Factors Influencing Female Medical Students’ Decision to Pursue Surgical Specialties: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Introduction: Gender inequality within the medical field continues to be a prominent issue, particularly for surgical specialties. This review evaluates the factors that influence female medical students’ decision to pursue a career in surgery, including general surgery and surgical subspecialties.
Methods: A literature search was conducted by 2 independent researchers searching PubMed, Embase, Medline, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Keywords included “female,” “medical students,” “surgery,” “gender,” “career,” “surgical subspecialty,” “plastic surgery,” “otolaryngology,” “neurosurgery,” “orthopedics,” and “urology.” Studies evaluating factors that influenced female medical students’ decision to pursuing surgical specialties were identified.
Results: The initial search identified 2200 articles. 527 duplicates were removed, and 1993 studies were eliminated based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. 61 articles underwent full-text review. A total of 14 articles were ultimately included. Female medical students were positively influenced by mentorship, intellectual challenge, the rewarding nature of surgery, and specialty exposure. Gender discrimination, surgical lifestyle, and societal and cultural barriers were deterrents for female medical students. Compared to male, females minimized the importance of prestige and financial rewards.
Conclusions: While factors such as inherent interest in surgery may not be easily modified, improvements in gender discrimination, access to mentorship, and specialty exposure can attract more female trainees to surgical specialties. Specifically, improving parental leave policies, reducing pregnancy-related stigma, eliminating gender-discrimination, matching medical students with role models early, and implementing outreach programs designed for women may increase students’ interest in a surgical career.
About the Presenters
Erin O’Rorke
I am a third-year medical student based at the Vancouver campus for my clinical rotations. I grew up in Maple Valley, Washington with my brother and my wonderful parents, a mechanic and a bookkeeper. I am the first in my family to attend college, and earned my Bachelor of Science in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from the University of Washington before attending medical school at Washington State University. I have an interest in developing a career within breast surgery, specifically reconstruction after procedures such as mastectomies. I am also passionate about increasing female representation in surgery. I love to explore the outdoors in my free time. My most recent trips include Joshua Tree National Park, the Redwood Forest, and Banff, Canada.