Does gender impact the culture of a specialty? Get the inside scoop with unique perspectives from women in psychiatry, adolescent medicine and internal medicine—plus their top tips for success in the field.
Although the number of women applying to medical school has increased annually since 2010, women still remain underrepresented in the physician workforce, making up about 32 percent. That’s why it’s important for female medical students to find a specialty and practice that allows them to thrive in medicine.
Wondering what to practice? Check out these firsthand accounts from physicians in AMA Wire’s® “Shadow Me” Specialty Series, which features honest insights and advice about life in their specialties.
Dive into the updated series with these three distinct voices as we cap off Women in Medicine Month:
- Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, MD, is associate professor of clinical medicine and pediatrics at Indiana University and executive director of the university’s National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. Dr. Rohr-Kirchgraber recently received the prestigious Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women for a project she’s conducting on physician suicide. Here’s what she has to say about practicing adolescent and internal medicine and why students interested in these fields must be “medical detectives.”
- Caroline Barangan, MD, is a program director for the adolescent medicine fellowship at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Dr. Barangan has practiced adolescent medicine for 12 years and holds several leadership positions in the field. Learn the one thing she says every student needs to successfully treat teen patients.
- Claudia Reardon, MD, is an assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Psychiatry and practicing psychiatrist. Get her honest opinion on gender in psychiatry, how it impacts work-life balance and what this means for future physicians in the field.
Want to learn more about your specialty options?
- Follow the "Shadow Me" series, and read additional insights from physicians in physical medicine and rehabilitation, radiology and orthopedic surgery.
- Find out what these residents say about gender in their specialties.
- Check out the AMA’s Choosing a Medical Specialty resource guide, and be sure to avoid these 5 common mistakes students make when choosing a specialty.
