discrimination against female docs

Nurses Men

Published

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.

I haven't noticed this at all.

never noticed it.

Specializes in NICU.

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.'"

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.

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

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.

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.

Specializes in NICU.
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... ;)

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