wrong way. This is not a job/work, in the traditional sense. It is training. It is education. It is the hardest years of work and learning of your life. And it's the one time in your life where studying and learning is supposed to be part of the job and it is your responsibility.... not really the program's.... to make sure it happens. If this is not the hardest time of your life, you are doing it wrong and not learning enough. The work hours have decreased dramatically over the past decade. But there is also a big loss with that. I have found that new residents are less well trained. For years already they have talked at my program about adding another year onto residency. The residents need it. Several are not safe to be practicing on their own. Will you be? The only one who decides that is you.
Also, the simplicity of the Residency schedule you were given is misleading. You can definitely not come in as early in the morning, but then you will be short-changing your patients and contributing less to the team. It is felt by all. Clinic never ended for me at 5pm because I was still writing notes, reviewing records, and following up with patients who had called during the day. Honestly, I never had clinic lunch breaks, but that's a nice possibility. At least I could eat quickly while I was writing notes and going through records
There are also unexpected things that happen to residency programs. One resident dropped out before PGY2. Another resident dropped out of our program after PGY2. The repercussions were severe. A male resident's wife had a baby and was hospitalized for a period. Suddenly additional coverage was needed. It happens. You have to be ready.
Basically OP, you stay away from any of the top tier, big city programs that are known for being very competitive. You look for programs that emphasize intensive training in outpatient neurology > inpatient neurology with fewer hospitals to cover. You look for programs where the residents say they have a lot of time for learning and learning is a high priority. You look for programs big enough that if one resident of your class drops out, it wont be a disaster. Then chances are higher you will have a little more breathing room. It is very easy to ask the Neurology residents at your program what programs they considered and why.
But you know.... that means you are supposed to be spending more time studying! Because you will probably have less inpatient hospital exposure, less exposure to more rare neurologic conditions etc... and Neurology is vast and you have a lot to learn.
Of course, I am generalizing here.
Be very careful about even asking about "how to balance family and "work""..... that question immediately makes me question your dedication and priorities. You simply ask residents what their typical day is like, what their rotation schedule is like, and their call schedules. This is normal to ask, and many programs put it on websites these days. If I sense at the beginning that you are trying to figure out how to get home as early as possible, I will question whether you are the right person for our program. You know the work hours restrictions that are currently in place. Expect those will be your work hours, and add on more hours a week for study and finishing up paperwork.
That being said, it is amazing you have such a big family. But don't expect other residents and attendings to pick up slack for you. You only get to do Residency once, and it has to carry you for the rest of your career. I agree with others that with your priorities, you should carefully consider your residency choice. Find a mentor to talk with.... to really consider if Neurology is right for you.
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Hours & Lifestyle Differences across Neurology Residency Programs
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