InCrowd: What Does it Mean to be a Woman in Medicine?

Being a doctor is hard work. You have to go through rigorous schooling. The hours are long. The vacation time is short. All doctors realize these challenges, but because they love their work, they persevere. 

Female doctors have added challenges. There are wage gaps, harassment, and fewer career advancement opportunities. Many women, like me, also balance motherhood with their careers.

InCrowd recognizes the obstacles female physicians face, and is highlighting these challenges in a blog series. For the first blog, I wrote about talks I have given to high school and college students who wonder if pursuing medicine is worth it. Here's a sneak peek: 

"...I could tell them that despite obtaining all the same degrees and expertise of their male colleagues, they will have to work harder to be respected. That despite earning a doctorate degree and completing residencies and fellowship, they will be called nurse on a weekly basis. They will likely be paid less, have more grants rejected, and less likely to be a primary author on a manuscript. That they may face maternal discrimination if they choose to have a family.

But I don’t tell them this.  Even though it is true.

I never do.

I tell them that we need them. We need their creativity, collaboration, leadership and innovation. We need their excellence and compassion. We need their hands and their brains. We need their teamwork, ideas and scientific discovery."

To follow InCrowd's thread and read the rest of my post click this link: https://incrowdnow.com/blog/first-series-mean-woman-medicine/