Mentoring and the U.K. Medical Women’s Federation

Abstract

Women doctors in the United Kingdom hit the headlines in 2014 with the news that women were heads of five Royal Colleges, including the first-ever female President of the Royal College of Surgeons, that bastion of male tribal culture. The Physicians, GPs, Pediatricians, and Pathologists all had women at the helm, and have now been joined by the Ophthalmologists. Dame Sally Davies is the first-ever female Chief Medical Officer (CMO). This is a greatachievement, but theunanswered question is why it has taken so long, considering that more than half of medical students in United Kingdom have been women for the last 20 years. Several reports on women doctors have been published recently: Medical Women’s Federation’ s( MWF, 2008), Making part-time work; Royal College of Physicians’ (RCP, 2009), Women and medicine: the future; and National Working Group on Women in Medicine’ s( 2009), Women doctors: making a difference. The recommendations from these reports are consistent, and all include mentoring, flexible schedules, women rolemodels, andimproved access to childcare. Implementation of the recommendations has proved much more difficult than merely identifying the barriers and suggesting changes. The Medical Women’s Federation, which is a U.K.-wide membership organization, offers practical help and support at all stages of medical careers, from student to consultant, including studentgrants and prizes, career advice, help with job applications, how to work less than full time, maternityleave,returntowork, andadvancingtoseniorpositions. We have set up a Buddying Scheme, which allows members to benefit from contact with other members for advice on a variety of issues, such as career choices, job applications, and work/life balance.