Let's Do More to Make Change for Women in Medicine
Dr. Catherine Romanos
I have been out of residency for about 10 years now and I love my work. I love being a doctor more than I thought I ever would.
However, a recurring issue I have found in my work is that female physicians are constantly looked over, passed over, and even flat out ignored.
Recently, my partner and I were in line for appetizers at the Grant Medical Staff night. An older male physician turned around to make small talk with us. He literally looked PAST me and extended his hand to my partner asking, "where do you practice?" My partner was a little confused and as he was starting to explain that he was not a physician I stepped forward and extended my hand to the gentleman stating, "I am a family doctor." He was a little confused but preceded with pleasant conversation. Has this ever happened to any of you?
I feel like all women physicians have these stories and worst of all, this doesn't seem to be happening less often than it did 10 years ago. While I am sure we have progressed over the years, sometimes the pace seems imperceptible.
It was recently reported that women now make up the majority of students in U.S. medical schools and that has me hopeful for the future but I want to start making change now so upcoming women physicians don’t end up having interactions like mine. This is why I’m excited to co-host the upcoming Columbus Medical Association’s Women in Medicine Meetup on March 12 with Dr. Beth Liston and Dr. Mayra Cassandra. Local women physicians are welcome to join us as we chat about the struggles and successes that come with being a woman in our profession and hopefully brainstorm some solutions.