The Girl is a Surgeon

Women are surely perfectly suited to the field of surgery. We are lauded for our ability to handle numerous tasks simultaneously. Women generally express care especially towards the vulnerable members of society: babies, the elderly and the sick. A woman on a mission will persevere in the achievement of her goal until she has spent all her resources. If a cause close to her heart is neglected, a woman will take up a cross and protect the weaker party as a lioness protects her young.

The fairer sex is known for single-mindedly persevering in spite of their own needs. Women display great aptitude in the hands-on management of disasters without getting side-tracked by ego-sparring as their male counterparts often do (which prevents finding a speedy resolution to a problem). Attention to detail and multi-tasking comes naturally to a woman.

Han Suyin (1917-____), a Chinese physician and writer, accurately noted “There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness.” A gentle woman can achieve so much more; can break down many more barriers than a forceful man.

Perfecting the art and science of surgery is a passionate business. The practice of surgery holds drama, suspense, commitment and love. We all thrive on these, don’t we, girls? We can turn even the most mundane work into passionate artistry.

You ask: but what of the difficult hours, emergency cases inevitably come in at 3am. Babies have been waking women at ungodly hours for thousands of years. You say: but its hard work.  How many families are not reliant on a single mom to keep the pot boiling, the kids clean and healthy and a hospitable roof over their heads? Now THAT’S hard work. A woman’s ability to multi-task combined with the extra will to prove her worth in a male-dominated field more than compensate for lack of brawn. Surgery is a craft, it’s just glorified needlework. Are women not the ultimate seamstresses?

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) of South Africa declared that feminisation of medical schools in this country is progressing rapidly. At undergraduate level, female enrolment in medical school in 2003 had increased to nearly 55% nationwide and 63% at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Female doctors often practice in the public service, in primary care and among the poor. Women favour certain disciplines such as public health (80% - 93% of doctors in this sector are female), psychiatry, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology and paediatrics. Those disciplines are considered to be more ‘family friendly’. Only a small percentage of female doctors even consider general surgery, and a tiny amount of them enter the field. At UCT women made up only 11% of enrolments in general surgery in a seven years enrolment period studied. Some surgical disciplines had no female students at all. The trend at UCT has been confirmed at national level by the Association of Surgeons in South Africa (ASSA), which found that across the country female doctors amounted to only one-tenth of the number of male doctors specialising in general surgery.  International surveys reflect trends shown in South Africa. US studies showed that only 6% of young female doctors even allowed surgery to cross their minds.

The feminisation of medical schools combined with so few females going into surgical disciplines implies that before long there will be a shortage of surgeons to fulfil the work load. International studies note that such high proportions of female medical graduates can lead to problems in health-system provision.  Dr Sharona Ross, director of surgical endoscopy and assistant professor at the University of South Florida (USF),  said, "if half of all graduates are women and so few are going into surgery, we are eventually going to have a shortage of surgeons.’ Dr Ross launched the USF Women in Surgery initiative. They organised a national symposium for women who are or hope to become surgeons. The aim is for experts from across America to share their experiences of life as surgeons and provide support and advice through a mentorship program to upcoming female surgeons. Dr Ross aims to attract more women to general surgery and support those who are already there through the USF Women in Surgery initiative. "We want to explore what steers women to or away from surgery,'' she said, "and promote mentoring to advance or enrich their careers."

Mignonne Brier and Angelique Wildschut, researchers for the HSRC Review of November 2006 very eloquently noted, ‘The debate has highlighted some difficult underlying issues about the gender division of labour in the home and traditional expectations of medical work. The medical profession traditionally demands that doctors should work inordinately long hours. Men have managed to do this because they have been supported in the background by women. But many women doctors do not have that support because society still expects them to bear the brunt of child and home care. Because they cannot work these long hours, they choose part-time appointments. However, it is not only women who would prefer more time for family and leisure. Male doctors would like this too. The answer to the problem lies in the sharing of the ‘invisible’, unpaid labour in the home and society and in humane working conditions for all.’ Actually, more men than women said the lifestyle and workload would keep them from choosing a career in general surgery.  

An article in the journal Archives of Surgery (2006) concluded that the real deterrent to women is the ‘chauvinistic image’ of the profession. Female medical students and registrars view surgery as an "old boys club.’ There are numerous shocking tales of sexual discrimination directed at female medical students, registrars and qualified surgeons by other male surgeons.

The Association of Women Surgeons (AWS), an international organization with members in 15 countries, is another organisation committed to supporting the professional and personal needs of female surgeons at various stages in their careers. They wish to break down barriers that remain for women in surgery.

The age of the chauvinistic, all male surgical team is over! A softer, feminine touch is spreading over the world like a Mexican wave. And I’m cheering all the way!

"It is not easy to be a pioneer -- but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world." – Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in modern times. She founded the London School of Medicine for Women in 1875.

References:

1. HSRC Review - Volume 4 - No. 4 - November 2006

2. Female Surgeon in Tampa Encourages other Women to go into the Field by Irene Maher. Published in the St Petersburg Times in    February 2010.

3. www.womensurgeons.org