A Woman’s Healing Touch

Since the beginning of time, women have been cast in the role of caretaker, responsible for the health and wellbeing of husbands, children, friends and even parents. It is a role that comes naturally to the fairer sex because of their inherent nurturing and empathetic qualities — qualities that have helped growing numbers of women to find success in the field of medicine.

From 1849, when Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to earn a U.S. medical degree, to 1998, when Nancy Dickey, M.D., was inaugurated as the first female president of the American Medical Association, to today, when nearly half of all medical students are women, this once male-dominated profession has learned to accept and embrace all that women bring to the vocation.

But although great strides have been made, women still have obstacles to overcome in the medical field in order to achieve the same level of success that men have enjoyed for years.

The Numbers Don't Lie

According to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the number of women attending medical school has grown steadily since 1992. In 2009, the number of male applicants was 22,014, with female applicants close behind at 20,252. Of those accepted that same year, the men led the women 52 percent to 48 percent — a narrow margin.

The population of the Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC) in San Antonio reflects the trend. According to Lee Jones, M.D., associate dean of student affairs, the total number of medical school applicants for the 2010 entry year was 3,351, with 1,680 of those students being female. Of those who have been accepted to date, the males are again leading with the 52 percent - 48 percent ratio that is in keeping with the AAMC statistics.

For UTHSC, that is a substantial increase since the medical school opened its doors in 1970 with only 30 students, a mere three of whom were female. Dr. Jones says that the number of women enrolled increased steadily over the years, with the biggest jump occurring between 1990 and 2000. He credits the need for qualified physicians and changes in the workplace for the change.

“It used to be that women would have to choose between family and a career in medicine,” Dr. Jones explains. “The workplace is more accommodating to both males and females entering medicine or other health professions, and women can balance work and family now,” he adds. “A woman can walk into a physician’s work environment and say that she wants to work part time, and because of the need, she will be accommodated.”

Dr. Jones also credits an increased number of female role models for the growing number of women entering the medical profession.

“Women have seen older women as examples of success, or there has been a woman who has encouraged them,” he explains.

Second year UTHSC medical student Carolina Wilcox concurs with this diagnosis. Wilcox spent two years after college working at a San Francisco public hospital in clinical research under a doctor she refers to as Wonder Woman. “She was such an advocate for her patients,” Wilcox recalls. “And she was a great mother.”

Inspired by the experience, Wilcox entered medical school and is pursuing a career in pediatrics. She also hopes one day to have a family. “I know there will be sacrifices and compromises, but I know I can have it all,” she says.

A Woman's Touch

With the number of women physicians rapidly approaching the number of men, patients are seeing more options when it comes to their health care. Many women are more comfortable talking to other women about their health issues, especially when it involves obstetrics and gynecology.

Dr. Martha Medrano, UTHSC associate dean for continuing medical education and professor of psychiatry, recalls being one of only 12 women in her medical school class in 1981. She has watched as the increasing number of women in the field has caused a significant change in the way medicine is practiced.

“Women bring a larger practical world view of people’s lives into the practice of medicine,” she maintains, citing that the role of family caretaker provides women with a unique approach to patient care. “It is a different interaction,” she explains. “Female physicians tend to look at the whole picture when it comes to symptoms and how the patient’s health might be affected by external factors such as family, friends, community, work, lifestyle and society.”

Dr. Medrano goes on to note that women tend to understand the importance of regular health care and are more comfortable seeing doctors because it has usually been an ongoing part of their lives, especially when it comes to reproductive health. Because of that comfort level, female practitioners are often able to motivate men to take better care of their health on an ongoing basis — not just when something is wrong.

Gaining Equality

Although women are making significant contributions and offering unique perspectives in the field of medicine, they still have a long way to go to completely level the playing field.

“There are still many barriers for women in this field,” admits William R. Henrich, M.D., president of UTHSC San Antonio. “There is an unspoken bias against women in leadership positions. Fewer women are advancing because they are taking time away to raise families.”

Dr. Henrich understands the importance of deconstructing those barriers. He cites a famous study conducted by the Institute of Medicine that concluded that the most effective work force is one that looks like the population. Therefore, since women constitute half of the population, it stands to reason that they should also comprise half of the new medical work force.

“We need to get creative in promoting women,” asserts Dr. Henrich. “We need to take the raising of families into consideration and give women more time to reach the required milestones without having strikes against them.”

For Dr. Henrich, this is more than just lip service. He takes pride in the fact that UTHSC hires an equal number of men and women in beginning faculty positions, and the school sponsors one to two leaders each year in ELAM, the nation’s only in depth program focused on preparing senior women faculty at schools of medicine, dentistry and public health to move into positions of institutional leadership where they can effect positive change.

“ELAM provides women with practical pointers on leadership and provides them with an extensive network of colleagues they can go to for advice,” explains Dr. Henrich.

Dr. Henrich says his own medical school class in the 1970s was made up of 84 students, only two of whom were women. Today he says he is “very excited” to see the number of female applicants who are accepted, and he says he understands what it is that draws them to the field.

“The medical profession resonates with women for many reasons,” he asserts. “It is a stimulating field that offers a window on the human condition. That appeals both to women’s sensitivity and to their great intellectual capabilities.”

Dr. Henrich’s prediction is that women will be bursting through the glass ceiling of advancement in the very near future, which in his words is a “very welcome change.”