The academic progress of female general surgery and orthopaedic surgery trainees in South Africa.
S Afr J Surg
; 62(1): 7-13, 2024 Mar.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38568119
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Globally, medical institutes have seen an increase in female graduates, however surgical disciplines remain male-dominated. An epidemiological shift towards non-communicable diseases and trauma may result in a shortage of surgical specialists. One strategy to improve the surgical workforce is the recruitment of female graduates.METHODS:
A non-validated questionnaire was administered to females registered for the Master of Medicine (MMED) degree in General and Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) between 2000 and 2015. The study evaluated reasons for choice of surgery as a career, challenges faced on the domestic and work front, as well as factors that assisted with successful completion of training.RESULTS:
Seventy-two female trainees in General Surgery and Orthopaedics were identified from the UKZN databases. The contact details for 62 of these trainees were available. The overall response rate was 71.0% (44/62). A total of 95.5% (42/44) of participants selected surgery due to a passion for the field. Major challenges identified were a poor home and work-life balance (72.1%, 31/43) and poor working conditions (62.8%, 27/43). Female trainees perceived that they were viewed as inferior by patients (65.9%, 29/44). Successful trainees had a good home support system (89.3%, 25/28) and mentorship during training (60.7%, 17/28), and 85.7% (24/28) did not regret their career choice.CONCLUSION:
The recruitment and retention of females in surgery will contribute to maintaining an adequate surgical workforce. Training programmes need to improve work-life balance without compromising on producing competent surgeons. Improved visibility of female surgeons in leadership roles should be encouraged to promote mentorship and recruitment of trainees.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Ortopedia
/
Procedimentos Ortopédicos
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
S Afr J Surg
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article