Surgery is still sexist

Editor - Until recenly, I had never thought of myself as a budding surgeon. Their notorious attitude—particularly to women trainees—and the personal sacrifices necessary to be successful were two reasons.

Attending operations sparked a small interest in surgery as a career. Soon after, I went to a talk by a member of the Royal College of Surgeons to get more information about careers and to see if I had been wrong all this time. Alas, as you are so often told in medicine, “trust your instincts.”

I returned home, disappointed that my preconceptions about surgery and surgeons were true. Two thirds of the audience were men, and the lecturer continually referred to chaps, guys, etc, and on one occasion made a joke of this. The men in the audience roared with laughter at the sexism. Although in medical schools the balance of students is tipping in favour of women, the attitude of surgeons is much slower to change.

I left the meeting feeling as I had done previously; surgery is not an option as a specialty. Perhaps I should have tried a Women in Surgical Training meeting instead.

Women in Surgical Training is a UK national organisation dedicated to helping women develop careers in surgical specialties. For further information contact Jacqui Dyson, tel 020 7869 6211, email wist@rcseng.ac.uk