Patients frequently ask why I (ECM) became a surgeon. A secondary aim of the article is to add some levity to the discussion with personal anecdotes representing the primary author's (ECM) personal opinions, biases, and reflections.ĭuring the Second Annual Women in Surgery Conference at the University of California, San Diego on November 16, 2011, Carol Scott-Conner, MD, referenced a 15th-century author describing the attributes of an ideal surgeon: “the mind of Aesculapius, the eye of an eagle, the heart of a lion, and the hands of a woman.” At first one might conclude that this refers to the physical characteristics of a woman's hand however, the author was more likely highlighting the temperate nature of women and the respect and care with which they care for patients and treat illnesses. The aim of this article is to review the history of women in surgery and to highlight individual and institutional creative modifications that can promote the advancement of women in surgery. However, this disparity may resolve with time as more women who entered the field in the 1980s emerge as mature surgeons and leaders.
Less than 20% of full professor, tenured faculty, and departmental head positions are currently held by women. However, the ratio of women to men is less balanced among graduates from surgical residencies and among leadership positions in surgery. In drastic contrast, nearly half of first-time applicants to medical schools in 2011 were women. Before 1970, women represented 6% or less of the medical student population. Women make up an increasing proportion of students entering the medical profession.
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