A Call for Diversity: Women, Professional Development, and Work Experience in Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology.

DESPITE THE ACHIEVEMENT of parity in medical school matriculation decades ago, 1 Association of American Medical Colleges. AAMC chart 5: Graduates of US medical schools by sex, academic years 1980-1981 through 2018-2019. Available at: https://www.aamc.org/media/9631/download?attachment. Accessed December 10, 2020. Google Scholar female physicians across specialties continue to face barriers in their professional development. Women in cardiothoracic anesthesiology (CTA) are a growing and increasingly vocal minority in a medical subspecialty that has been dominated by men throughout history. Approximately 36% of United States medical school faculty anesthesiologists are women, 2 Association of American Medical Colleges. AAMC table 13: US medical school faculty by gender, rank, and department, 2019. Available at: https://www.aamc.org/media/8441/download?attachment. Accessed September 27, 2022. Google Scholar and women account for 29% of cardiothoracic anesthesiologists. 3 Capdeville M. If all the world's a stage, then where's our microphone?. J Cardiothor Vasc Anes. 2020; 34: 1810-1814 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar These latter women face unique challenges in the often-stressful and dynamic environment of the cardiothoracic operating room. These challenges have led to the formation of organizations whose mission is to provide support and guidance in the professional lives of female cardiac anesthesiologists. Women in Anesthesiology Leadership: The Time is NowJournal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular AnesthesiaVol. 37Issue 6PreviewTHE LACK of gender equity in medicine has been discussed and published in academia for more than 3 decades. Although there is no lack of published research showing significant inequity in compensation, promotion, and advancement into leadership among women physicians compared to male physicians, barriers to gender equity for women in medicine, specifically for women in anesthesiology, remain.1,2 Routinely, reasons, and perhaps excuses, are cited as the reason for the disparity. Often cited is the limited pipeline and too few women represented over time when, in reality, the reasons that limit an equal number of women rising to full academic promotion and leadership advancement are a lack of equal opportunities for professional development, incomplete networking support, and inadequate sponsorship. Full-Text PDF