Women in hospital and academic medicine

Abstract

Your July 14 editorial1AnonKeeping women in hospital and academic medicine.Lancet. 2001; 358: 83Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar draws attention to the difficulties that women face in medicine. The system has to change to ensure that women stay in medicine and can choose particular specialties without reservation.Senior colleagues could encourage women to stay. Training should be more flexible and job-share schemes should be introduced.2De Souza BA A step by step guide to flexible training.WIST. 2001; 20: 3Google Scholar Setting up childcare facilities such as nurseries, holiday play-schemes, and nannies, would provide an environment that would ensure peace of mind for women with young families. I wholeheartedly agree that women in hospital medicine should be more equally represented on academic boards, grant-awarding bodies, and appointment committees.A survey of preregistration house officers showed that women are not choosing careers in surgery largely because of the attitudes of and poor support from their senior colleagues. Rayner and Firth-Cozens3Rayner C Firth-Cozens J Women and surgery: gains and losses.Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2001; 83: 228-230Google Scholar concluded that the situation could be remedied by personal coaching, team leadership, or the acquisition of new communication skills.The royal colleges need to take a more active role to ensure that female doctors stay in their chosen specialties and to provide support for flexible training. That these women do not side-step into non-career grade posts for the sake of their families, or after being dissuaded to stay in career posts by senior colleagues is important. As the system changes, women should be able to combine caring for a family with a thriving career. Your July 14 editorial1AnonKeeping women in hospital and academic medicine.Lancet. 2001; 358: 83Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar draws attention to the difficulties that women face in medicine. The system has to change to ensure that women stay in medicine and can choose particular specialties without reservation. Senior colleagues could encourage women to stay. Training should be more flexible and job-share schemes should be introduced.2De Souza BA A step by step guide to flexible training.WIST. 2001; 20: 3Google Scholar Setting up childcare facilities such as nurseries, holiday play-schemes, and nannies, would provide an environment that would ensure peace of mind for women with young families. I wholeheartedly agree that women in hospital medicine should be more equally represented on academic boards, grant-awarding bodies, and appointment committees. A survey of preregistration house officers showed that women are not choosing careers in surgery largely because of the attitudes of and poor support from their senior colleagues. Rayner and Firth-Cozens3Rayner C Firth-Cozens J Women and surgery: gains and losses.Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2001; 83: 228-230Google Scholar concluded that the situation could be remedied by personal coaching, team leadership, or the acquisition of new communication skills. The royal colleges need to take a more active role to ensure that female doctors stay in their chosen specialties and to provide support for flexible training. That these women do not side-step into non-career grade posts for the sake of their families, or after being dissuaded to stay in career posts by senior colleagues is important. As the system changes, women should be able to combine caring for a family with a thriving career.