8
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
1 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      Does gender impact on female doctors' experiences in the training and practice of surgery? A single centre study

      research-article
      , ,
      South African Journal of Surgery
      Association of Surgeons of South Africa

      Read this article at

      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          BACKGROUND: Surgery has been identified as a male-dominated specialty in South Africa and abroad. This study explored how female registrars perceived the impact of gender on their training and practice of surgery. METHOD: A self-administered questionnaire was used to explore whether females perceived any benefits to training in a male-dominated specialty, their choice of mentors and the challenges that they encountered during surgical training. RESULTS: Thirty-two female registrars participated in the study. The respondents were mainly South African (91%) and enrolled in seven surgical specialties. Twenty-seven (84%) respondents were satisfied with their training and skills development. Twenty-four (75%) respondents had a mentor from the department. Seventeen (53%) respondents perceived having received differential treatment due to their gender and 25 (78.2%) thought that the gender of their mentor did not impact on the quality of the guidance received in surgery. Challenges included physical threats to female respondents from patients and disrespect, emotional threats and defaming statements from male registrars. Additional challenges included time-constraints for family and academic work, poor work-life balance and being treated differently due to their gender. Seventeen (53%) respondents would consider teaching in the Department of Surgery. CONCLUSION: Generally, females had positive perceptions of their training in Surgery. They expressed concern about finding and maintaining a work-life balance. The gender of their mentor did not impact on the quality of the training but 'bullying' from male peers and selected supervisors occurred. Respondents will continue to recommend the specialty as a satisfying career to young female students.

          Related collections

          Most cited references18

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: not found
          • Article: not found

          Purposive sampling as a tool for informant selection

            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: found
            • Article: not found

            Hierarchy as a barrier to advancement for women in academic medicine.

            Research on barriers to professional advancement for women in academic medicine has not adequately considered the role of environmental factors and how the structure of organizations affects professional advancement and work experiences. This article examines the impact of the hierarchy, including both the organization's hierarchical structure and professionals' perceptions of this structure, in medical school organization on faculty members' experience and advancement in academic medicine.
              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: found
              • Article: not found

              Keys to career satisfaction: insights from a survey of women pediatric surgeons.

              Declining interest in the field of surgery is attributed to lifestyle issues, more women per class, high debt, and long residency. To maintain surgery as a premier career choice, female students must find surgery to be professionally and personally rewarding. A 35-item questionnaire was mailed to 95 women pediatric surgeons (WPS), assessing multiple professional and personal factors. Responses were entered into a confidential database and analyzed by chi2 or t tests. Seventy-nine percent of surveys were returned; practice was identified as academic (60%) and private (40%). Respondents were grouped by age: A, less than 44 years (41%); B, 45 to 54 years (37%); and C, greater than 55 years (22%). For academic WPS, 81% are on timeline for promotion. Insufficient protected time was a significant obstacle for a successful academic career in groups A and B (P =.001). Clinical load, on-call responsibilities, lack of mentorship, and departmental support were major obstacles in all groups (P =.05). Seventy-three percent of WPS in private practice were satisfied with their role in practice management; poor practice conditions were cited as the most frequent reason for job relocation. Sixty-one percent of WPS are married, and 46% are raising children. WPS had statistically significant more responsibilities for child care and household tasks in comparison with their partners. Eighty-three percent report career satisfaction but desire more time with family and for personal interests. Part-time and flexible work schedules were identified as attractive ways to achieve career-family balance. Eighty-four percent believe that quality-of-life issues are the dominant reason that fewer medical students choose surgical fields. WPS express career satisfaction but share the concerns of their female colleagues in other surgical disciplines. Quality of life is viewed as central to career choice for the current generation of medical students; female role models are key to recruiting women into pediatric surgery.
                Bookmark

                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: ND
                Role: ND
                Role: ND
                Journal
                sajsurg
                South African Journal of Surgery
                S. Afr. j. surg.
                Association of Surgeons of South Africa (Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa )
                0038-2361
                2078-5151
                September 2017
                : 55
                : 3
                : 8-12
                Affiliations
                [02] orgnameCollege of Health Sciences University of KwaZulu-Natal orgdiv1Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine orgdiv2Clinical and Professional Practice
                [01] orgnameCollege of Health Sciences University of KwaZulu-Natal orgdiv1Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine orgdiv2Department of Surgery
                Article
                S0038-23612017000300004
                28876559
                ce6ebaf7-2d31-4b17-b0c3-ae72bf55fc5a

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

                History
                Page count
                Figures: 0, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 20, Pages: 5
                Product

                SciELO South Africa


                Comments

                Comment on this article