Girls in orthopedics?

[Soccergirl5]

I am very interested in orthopedics and have been for years and I have realized it is completely dominated by males. I know this field is very competitive and I love that honestly but are women in this field considered ¨not strong enough¨ or do women just not make through residency? I would like to specialize in fractures or trauma (any advise on what to do for these would be appreciated). I have broken several bones in my life and had surgery on both arms and all I remember are my doctors. I would love to help other people the way my doctor has for me. So what are your thoughts on women in ortho?

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[TheOther]

I am very interested in orthopedics and have been for years and I have realized it is completely dominated by males. I know this field is very competitive and I love that honestly but are women in this field considered ¨not strong enough¨ or do women just not make through residency? I would like to specialize in fractures or trauma (any advise on what to do for these would be appreciated). I have broken several bones in my life and had surgery on both arms and all I remember are my doctors. I would love to help other people the way my doctor has for me. So what are your thoughts on women in ortho?

I know a young lady who just matched DO ortho. Some programs have a decent balance between genders, others notoriously have only males. I think because of the established culture in ortho, there's just not many women who go for it. And I don't think physical strength is a key component - I've seen the scrawniest guys in ortho. Yes it's competitive, yes it's male dominated, but if you want it, go for it.

I'm sure others who are actually in programs can testify to these things better though. I just thought I'd chime in.

 

[4thQTHailMary]

Any females that do apply are heavily favored in the application process. Being a male dominated specialty should not be a deterrent for any female applicant by any means.

 

[massmocha]

Ortho is probably the most male-dominated specialty. However, that doesn't mean it's harder for a woman to match, I'd say about 20% of the applicants at our interview day were female, and they definitely stand out. In an interview process that is based (after the rigorous paper selection) on how much the residents and faculty like you, it can be an advantage to stand out and not just be another guy in a dark suit. We have several women in our program and they're all great residents.

 

[Duotone]

Females are carving a niche for themselves in the ortho world. So do not be intimidated or discouraged. The two chief residents in PCOM currently are females. Pinnacle Harrisburg just matched another female in this year's incoming interns in addition to a female PGY-3. St Joe's also matched a female intern this year. This list is by no means exhaustive. A good number of programs do have brilliant female attendings as well. You can tailor your application to female-friendly programs but bear in mind that you may also be the first female to match into a particular program.

 

[Handinhand]

While Ortho definitely still is male dominated, it's definitely changing -- I would imagine the program director at any big time university program would have deans/administrators up their ass if they took 100% guys for all 5 years of their program. Some of the best residents I worked with during my Sub-i's were girls, and honestly, having the best people around you is really all that matters.

 

[lodestar]

An Attending recently said during an interview at a top 20 Ortho program that they VERY MUCH WANT more females, but have trouble getting them even to come interview. There were just 3 females among the ~ 50 interviewing.

This male domination thing seems likely to change as with other things. One female candidate (comfortably above Step averages for matched Ortho's) just recently found Ortho programs claiming to want to reverse the traditional matrix, and were often encouraging to her as she interviewed.

 

[MedAppRx]

Just had a great conversation with a female candidate from the medical school at my hospital. One piece of advice that I told her - and I think it helps: take a good, hard look at the current resident list. While many programs strive to accept more women, in this case prior performance is predictive of future outcomes. While some programs will become more egalitarian over time, egalitarian programs usually stay that way.

Btw- best quote from my ortho trauma attending when it comes to men vs. women: "It's not about the strength of the doctor, it's about the strength of the anesthesia and the relaxation of the patient". So So true.

 

[spartywrx]

Don't worry about being a chick in ortho. Some programs are more female friendly and some are not. We have 2 currently and have had others in the past, along with female attendings. There are some programs (Minnesota comes to mind) that have a lot of women. Just be cool, easy to work with, and don't be a weirdo and you'll do fine

 

[giantswing]

Im a woman in ortho. Tiny too. Bones are the best.

 

[Humble Sloth]

Gender roles are virtually all the product social construction. Pursue your interests.

 

[scottie7397]

I think Ortho residencies would favor the female gender. From a selfish perspective, women would have a shorter career which keeps us in demand.


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[jet616]

Interestingly, the experience of being a female ortho resident seems to vary widely from program to program. The gender gap is real!

It's definitely a result of both systemic biases and medical student interest. For example, while my program is open to having females, I'm the only female now and the 5th female ever in the history of the program, which can be seen as a red flag by students hoping to maximize their audition rotation chances. This probably led to the dismal number of female medical students who came through this year... (2 out of over 60 students)

In any case, if your interested in matching as a female, I'd like to help in any way possible. Send me a PM.