Oxymoronic Story of the Day–Medical Board Refuses to Give Mom a Break to Pump Milk During Exam
Let’s keep in mind we’re talking about taking medical boards here:
“A Harvard student must be allowed extra break time during her nine-hour medical licensing exam so she can pump breast milk to feed her 4-month-old daughter, a Massachusetts appeals court judge ruled Wednesday.
Sophie Currier, 33, sued after the National Board of Medical Examiners turned down her request to take more than the standard 45 minutes in breaks during the exam.
Currier said she risks medical complications if she does not nurse her daughter, Lea, or pump breast milk every two to three hours.
A Superior Court judge last week rejected Currier’s request to order the board to give her an additional 60 minutes of break time. Appeals Court Judge Gary Katzmann overturned that ruling, finding that Currier needs the extra break time to put her on “equal footing” with the men and non-lactating women who take the exam.
The board had cited a need to be consistent in the amount of break time given and said other nursing mothers who have taken the exam found 45 minutes sufficient.
But Katzmann said that amount of break time was “insufficient” for Currier to nurse her baby, properly express breast milk, eat, drink and use the restroom over the course of the nine-hour exam.
Without extra break time, Currier would have to choose between pumping breast milk and ignoring her bodily functions or foregoing pumping and causing herself significant pain, the judge said.”
We believe Currier will be a fine physician not to mention a great mom, the members of the board however are way overdue to retire.
Filed under: Uncategorized, Atrocities, Sheroes
I am a practicing board certified ob/gyn and agree with the Board. Other women who are breast feeding have successfully completed the exam with the same breaks. Usually women have milk stored and the baby does not need to be present to feed. I have worked with many lactating associates who had ample time to eat and use facilities while breastfeeding and suffered no significant consequences when they didn’t have time to pump because they were taking care of patients…which is ultimately what this woman intends to do. Why should this woman be any different? She already has been given an exception to complete the exam in 2 days instead of one. I am sure all of you and your families would love to have this physician who is dyslexic with ADD making the decisions if you were bleeding to death or needed surgery. My sister has dyslexia and to this day has difficulty. That said, she completed comp exams at her university in the same alloted time as students without dyslexia and never considered asking for extra time despite the disability. This is just one more example of entitlements students graduating from med school today posess. You all may be sure she will be a fine physician, but I, with appointments at 2 medical schools and as a director of undergraduate education for a major Illinois residency program, have some concerns and would certainly think twice before sending my family to see her.