A greater number of female medical students
have experienced intimidation in their training than their male counterparts,
according to a new research study published by researchers at RCSI (Royal
College of Surgeons in Ireland).
15.8%
of male medical students reported that they had never felt intimidated during
their surgical attachments, compared to just 6.9% of female students. A third
of male students never felt discouraged, but only a quarter of female students
felt the same.
The
researchers analysed 464 questionnaires completed by medical students in
Dublin, Perdana and Penang. Almost 40% of respondents were male and 60% were
female. The findings have been published in the latest online edition of the
Postgraduate Medical Journal.
The
research also suggests that a lack of role models in surgery is perceived as a
drawback by 22.8% of female medical students, with only 9.4% of their male
counterparts feeling the same.
The
new study has found that male and female medical students were similar in terms
of interest in a career in surgery – with 46.5% of males and 42.6% of females
very or quite interested in a career in surgery. Yet, just 10 percent of
surgeons in Ireland are female according to the 2017 Progress report
by RCSI’s Working Group on Gender Diversity, led by Professor Deborah McNamara.
“Achieving
gender parity is vital for the future of all medical specialties, especially
surgery. Female medical students are a particularly important group to consider
on the quest to achieve gender balance within the specialty. We have shown that
a high percentage of students will have decided on their career path before
they have graduated, often having been influenced by role models along the
way,” said lead author Dr Ciara Cronin, RCSI Department of Surgery.
“Greater
female participation in surgical careers may normalise work plans that include
job sharing, parental leave and career breaks enabling a greater number of both
male and female surgeons to successfully combine a surgical career with social
and family responsibilities.”
The
study also looked at the motivating factors for students when choosing a
medical field for their career. Female students were significantly more
influenced in their choice of surgical career by part-time work, parental
leave, working hours and length of residency. Male students were significantly
more influenced by salary than females towards a choice of surgical
career.
“According
to our study, preference for a career in surgery declines with advancing years
in medical school for both males and females. Medical students report high
levels of feeling intimidated or ignored during their surgical placements, and
enthusiasm for surgery reduces during medical school with exposure to this.
These findings, along with the importance of role modelling, add further
urgency to the need to address factors which make surgery less appealing to
female medical graduates,” said Prof Peter Gillen, Associate Professor of
Surgery at RCSI.
The
intake to surgical training in Ireland remains high. There are currently 346
trainees across RCSI’s core and higher surgical training programmes; 216 are
male and 130 are female.
Professor
Deborah McNamara said, “The PROGRESS report identified an imperative that more
is done to inform and encourage female medical students considering a career in
surgery. This is an important research paper that will help RCSI to identify
areas that need improvement. Over the last year, RCSI Dublin has established a
student chapter affiliated with the Association of Women Surgeons to increase
the access of RCSI medical students to female surgical mentors. This
development was well received by students and it won best new student society
for the 2018/19 academic year. Three specific surgical mentorship events have
already taken place.”
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