discrimination against female docs

[lxpatterson]

I've noticed that many female nurses can have quite a bit to say about female physicians, and they're often judged more harshly than male docs. Beyond simply second guessing the female doc's decisions or disliking bedside manner, I feel like there is also this vibe to ensure that the female doctors know that they are not one of "the girls". Now I'm a guy, so I'm pretty much seeing this as an outsider. But I'm wondering if you have noticed this happening where you work as well. At first I thought it was an odd, isolated incident (and I think the ladies try to sell it as such) but on a very slow night shift I actually found an article on this phenomenon on Pubmed. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11144775

Anyways, just think it's kind of an interesting thing that happens. I find it mostly applies to older colleagues.

[SaoirseRN]

I haven't noticed this at all.

[Nalon1 RN/EMT-P, BSN, RN]

never noticed it.

[hikernurse]

We love our female docs where I work. They're pretty awesome :).

Our MD staff, residents and attendings, is about 50% female.

I've not seen what you describe.

there is also this vibe to ensure that the female doctors know that they are not one of "the girls".

I also don't get the sense that the docs have any desire to be "one of 'the girls.'"

[RNfaster]

I have not noticed this among staff. I have noticed some patients (usually older) discriminate against female doctors, sometimes not recognizing that they are doctors or assuming that a male (lower ranking on the team) is in charge of the female. I usually correct this... e.g., by saying XX, MD, is the attending physician and XY is a medical student working with her. --I'd do this regardless of gender, but I have yet had the issue arise with gender roles other that just described.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

HA HA HA HA. Female encroachment into any profession is always undermined by various subtle & not-so-subtle means. One prevailing theme is to fall back on the stereotype of "all women hate other women". Although I really am amused by the article's insistence that communication between male physicians and female nurses is an "erotic game"..... yeah, right. My dad was Norwegian so I don't think that this level of delusion can be attributed to origin of that article, but maybe their physicians are just a lot hotter than ours.

I have heard (on many occasions) male physicians making comments about the 'marginalization' of clinical specialties in which female physicians are becoming the majority - such as OBGyn. In practice, my own experience is that female physicians have been better communicators, more open to feedback and less likely to go into 'alpha' mode when questioned.

[napalmer927]

I've seen it the other way, with female nurses flirting or giving special treatment to male docs, but I never noticed any negativity toward female docs. More like ambivalence or indifference. I guess because they can't marry the female docs, which sounds horrible, but I am talking about individuals here and not all female nurses.

[hikernurse]

I've seen it the other way, with female nurses flirting or giving special treatment to male docs, but I never noticed any negativity toward female docs. More like ambivalence or indifference. I guess because they can't marry the female docs, which sounds horrible, but I am talking about individuals here and not all female nurses.

They can in some states...