Pregnant Surgeons Experience Discrimination During Residency
A wide demographic of female surgeons were recently surveyed by New York plastic surgeon Dr. Christine Rohde regarding "pregnancy during residency" and apparently it has revealed some "interesting and horrifying stories" that mostly relate to political challenges faced by women in the industry. As they stand, the physical challenges of pregnancy are daunting. Pair those with a demanding career in the medical profession and you have an uphill battle.
Liz Kowalczyk of the Boston Globe reported that these challenges have been acknowledged by the industry and namely, the Association of Women Surgeons. In a publication released by the AWS, a warning to members states that "resident peers can resent the additional burden" and offer "unwelcome comments or open hostility." It then goes on to suggest that there are ways to lessen these negative consequences, like working your regular, grueling shifts during the entire pregnancy.
Dr. Danielle Walsh, a former Massachusetts surgeon, co-authored the publication. Her experience with pregnancy while working gave her the valuable insight for the project. During that time she observed that her male residency director was very accepting of her temporary handicap, but many of the female residents were quite the opposite.
This could be argued as an example of gender discrimination or sexism, or rather that the professional environment a resident female surgeon finds herself in is simply too demanding to accommodate pregnancy. It is obvious that many men and women make family sacrifices in order to pursue a demanding career, so the importance of knowing these limitations in advance should probably not be underestimated.
Eva Sheie for Real Beauty News
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