More women choosing surgical residencies

It was once feared that as the number of women in medicine increased it would be difficult to recruit students to these specialties.

By Myrle Croasdale, AMNews staff. Sept. 17, 2007.

As physicians celebrate "Women in Medicine Month" in September, it appears that surgery is beginning to lose its status as one of medicine's male-dominated fields.

Take Natalia Glebova, MD, PhD, a first-year resident in general surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. She had not considered a surgical career until a vascular surgeon took the time to work with her during a medical school rotation.

"When I saw the possibility and creativity of what can be done for patients with vascular disease, the different options you have and the immediate results, I absolutely fell in love with surgery," said Dr. Glebova, a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and now on a path to become a vascular surgeon.

Dr. Glebova is not alone in her choice. Almost 40% of residents entering general surgery residencies in 2007 were women, double the number a decade ago. In the overall surgical work force, the number of women has risen to about 14% in 2005, up from about 9% in 1995, according to the American Medical Association.

Surgery's leaders once feared that more women graduating from medical school would mean fewer surgical residents in the pipeline, as women pursued more lifestyle-friendly medical careers. In fact, the number of residents matching in surgery dipped in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before rebounding in the last few years.

"People were very concerned at the time," said Frank Lewis Jr., MD, executive director of the American Board of Surgery. "But that's all turned around, and surgical programs are as competitive as ever."