As more women enter medicine, cultures will change

Organizational support intended for moms can provide lifestyle benefits for all women in healthcare

For the first time ever, more women than men applied for medical school, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Female applicants rose 7% to more than 17,672 out of the nearly 35,000 individuals who applied. Nationwide, the number of men and women admitted to medical school is roughly even-with men making up 50.3% of entrants and women making up 49.7%.

Women have become major players in healthcare and medicine. In building relationships with providers, health plans must address the evolving work and life needs of female physicians and executives.

Develop cultures that support female MDs and executives. Move beyond strict compliance to programs that coach decision makers on damaging assumptions and stereotypes. "It's not amusing when the search committee chair doesn't take you seriously because you remind him of his mother, " writes Janet Bickel, AAMC's associate vice president for medical school affairs.

Build on success. MomMD hit a nerve when it created an online community and association for women in medicine. The site offers separate gateways for physicians, residents, premedical students and medical students, as well as features such as forums, careers, resources, and products. Included are tips and strategies on business, parenting, self-development and work-life balance.

Focus on practical resources useful to all women. Female physicians and executives want information, advice and organizational support for flexible work arrangements, job sharing, pregnancy, breastfeeding and child and eldercare. But don't make marital, parental or gender status prerequisites for program eligibility. All physicians crave balance between work and family, or work and personal life.

Strive to understand the female doctor's perspective. Recently published books capture the exhilaration and frustration of female physicians. They include "This Side of Doctoring: Reflections from Women in Medicine" by Eliza Lo Chin, MD, a graduate of Harvard Medical School; "Women in Medicine: Getting In, Growing and Advancing" by Janet Bickel; and "Women in Medicine: Career and Life Management" by Marjorie Bowman, Erica Frank and Deborah Allen. Better yet, conduct regular surveys, forums, and dialogs to surface the new and emerging work and life needs of women.

Forecast the short- and long-term impact of female physicians. Will an abundance of female physicians make the profession more caring and patient-centered, as some have speculated? How might underrepresentation of male MDs affect certain areas of patient care? Will women continue to enter pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, rather than specialties such as surgery, orthopedics or urology? Will the growing number of part-time female providers disrupt physician/patient relationships, or provoke a negative backlash from full-time male providers?

Realize that women will dominate other areas. Women make up 56% of the country's 15 million college students, according to the National Center of Educational Statistics. In 2001 and 2002, women earned almost 400,000 more bachelor's degrees than men and are within reach of overtaking men in earning master's degrees and doctorates. Prepare for what Bickel describes as the new era of human capital and talent management "with leaders placing greater value on the development of both women and men." MHE

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