Welcome!
Severn Women in Surgery website has been developed to assist future and current surgical trainees in the Severn Deanery. Our aim is to provide support and guidance for future and current female trainees who want to pursue a career in surgery.
It is apparent that even though at intake of medical school, women make up 57% (2007)[i], only 8% of women become consultant surgeons in England[ii]. When choosing a career, research from the Royal College of Physicians showed 60% of general practice specialist training posts were women in 2007. In 2010, 24% of female doctors were surgical trainees. There was also a distinctive difference between male and female first choices at ST1 applications with 8.3% of females wanting to do surgery as their first choice compared to 22.9% of males. In 2005, the Annals of surgery published research from Vermont, USA where the majority of women were deterred by surgery due to lack of role-models than work-life balance[iii]..
Women and Medicine, The Future 2009i summarised, that for the success of future female trainees, guidance, mentoring and feedback are key for success. Flexibility in training also needs to be continually supported in general surgery to continue to gain recruitment.[iv]
By creating this section, we hope to provide support for current surgical trainees. Please email if you would like to raise any issues or have suggestions to further improve this website and service provision.
Services offered currently:
• NHS Network forums: Severn Women in Surgery
• NHS Network forums: Severn Surgical Mums
• Twitter: SevernWomeninSurgery @SurgeryinSevern
• Maternity leaflet for the surgical mother
• Shared surgeons’ experiences pages from male and female trainees and consultants
Services under development:
• E-mentoring programme for male and female trainees in the Severn Deanery
If you would like to contribute to SWIS please contact:
severnwomeninsurgery@gmail.com
Logo designed by artist and creative photographer Sophie Baxter
________________________________________
[i] Royal College of Physicians Report 2009 Women and Medicine The Future
http://bookshop.rcplondon.ac.uk/contents/9ff69ca9-ad30-436b-b48c-b70781dd0a62.pdf
[ii]http://surgicalcareers.rcseng.ac.uk/wins/research-and-stats/statistics
[iii] Arch Surg. 2006;141(4):405-408. doi:10.1001/archsurg.141.4.405
[iv] Arch Surg. 2006;141(10):977-982. doi:10.1001/archsurg.141.10.977 Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2000;82 ((suppl)) 290- 293