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Until
recently surgery was a profession mostly of men. Was this a
result of prejudice of the program directors or self-selection
by the medical students? Did women steer clear of surgical
specialties due to the arduous residencies, long hours and
demanding life styles?
The Association of Women Surgeons was founded in 1981 “to
inspire, encourage and enable women surgeons” and remove these
barriers, whether real or imaginary. In some surgical
specialties such as obstetrics and gynecology, woman applicants
may be preferred to men. In nearly all surgical specialties
woman are finding opportunities which did not exist a few years
ago.
The image shows chief resident in Oral Surgery, Mary E. Hein,
DDS, her gender nearly concealed, assisting on a Le Fort
advancement of a mandible (2009). |
