Female Medical Residents at BWH On the Rise- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
Female Medical Residents at BWH On the Rise- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
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March 2, 2001
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In This Issue:
Wedding Bells Ring on 7D
Female Medical Residents at BWH On the Rise
BWH Converts to New Dialing System
March Calendar
Otten Named UHC Chairman
Beyond the Headlines
The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) recently reported that the proportion of female medical residents has grown ten percent in the last decade, up from 28 to 38 percent of all residents. The proportion of new female faculty hires has increased slightly from 32 percent in 1997 to 37 percent today. Although only 7.5 percent of all department chairs are female, women outnumber men in medical school acceptance by 45.7 to 44.8 percent. Here at BWH, the female medical resident statistics reflect the national trend closely. According to Joel Katz, MD, director, Medical Residency Program, the percentages of female residents in some departments are even higher, such as in internal medicine, where 35 out of the 72 interns this year are female. “Over the last fifteen years, the proportion of women housestaff has grown dramatically,” said Katz. “We work very hard to ensure that we not only hire talented women physicians, but that we also mentor them and promote their career advancement by trying to create family-friendly environments and schedules for all faculty members.” One particularly appealing option to many male and female residents trying to balance both work and family are the flexible training tracks offered in some divisions. “Residents can choose to spend their training over a longer period of time, and also now have more options to work part-time once in practice,” said Katz. Somava Stout, MD, a second-year resident in the Harvard Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics program who trains in Internal Medicine at BWH, greatly appreciates her program’s flexibility. In addition to taking a year off between medical school and residency to deliver her daughter three years ago, her current track allows second year residents and above to take every fourth month off, giving her more time to balance family and professional interests while prolonging her residency by only six months. “The experience has been wonderful,” said Stout. “What impressed me during my application process with BWH was how welcoming and understanding people were of my goals. The program director at the time was Marshall Wolf, MD. We talked about balancing family and medicine, and he said, ‘You have two more-than-full-time jobs—you need to let us know how we can help you do both successfully.’ Joel Katz has been just as supportive.” Stout chose the BWH-affiliated program primarily because the hospital had been so supportive of her desire to balance her professional and personal life. “Being a good mother is as important to me as being a good doctor. The people at BWH have recognized that motherhood is an important and full-time job, and their unconditional support has been invaluable.” The Office for Women’s Careers (OWC) has also helped to bridge the obstacles female medical residents find. In addition to career development counseling to help bridge the gap from training to faculty positions, the OWC offers a variety of mentoring, networking and specific informational programs. Said Katz, “The mere fact that we have such an office indicates that women’s issues and careers have a high priority here at BWH.” “An important aspect of our office’s impact is that its presence stimulates thinking about women’s concerns at BWH,” said OWC director Carol Nadelson, MD. “It reinforces the fact that looking for and hiring talented female faculty is a high priority. We encourage women to think about their career development and to search for good mentoring. I’ve been very pleased with how responsive the department chiefs have been.” Added Katz, “We are increasingly successful in retaining women on the faculty because of a commitment to the advancement of women exhibited by our leadership, particularly evident in president Jeffrey Otten, Department of Medicine chair Victor Dzau, MD and Carol Nadelson.”