To say the life of an orthopaedic surgeon is demanding is an understatement. Any given day can involve seeing patients in a clinical setting, charting, responding to patient messages, prepping for cases, performing urgent or elective surgical procedures, fielding phone calls while on call, spending time on research projects, involvement in local and national orthopaedic societies, and working on projects for the department.
Carving out time for a personal life and a family can often be challenging. The juggling act becomes increasingly difficult for orthopaedic surgeons who are parents. Sleepless nights of performing emergency surgery can often follow sleepless nights of taking care of a newborn. Long days in the office or operating room accompany the very substantive work of childcare. For many surgeons, it can be just as exhausting as it is rewarding.
Assistant Professor Andrea Halim, MD is a fellowship-trained hand surgeon who treats a variety of conditions including hand and wrist fractures, nerve injuries, arthritis of the hand and wrist, and tendonitis. She has a particular interest in trauma of the hand and wrist, especially scaphoid fractures and nonunions. Notably, she is the mother of two young children.
“Whether and when to have children is an extremely personal choice,” Halim said. “It’s different for everyone but I think it is especially personal for women during medical school and residency when you have so little control over your work schedule. Pregnancy is a serious start to a lifelong commitment and being pregnant while a surgeon can be extraordinarily challenging. I decided to have kids after my residency, but I strongly support anyone’s choice to start a family during training.”
According to Halim, the benefits of being an “orthomom” have been twofold. Family time has become incredibly valuable and she can appreciate it more having to balance it with work. Motherhood has also provided her with a new perspective and a degree of empathy that she believes makes her a better surgeon.
I am a better doctor because I am a mom. Every time I treat a patient, I recognize that this is someone’s child. It’s impossible not to gain compassion when you become a parent.
Andrea Halim, MD
“I am a better doctor because I am a mom,” she said. “Every time I treat a patient, I recognize that this is someone’s child. It’s impossible not to gain compassion when you become a parent.”
“Since having kids of my own, if I am treating a child with an injury and I can tell that the mom is especially stressed, I will frequently share my personal cell phone number with her,” Halim continued. “There is this clear expression of relief when they know they can reach out to me directly if they have questions or concerns. One mom still stays in contact with me to check in and wish me happy holidays, more than two years after I helped her child. These connections mean more to me than ever and make me feel so good about the career path I chose. They reinforce the balance between work and family that I have worked so hard to achieve.”
Halim finds being an orthopaedic surgeon and a parent to be extremely rewarding, but there are challenges. Her husband is also a physician and works in New York so their schedules can become complicated at times.
“The hardest part is when I’m on call and need to go to the hospital unexpectedly overnight,” she said. “There are some days when I am out the door before my kids wake up and I don’t return until after they are asleep. It’s a real challenge not to wake them up just so I can give them each a hug. I have also found that I am most productive while I am at work, so how I manage my workflow has evolved over time. I try to do all my patient charting, send emails, and work on research while I am on-site, so I can give my family my full attention when I am home.”