WOMEN IN SURGERY Obstacles and Solutions to keeping Women in Surgery

OBSTACLE  SOLUTION Obstacles For women in general - improvements since WIST began 1 ENCOURAGE WOMEN TO APPLY see women at top see women succeeding with a “normal life” 2 REDUCE THE DROP OUT RATE

Potted CV 1991Newnham College Cambridge 1994MBBS Guys/St Thomas’s 1998FRCS (SHO Brighton) 1999July:Number during a 6 month LAT from apr March: First child maternity leave 4/12 Full time (90 hours/week) 3/12 baby 4 months old = FIRST YEAR of TRAINING complete Oct 2000

Troubled training 2001 Badly-planned disastrous job reduced sessions 60% 4/12 LEFT SURGERY LEFT SURGERY 3/12 off Flexible Careers Scheme1 day/52 St Mark’s 6/12: re-inspired Oct MENTOR: Miss AckroydSupernumerary 70% 6/ May: Second Childmaternity leave 1yr 2003Supernumerary 50% 6/12 new post Oct 03 didn’t workSupernumerary 50% 6/12 LEFT SURGERY again 2004Apr LEFT SURGERY again

Troubled training II 20046/12 out END OF SECOND YEAR OF TRAINING - took 4 yrs Nov Mentor II: Miss PardoeFlexible Careers Scheme 1 day/52 colonoscopy 2005THIRD CHILD AUGMaternity leave 1 year 2007 Full time training Homerton hospital trialling 48 hour week “More Comebacks than Elvis”

On Ramps / Off Ramps STAND-ALONE flexible posts- reduce bureaucracy GUIDELINES for workable flexible jobs for mentors/ for trainees EXPERTISE - Deaneries have very few surgeon flexible trainees - College advisors - Mentors Training counts - count it! A Flexible Careers System is needed

Women with children 80% women have them More representative gender balance - therefore need them Normalise “alternative” training routes: Bosses & Deans Don’t give up on your trainees Trainees don’t give up on yourself A “wobbly” phase after kids may just need time

White coat and purple coat a sleeve from both he sews. That white is always stained with blood that purple by the rose. And phantom rose and blood most real compose a hybrid style; white coat and purple coat few men can reconcile. White coat and purple coat can each be worn in turn but in the white a man will freeze and in the purple burn. Pythagoras's song by Dannie Abse