If Covid taught us anything it’s how much women around the world carry. A life in medicine ain’t easy. A life as a woman in medicine is even harder.
Research shows that the up to 60% higher burnout rates in female physicians are at least in part because of their additional responsibilities outside of work. When Mum Doc had to isolate, sleep at the hospital, and work crazy hours during the Pandemic, the domestic responsibilities were often not magically taken care of at home. In addition, the cognitive loads carried by women physicians particularly those with young families, are striking.
Further factors contributing to the burden our female colleagues carry include the unique challenges many women physicians face, like responsibility for family needs, role in child-bearing, inequitable compensation, lack of leadership opportunities, scarce mentorship, and decreased recognition and pay when compared to their male counterparts.
So, we decided to celebrate y’all Lady Docs with a little amateur poetry:
Amidst the bustling hospital halls,
Where healing hands attend to calls,
Amidst the chaos and the strife,
There stands a symbol of life.
A woman, strong and resolute,
Her heart and mind, caring, acute,
A physician, mother, wife, and friend,
Her compassion and skill know no end.
She holds the power to heal and mend,
To comfort, to soothe, to comprehend,
She shoulders burdens with great care,
And lightens hearts everywhere.
She’s seen it all,
the highs and lows,
The joys and sorrows that life bestows,
She’s fought for equality and rights,
And stood up for the underdogs’ fights.
But amidst the glory and the praise,
Lies a truth that cannot be erased,
For women doctors, it’s known too well,
The struggle, the stress, the toll it tells.
Higher burnout rates that they endure,
Is a reality that must be cured,
For their hearts are burdened with much more,
Than any one soul should endure.
So on this National Women Physicians’ Day,
We celebrate women doctors in every way,
For all they do,
For all they are,
Doctor, Teacher, Scientist, Mom.
May we support female docs who strive,
To lighten the load, to heal and thrive,
Our women physicians who stand so tall,
And for the future of medicine, good for all.
At Physicians Anonymous, we celebrate the tireless work of our female physician colleagues around the world.
We hope that National Women Physicians’ Day marks the next step on a global journey towards equality and equity in medicine and broader society.
So on this National Women Physicians' Day, We celebrate women doctors in every way, For all they do, For all they are, Doctor, Teacher, Scientist, Mom.
Physicians Anonymous offer free, confidential and anonymous peer-support groups. They are mixed gender at present, but with enough demand we could look to create women-only groups — please Contact Us if you are interested.
We also offer paid 1:1 and group coaching for physicians focusing on burnout prevention, career change, and dealing with difficulties.
Please click here for more information.
Be part of the cure: support our work in preventing physician burnout, mental illness, and suicide.
Find out more here.
