Such experiences are not uncommon among female physicians in the United States. In fact, despite the diversification of medicine, its culture is still hostile to us.
As a female cardiologist, I am well aware of the challenges women face in the medical community. Not only are female doctors subject to different standards than men when it comes to family planning, but they are also regularly subjected to derogatory and hostile comments from patients, nurses, and even other doctors.
I recently asked my female colleagues to share some of the gender-based criticism they’ve received over the years. Patients comment on their makeup and appearance. Colleagues have offered unsolicited advice on the impact of her career choices on her family. She assumes that she is not a doctor because her patient is female. A doctor criticized her for her high pitch, she said. Another is talking too much to her patients.
Why women make better doctors
Hostility towards female doctors is meaningless. Studies have shown that female surgeons have better patient outcomes than male surgeons. Female doctors tend to spend more time with their patients during practice and practice better communication. Patients with female doctors are more likely to survive hospitalization.
In general, female doctors are very good at their jobs. But that didn’t stop other doctors and patients from treating us like homeless people.
I had a patient who I saw for several days while in the hospital and had many conversations with him and many of his family members.
Still, when the male X-ray technician walked into the room behind me, I let out a long, exaggerated sigh. “finally” he declared.I need to see a doctor! ”
Sexual harassment from both patients and colleagues is also rampant. A 2018 report from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found that nearly half of trainees who identified as female had experienced sexual harassment, nearly double the rate seen in other science and engineering disciplines. is shown to be .
Personally, in my few short years as a doctor, I’ve seen male patients masturbate in front of me, senior doctors calling my body “tight” during medical school interviews, and multiple of patients interrupted serious conversations about their illness. Their health hits my butt.
Arghavan Salles is a minimally invasive surgeon and academic whose research focuses on gender equality, implicit bias and physician well-being. Although she stepped back from her clinical practice because of the hostility she experienced as a surgeon, 40% of female physicians make that decision within six years of completing their training.
“The reasons why women leave medicine are multi-faceted, and not because they don’t want to work full-time, as some have suggested,” she says.
The list of reasons is long, she says. Microaggressions, sexual harassment, undermining our jobs, lack of family support at work, and more.
Last year, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reported on the challenges women in cardiology face during pregnancy. More than 40% experienced a pay cut during the first year of pregnancy, 36.5% reported pregnancy complications, and nearly 75% reported being treated by colleagues in a way they considered discriminatory or unlawful.
Statistics like these are the reasons I’ve considered quitting cardiology. I worry that long working hours and hazardous work environments will harm my health and the health of any future pregnancies.
This concern is by no means unfounded. Infertility and miscarriage rates among female doctors are almost double that of the general population, and more than 40% of female surgeons suffer miscarriages.
Female physicians tend to have better outcomes and better communication skills, but this does not necessarily translate into higher patient satisfaction scores.
Rather, patients and other healthcare professionals seem to expect more time and increased communication with female doctors. According to one study, a woman receives 26% more inbox messages from both colleagues and patients than men.
The gender pay gap among doctors is not due to women working fewer hours. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that female primary care physicians spend more time in direct patient care and therefore earn less visit income.
“Female doctors have to overdo it and spend time building social capital to gain their participation in patient care, but at the cost of slower promotions and lower salaries.” Mr Salles said.
Until now, women in healthcare have endured these challenges by simply keeping their heads down and working hard. I often find myself walking a tightrope. In doing so, you must be competent but not arrogant, likeable but not pushy.
But women are no longer the silent minority in medicine, and there are now more female medical students than male students. This will provide a long-awaited opportunity for a cultural shift, one that will hopefully put patient-centeredness over paternalism, evidence over dogma, and compassion over tradition.
And initiatives like the Women in Medicine Summit, founded by oncologist Shika Jain, bring all physicians together to create a better environment for all forward-thinking physicians, not just women. We provide an opportunity to brainstorm methods.
“Promoting women to leadership positions, not just keeping them in healthcare, is good for patient care and outcomes overall, not just for women’s health, but for everyone’s health.” ‘ said Jayne.
When I first entered the world of medicine, the advice I received was to assimilate into the masculine structure of medicine. But embracing all facets of my personality, especially through writing and art, has become a powerful tool.
When I tried to write a book, I wrote a fictional love story about a black woman attending medical school, rather than writing the arduous medical non-fiction that is often expected of physician writers. My comics are colorful, ironic, and often focus on issues facing female doctors.
I advocate for physician health and speak openly about the challenges women doctors face. I decided to let myself be who I am. And I think it’s better for my patients.
I’m not one of those boys. That’s good.
Charlene Obobi is a second-year cardiology research fellow at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Her cartoon about navigating her healthcare can be found on her Instagram @ShirlywhirlMD. She is the author of “”.During the rotationis a novel about a Ghanaian-American medical student.
fix
An earlier version of this article incorrectly listed Sana Haq’s last name as Haaq. The story has been fixed.