Women's interest in surgery as a career in the early postgraduate period: a national longitudinal study

Abstract

Background: Women remain underrepresented in Surgery in Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ). This study described interest in surgical careers by gender in the early postgraduate period and associated influencing factors. Methods: AoNZ medical graduates between 2012 and 2016 responding to an Exit Questionnaire (EQ) at graduation and 3 years later (PGY3) as part of the Medical Schools Outcomes Database and Longitudinal Tracking Project (MSOD) were included. Analyses of specialty preferences and influences by gender were performed. Results: Of 992 participants, 58% were women. At EQ, 158 participants (16%) had a surgical preference: 21% of men and 14% of women (P < 0.01). By PGY3, this was 20% of men and 10% of women (P < 0.01). A logistic regression found women were half as likely as men to have a surgical preference at PGY3. Those with a surgical preference at EQ were over 23 times more likely to have a surgical preference at PGY3, irrespective of gender. There were significant differences in self-reported career influencing factors between women and men at EQ and PGY3, as well as between PGY3 women with a surgical and those with a non-surgical preference. These included nature of the specialty, training requirements, lifestyle, family and personal factors. Conclusions: Increasing the proportion of women in Surgery requires a multifaceted approach starting during medical school and continuing through early postgraduate years. More needs to be done to make surgical experiences as an undergraduate and junior doctor appealing to women.