Why do women physicians choose a career in academic medicine?

I found an interesting article in Academic Medicine, the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. The article was titled, "Women physicians: choosing a career in academic medicine."

My wife is a woman physician. She works in private practice, but she strongly considered a career in academic medicine.

Why do women choose a career in academic medicine? Here's what the researchers at Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University found:

For many women, choosing academic medicine was not necessarily an active, planned decision; rather, it was serendipitous or circumstantial.

Greater Boston Chapter of Women In Bio

If you're a woman living in the greater Boston area and you have a strong interest in the biotechnology industry, read on:

Greater Boston Chapter of Women In Bio Launches

Inaugural Event will Feature Expert on Rare Disease Drug Research and Development

Boston, MA, October 28, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Women In Bio - Greater Boston announces the formation of the first Northeast U.S. chapter of Women in Bio (WIB), a national non-profit organization committed to fostering leadership, entrepreneurship and careers of women in the biosciences. The new WIB chapter expects to leverage the strength of the region’s biotechnology supercluster to provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for women professionals in New England across the career continuum - from those just beginning their careers to industry veterans.

Women Leading Healthcare Conference

Women Leading Healthcare Conference
July 12, 2011
W Atlanta - Midtown
188 14th St. NE
Atlanta, GA 30361

The healthcare system is changing dramatically and there is a need for new approaches to a dynamic environment. Attend the first-ever Women Leading Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 and you’ll have the opportunity to network with your peers, interact and learn from a powerful group of women leaders in healthcare. You will be empowered with new ideas and best practices to improve not only the success of your organization, but also your personal development as an executive.

Moms who pursue non-clinical careers to balance work and life

My wife is a family physician who works roughly 25 hours each week. She gets a day off each week and she gets to spend a significant amount of time at home during her half-days. She's never in the hospital since her practice is 100% outpatient. When she's on call, she practically never gets called after 10 pm. Now, how many physicians have that type of schedule?

Many moms who are also full-time physicians find themselves frustrated by their desire to spend more time at home. Depending on your medical or surgical specialty, you may have a hard time finding part-time opportunities. Those in family medicine, pediatrics, and internal medicine may find some part-time employment jobs. Those in emergency medicine can simply work shifts. But for many other women physicians, they may be limited to full-time clinical employment. So, does it make sense to pursue a non-clinical career to have a better work/life balance? For some, the answer may be "yes."

Work Life Challenges for Women Physicians – Going Beyond "Balance"

Doctors for America and the American Medical Women's Association are having a webinar titled: Work Life Challenges for Women Physicians – Going Beyond "Balance"

Wednesday, December 1, 2010 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EST

Presenters:
Neelum Aggarwal, MD
Linda Hawes Clever, MD

Moderator:
Vidushi Babber, MD

Although many women physicians say the find their work gratifying, they remain frustrated when it comes to integrating their work with their lives. The lines between a professional career and private life often are blurred, leaving many female physicians, tired, frustrated and wondering how they are going to manage everything.

Join us for this insightful webinar with two physicians who will not only share their experiences in forming their desired medical careers, but also engage participants by actively taking calls and offering their insights to questions posed throughout the webinar.


Click here for more information and to register for this webinar.

Women Leaders in Life Sciences (video)

Propel Careers, careinnovators and Gene Network Sciences co-hosted the panel and networking event "Showcasing Women Leaders in Life Sciences" on October 6th 2010 at Bingham McCutchen in Boston MA. If you missed that even, you can now watch a video of that event here.

Topics discussed included:

- What's More Important: Power of Position or Power of Influence?
- Characteristics of a Good Leader
- What is "Centered Leadership"?
- Why Mentors and Advocates Are Key
- How to Balance Work and Life
- Tips for Transitioning from Academia to Industry

Showcasing Women Leaders in Life Sciences: A panel discussion and networking event

Showcasing Women Leaders in Life Sciences: A panel discussion and networking event

Propel Careers along with careinnovators and Gene Network Sciences are proud to host a panel discussion and networking event intended to showcase women leaders in life sciences. The event will provide a platform to discuss their experiences, lessons learned, and advice on how they have successfully led their teams and companies. Join us for an evening of networking with industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and the future leaders of our industry.

Wednesday October 6th 2010
Location: Bingham McCutchen LLP, 1 Federal Street, Boston MA 02110
Time: 5:30-8:30pm
For more information and to register, click here.

Women in Bio (WIB)

Women in Bio (WIB) was founded in October 2001 by four women with the goal of bringing female entrepreneurs and executives together to support each other in developing successful biotechnology or life sciences businesses. Since its creation, the WIB membership has expanded to include women of all generations at all stages of their careers. Today, this vibrant national organization includes women executives, entrepreneurs, scientists, investors, students, and women in professional fields that serve the life sciences industry, all of whom share an interest in science and entrepreneurship.

Through educational and networking opportunities, WIB brings women in biotechnology and the life sciences together and helps to foster womens' participation in entrepreneurship and professional development in these fields.

Learn more here:  http://www.womeninbio.org

Gender and salary

In general, men tend to earn more than women. Is that true when we control for job titles? What if they have advanced scientific or business degrees? Researchers have explored this issue of salary differences between men and women and they seem to consistently find that men are earning more and their salaries are rising faster. Women who have MBAs are earning roughly $4,600 less than men who have MBAs. I don't know how this compares when you're looking at MD/MBAs instead of standard MBAs, but I doubt we'll get any data on that anytime soon.

Here are some interesting points from one HBR blog post:

• The most surprising finding was that unequal pay starts with first jobs.
• Women, it turns out, were far more likely than men to leave their first job because of a bad manager. In fact, as many women were leaving because of their manager as were leaving because of other opportunities.

Here's another HRB blog that approaches this issue from another angle:

• Why are we focusing on the negatives associated with the gender-salary gap?
• In 2010, the US labor force was majority female.
• 26% of wives out-earn their husbands
• More women than men are starting American companies
• Women earn 6 in 10 bachelor's and master's degrees

Here's a great resource for women working in the healthcare industry: the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA)

Why Women Don't Make It Up The Ladder

An interesting article published on Forbes.com called, "Why Women Don't Make It Up The Ladder." Bain & Company recently conducted a survey of more than 1,800 businesspeople worldwide, and nearly 80% of them--women and men--said they were convinced of the benefits of gender parity at all levels. Do you think this is true in medicine as well? Some medical specialties are dominated by a large volume of women physicians. I'm talking specifically about pediatrics and family medicine. What happens in the corporate setting? How does gender impact your ability to advance as a leader?

To read the story on Forbes, click here.

Women in Medicine Having Kids

Many people wonder how my wife and I balance work and family. My wife is also a physician, but her work schedule is quite different from mine. We are currently fortunate enough to have family close by, so they help with the kids while my wife and I are at work.

The reality is that you will probably need to make some sacrifices during those early years when your children are very young. I know many women physicians who choose to do some non-clinical work from home during those years when their children are young. This gives them the flexibility to still do some work and maintain a meaningful income while their children are babies. They may even keep up with their clinical skills by moonlighting in the ER and/or urgent care clinics during the weekend. Some find time to do a bit of teaching at local medical schools and others may precept one day a week at a teaching hospital. Then, once their kids get older, some women physicians choose to go back into a clinical practice where they can balance work/family according to their needs. Others build a successful career in the non-clinical side of medicine and even maintain their living by even working from home.