Women in demanding medical fields are stuck between external systemic pressures and also a real need for self-preservation.
In my case, emerg docs are measured on their speed.
Pay for performance.
Pay for speed.
Of course, we’re also measured on the time it takes to see the patient
time to discharge,
patients seen per hour,
CTs ordered on average,
number of bouncebacks.
Do you know any emergency department leaders who are evaluated on what percentage of their team is burnt out?
Yeah.
I don’t know any either.
Since there is little humanity in this situation, is it any wonder that women are leaving earlier? I’m wondering why the men are sticking it out so long (more on that later).
The hospital won’t be ensuring your boundaries are enforced.
You won’t suddenly have healthy snacks in the lounge.
The lounge will still be a mess.
You’ll be greeted by fluorescent lights, not sunsets and sunrises.
And then you’re supposed to go home and somehow muster up the compassion to care for a whole other set of human beings who depend on you. And maybe write a research paper or prepare slides for your next talk.
Before you accept any aspect of your career that is tough,
before you accept any aspect of your relationships that are needing you,
before you even consider the patient in front of you…
please, please take good care of yourself first.
Medical culture is not fair to women.
No one is coming to make life better, so you need to be the leader in your own life.
Create the life that you want.
Ask for the change that you want.
I think you will be surprised how many other doctors want the same thing, but are waiting for someone to do things differently.
Flexible scheduling that doesn’t prevent you from dropping your kids off at school.
An on-call system that recognizes that toddlers get sick at 2 am.
A lactation room. Is that so hard? It’s literally a room with a shelf and a chair.
Question: “What does your hospital do to ensure women are supported so that they can contribute at work in meaningful ways for as long as possible?”
