Post | 05/06/2008 11:16 am
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ShareHe Said: 'There Are Too Many Female Doctors'; She Said: 'What?!' by Judith Dobrzynski
Editor’s Note: Judith H. Dobrzynski is a former writer/editor at The New York Times and is now a freelance contributor to many magazines and newspapers.
Anyone who continues to doubt the backlash against the advancement of women in business and politics may be interested in the new front that’s opening up in medicine. Apparently, because of a looming shortage of physicians — a shortfall of somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 relative to demand in the U.S. by 2020 — there’s been a concern for some time that too many doctors are women.
What? you may say. How can widening the pool of potential doctors to more than half the population lead to a shortage?
In fact, according to a recent article written by my former Business Week colleague, Catherine Arnst, that’s exactly what many male physicians think. The ratio of women to men in American medical schools is now about 1 to 1, and about one-third of the physician population here is female. But, the men say, studies show that female physicians work, on average, 20 percent to 25 percent fewer hours than male physicians, and see 10 percent fewer patients — no doubt because they have to rush home to cook and clean and care for their families. Women also, quite naturally, take time off early in their careers — no doubt to become mothers.
Ergo, there are too many woman doctors, especially as the nation ages and requires more care.
The argument seems to be raging abroad, too. In fact, the topic is changing from a private debate to a public one largely because of a recent commentary published in the British Medical Journal. Written by one Brian McKinstry, a general practitioner in Scotland, it argues that hospitals need to consider those statistics about women when they recruit doctors "in the absence of a profound change in our society in terms of responsibility for childcare." Following that logic, women who want to be doctors don’t have the choice of career or family (and certainly not both); the men in charge will decide for them. And won’t we women be back where we started, decades ago?
You can read Cathy’s entire article by clicking here. It’s an eye-opener.
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37 Reader Comments (so far…)
It all has to do with the over-inflated egos of male docs who think they’re gods. Guys, quit being such guys.
I agree Frank.
In my remote community, we have difficulty recruiting doctors. The quality of life here is what brought those we have, although we are still considered an underserviced area.
Many doctors prefer large metropolitan areas, where they have a larger patient pool to support their consumer lifestyles. Patients get assembly line health-care with appointments limited to approx. 10 minutes. In Canada, doctors are paid a flat fee per patient seen. That holds true whether in a large metropolitan area or out in the boonies.
The physicans, here, take more time with patients. They also get to have a family life, have and raise their children in a clean and peaceful environment. We are just as likely to meet them while xc skiing or at the swimming pool. We can easily access the most current medical technology through our brand new Regional Medical Centre. Finally, new medical schools have been developed in the north. People wanting to go into medicine no longer have to be subjected to long waiting lists for admssion to the overcrowded medical schools in the “golden horseshoe.”
IMO, greed is greed, no matter the profession or the gender.
Frank—Gimme a break. Because of family obligations female physicians simply aren’t putting in the time.
Dealing with that problem myself. See a totally top flight Yale trained internist in her early 30s going on maternity leave this month for at least a year. Because her husband, a dermatologist I also see, is a high earner she might not return to practice until her children are of school age.
Well, then. I would fully expect women doctors to create Heal America clinics where the rest of us can go for affordable health care. They’d do a bang-up business, I bet.
I have a good friend who is a family physician. She worked long hours and took her turn on coverage for her colleagues. Unfortunately, both her husband and her son were handicapped. Her husband was in a wheelchair and waiting for a kidney transplant needing dialysis 3 times a week. The son was adopted with attachment disorder problems, and she was often called to school to deal with his problems. It was too much for her, and wearing down her health. She was hospitalized herself several times for stress related stomach maladies, so she took a job 2 years ago as an educator at a medical school in Maine. Now she has a 9-6 job with flexibility and manageable work hours.
The hard-to-admit reality is that nature weighs more heavily on women: pregnancy, nursing, care of family members all take their toll. Our pediatric office employs 3 female doctors, and they are on a less than full-time schedule, which they feel is an ideal solution. Having worked for several doctors’ practices, the more doctors to carry the load the better, as they can more easily cover for each other, and allow for less than full-time schedules.
The problem isn’t too many women, it’s not enough seats at too few medical schools. The market is demanding more doctors and the system hasn’t ramped up to match the demand.
Great post, Bella Mia
Bella Mia,
Your comment sounds so much like a hotly argued debate last month with relatives.
My cousin (lawyer) married to pediatrician. They have a 3 yr. old and twins (6 mo.) She has chosen to be a fully-engaged medical doctor with all the extra on-call hours. She pumps breast milk for the babies to drink by bottle when she is at the office or hosptial.
They have a community of help. Literally. Both sets of grandparents, siblings, neighbors, hired nannies, some day-care….and still both parents sleep very little. Both parents spend 60 hours a week or more on the job and their pagers and computers and work continues with babies in their arms at home.
Can today’s young parents (both 30’s) have it all?
At what price?
My male cousin used to work 80 hours a week and travel from Wash DC all aroung the country. He changed firms for less money, less hours, less travel.
If there were more students admitted to medical school, I do think there would be fewer hours per doctor, both male and female, and medical centers that could offer this choice of fewer hours, as lawyers now have.
Sounds like a pathway to a solution to me.
Those schedules can work, until one little thing goes wrong, usually a baby sick more than a few days, or mastitis, even with all the support. Their situation is what is known as “tightly coupled” meaning everything, and everyone relying on things to go perfectly, because when it doesn’t, it can be like cascading dominos.
Bella Mia,
Exactly. ! Those dominoes were falling that day we had our big debate. The demand on the grandparents is huge to make things work and sometimes they wonder if their adult children expect too much. The parents want professional carreers and the choice to have children so close in age. Having twins really upped the anti! Yet, the parents continue to work the hours.
This may be a sexist statement but I think if National Health Care goes through we will see alot more women doctors. It seems to me that most women are closer to the Hippocratic oath while alot of the males are closer to the fat wallets. As soon as men find out that they are not going to be making the big six figures they will op for a different career. I know that there are exceptions to these statements - I have met many male doctors that have given their time and samples free of charge just to help. But they do not seem to be the majority. Maybe we will see a change where all the doctors are women and all the nurses are men- - - -
Sigh. Where to begin? I told the man for three years my side hurt in a particular place. The woman doctor on the first day put me in the hospital where the male surgeon removed my gall bladder and reconstructed my bile duct, which was totally scarred over from three years of misdiagnosis. The man told me the reason my ankle was swollen was that I was too heavy and needed to lose weight. The woman doctor asked me if I skated when I was young, x-rayed my ankle, and found sports injuries from 30 years ago which had been misdiagnosed by who? Oh, men. Then there was the little problem with the male gynecologist when I was 24. He should be out of prison any time now, because it seemed it wasn’t just me he had a problem with. So I just have female gynecologists now. (Did I mention I love my surgeon, who is a man?) The breast cancer? Yep, a woman doctor who listened when I said it always itched in my right breast. Was it a male doctor who ignored my daughter-in-law’s constant “tiredness” as not getting enough sleep. She died last month of pernicious anemia. Yep, that’s right, too many women doctors….
Mugs- I’m hearing that we need more doctors who are trained to listen to what the patients tell them, and to understand holistic approaches. I’ve had female doctors who were horridly evil to me, and males who were wonderful - and vice versa.
I’m not convinced that attacking men makes for a positive community of women.
Ms. Kate, Sweetpea, just to clarify. I was not attacking men. I was stating what my experience had been. If it doesn’t look good for the men, imagine how dangerous it has been for me. I won’t defend the indefensible just to “make nice.”
Mugsy,
So sorry to hear of your daughter-in-law’s death. Sympathies to the entire family.
There will never be too many doctors in this country. (Too many lawyers? That is another question for another day!) Certainly there are not enough sensitive, insightful, discerning, thoughtful women doctors in our country!
Welcome back! How was your birthday? Did you see all the love posted your way yesterday? I hope you saw the numerous best wishes for a happy birthday directed your way for your birthday yesterday, including mine! Stay in touch. We missed your words of wisdom here in WOW.
Love,
J Boylynn
Of course the universe will have its little ironies, won’t it? My hard-drive crashed over the weekend, and I was busy with my virtual party, so found my first ever wonderful cyber-party yesterday afternoon when I went to UPS to check my email. I was so thrilled and happy with everything and thank you all so very very much! Lily of Valley’s cake was so totally spectacular, what can I say? Love you guys, love love love. (Now remember Candice on Friday, the 9th!) MP