Staying human in the medical family: the unique role of doctor-parents.

Issues confronting doctor-parents include the impact of parenting on career choice, special challenges faced by women doctor-parents, leave entitlements, and the unique strengths and challenges of two-doctor families. Experience from one Canadian doctors' health program suggests that unique themes include communication within doctor-families, insight into doctor-parent dynamics, the relationship between doctor-parents and their child's doctor, and potential boundary crossings and violations within the doctor-family. The relationships between medical workforce sustainability, medical human resources, and issues related to doctor-parents need further consideration and analysis.