Most female surgeons say they’d head down the same career path if given the chance, but they desire alternative work schedules, accessible child care services and flexible maternity leave policies, according to a survey published in the Archives of Surgery.
The findings, compiled by researchers at the University of California Medical Center in Sacramento, show that female surgeons enjoy their careers as much as their male colleagues do but express more interest in part-time surgical opportunities than men do. The study’s authors say the desire for a more flexible work environment is due to the fact that most women respondents had their first child while in practice, are married to career-oriented spouses and often are the primary caregivers of their children.
Kathrin Troppmann, MD, lead author of the study and an associate professor at UC Davis, notes that women currently comprise half of medical schools’ student bodies, and she predicts the number of female surgeons entering the workforce will grow significantly in the coming years.
"Surgery has traditionally been one of the most male-dominated specialties in medicine, so the conversations about workplace changes that could encourage women to choose and to stay in surgical careers are just getting started," she says. "Our goal was to provide healthcare leaders and policymakers with good information for encouraging those conversations."
—Daniel Cook
