Female Surgeons?

[Lady Tokimi]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Does anyone know what the ratio of men/women surgeons?? is it more difficult for a woman to compete for a spot in surgery?

 

[docbill]

From my observation.. it is very low. I respect female surgeons because they work hard and put up with the bitch-A$$ Men, their eggo's and their multiple personalities.

Maybe 10% of surgeons are women. Unlike grey's anatomy.

There must be some stats. Did you try googling.

 

[atrovariousg]

I'm not sure, but I would rather not have a surgeon of the weaker sex, and I think most members of the weaker sex would as well.

 

[CoverMe]

put up with the bitch-A$$ Men, their eggo's and their multiple personalities.

I'm not a spelling-nazi... but I read this and thought.... "Leggo my Eggo!" Damn those man-surgeons and their frozen instant waffles!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, of the surgeons i know, 1 is a female. Actually, I know 1.025 surgeons... including myself!! 😀

 

[SilleAngyl]

I'm not sure, but I would rather not have a surgeon of the weaker sex, and I think most members of the weaker sex would as well.

Yeah, I would never want to have a male surgeon, either 😉

 

[alohaknight1]

I think the lack in female surgeons is just do to the amount of training/residency that is needed compared to other fields. I know that I am interested in surgery, but would also like to start a family and be settled in a practice before I'm 40.

 

[Beau Geste]

Yeah, I would never want to have a male surgeon, either 😉

👍

 

[PlasticMan]

Not saying either are inferior, but perhaps it has to do with how men are generally more technically inclined and surgery is a technical thing? Look at the IT or engineering industries as an example ???

 

[Beau Geste]

Not saying either are inferior, but perhaps it has to do with how men are generally more technically inclined and surgery is a technical thing? Look at the IT or engineering industries as an example ???

I've often wondered about the whole "technical" inclincation debate in general. It's only been in the last 20 or so years that women were really given a mainstream chance to pursue medical/technical degrees (even though some broke through the barrier much much earlier - e.g. Rosalind Franklin, Marie Curie, etc). Before then they were laughed at and patted on the head for even considering it (or so it seems from history).

To me, women have to constantly prove themselves in order to keep up with their male counterparts, regardless of how they might consistently do well. Regardless of sex, I would prefer a surgeon who works super-hard to stay on top of their game. Another bonus for women is that they are usually more caring than men, and for that may appear to take more of an interest in their patients (but there are some men who do have an empathetic streak in them too).

So while some of you chauvenists might say you want a man because he's th e stronger sex, the bottom line is that it takes a smart, hard-working, dedicated physician (male or female) in general to become a surgeon. It takes much, much more to be a good one, and I don't see anything a woman has that would keep her from becoming good at what she does. In fact, any woman surgeon is stronger than a lot of males out there in the world (my hats off to njbmd).

You can have your preference, but there is no way to truly know the difference between a certain male and female surgeon. All we know are generalities about the sexes, but we also know that one size doesn't fit all.

That said, it looks difficult for women to compete in surgical residencies based on the numbers (currently), but looking at matriculation stats, most classes are just about 50% female, so maybe the future residency slots will not be so skewed towards men for all specialty fields.

 

[Hoberto]

I find it very interesting that women seem to be underrepresented as surgeons. Like many here, I have only scrubbed in on a handful of surgeries so my experiences is limited. In my opinion, surgery is very tedious and repetitive and more suited to traditional female stereotypes. Women are typically counted on for tasks that require long-term concentration and dedication. Such examples are sewing, baking and child-rearing. (Women, more than men, are expected to sit and listen attentively while a 5 year explains every single detail that happened at school that day. Women are much more likely to spend hours, even weeks working at a single piece of knitting.) Surgery doesn't have the mechanical/mathematical requirements that are typically associated with traditionally male careers. It can't be denied that better surgeons have more practice. There is training involved as in every other field, but, moreso in surgery than in other fields, quality comes with practice.

Personally, I think it is the prestige and dollars that have made surgery such a male-dominated field. Although there are women who are driven by power and money, they are surely fewer in number than men.

 

[Ifellinapothole]

I worked for a year in the colo-rectal surgery department at Columbia. One of the three surgeons there was a female and excellent. I also saw female resident and fsurgical fellows quite frequently (no idea as to percentages).

Where I see surgery taking a serious toll on a person's "personal" life is during residency and fellowship with regards to a family. It is hard to balance a family with surgery (particularly the training years). And the training years amount to 5 years residency + 1 or 2 years for fellowship= 7 years- on top of medical school.

There is a biological clock for women which is why I believe there are fewer women than men in surgery. However, if it is truly your passion, go for it. Even better if you have a supportive man by your side.

 

[Fermata]

The reason why there aren't that many female surgeons is because surgery is a giant penis contest and most females, last time I checked, were sans penis.

 

[djnels01]

The reason why there aren't that many female surgeons is because surgery is a giant penis contest and most females, last time I checked, were sans penis.

BEST...........POST............EVER!

 

[lanzarlaluna]

The reason why there aren't that many female surgeons is because surgery is a giant penis contest and most females, last time I checked, were sans penis.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I totally get that vibe from the surgeons at my job.

 

[jmv10]

I have been brought up with an interesting married couple in my family. My uncle is an ob/gyn and his wife is a neurosurgeon, and they have three kids. This may not add anything to the discussion, but it's kind of an unusual real life example of a female surgeon who has three kids and a somewhat normal (although VERY busy!) life and family. 🙂

 

[jmv10]

I have been brought up with an interesting married couple in my family. My uncle is an ob/gyn and his wife is a neurosurgeon, and they have three kids. This may not add anything to the discussion, but it's kind of an unusual real life example of a female surgeon who has children and a somewhat normal (although VERY busy!) life and family. 🙂