Lifting up women physicians makes us all better

As a male medical student, I have developed a growing interest in and enthusiasm for recent efforts to raise awareness about workforce gender disparities in medicine. Though women comprise over 45 percent of resident physicians and 50 percent of medical students in the United States, research reveals deficits in key surrogate measures of successful integration. There are pay and promotion gaps, and women are much less likely than male colleagues to hold major leadership roles or receive prestigious medical society recognition awards.Indeed, while U.S. medical schools finally achieved a 50/50 gender balance in 2016, women make up 38 percent of the academic medical positions, and only 21 percent of full professors and 15 percent of department chairs. This disparity has important consequences as leadership drives our agendas, and it can serve as a self-perpetuating issue if changes are not implemented. Notably, Pew polling has shown that most women seek to hold leadership positions. The empowerment of women in medicine is intrinsic to the effort to improve medicine itself through the creation of the strongest workforce possible. If women have a difficult time and experience more burnout, this affects men in the workforce as well as patients. On the other hand, when we seek success for ourselves and our colleagues, we collectively encourage one another and optimize our health system for patients. Medical culture is enhanced by creating the kinds of diversity we see in society, pa...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Education Medical school Practice Management Public Health & Policy Source Type: blogs