Friday, March 20, 2009

Sexism

I recently attended some lectures where the speaker told us about an exam question she'd set about adherence to HIV drugs. Some guy had answered: 1. Rural people cannot be trusted to be adherent 2. Especially women.

Needless to say, he failed.

It got me thinking about sexism in medicine. It's is one of the disciplines where sexism is not really an issue anymore. Females doctors are equally respected and are paid the same for doing the same job. But sexism definately still rears its ugly head on occasion. Especially in surgery. I recently experienced it myself. At least I think it was. Maybe I'm wrong.

There's this surgeon who I assisted every Friday. I then went on maternity leave but there was an understanding that when I came back, I would once again be his regular Friday assistant. However, when my maternity leave was over, he told me that he had gotten a new regular assistant, an older man, and that he couldn't just let this guy down. He suggested I could assist him every alternate Friday. I pointed out that he had essentially given my job away. I told him that the clinic where I work the rest of the time had also gotten a replacement while I was away, but had told that locum that when I came back, they would have to leave. Let me just mention here that I was on unpaid leave, so my employers didn't even lose any money while I was away. Anyway, the surgeon eventually agreed that I should be his regular Friday assistant again.

This past Friday, I assisted, but the first case was a Nissen so the new guy was also there. He took of aside and said I could decide what I wanted to do. Of I course I said that I would prefer to do the camera work if he didn't mind. He said it's fine, but when we told the surgeon our decision, he said he wanted the new guy to do the camera work since his eye was now in (and I had just come back) and that I could do it next time. Fair enough, I thought.

Okay, here comes the incident in question. I noticed that the surgeon allowed the new guy to do all the prep work for the op. He had never allowed me to do this. He was always a control freak when I assisted him. He always did all the prep work because he said he was the only one who could do it properly. I thought he was just being a typical surgeon. Yet, now, he was letting the new guy do everything. After the op, I spoke to him in private and asked why he never allowed me to do the prep work but allowed the new guy to do it. He said that he trusted new guy because he had corrected him on all his flaws and had perfected his technique. He tried to make light of it and told me I might find it funny to know that the first time the new guy did it, he didn't dry the lenses properly and it was a complete mess up. He laughed. I didn't find it funny. What I got out of this little exchange was that the first time new guy took the equipment and started to prepare it, the surgeon did not stop him as he had always done me. And even though he messed up, the surgeon allowed him to do it again a few times, because that's what it takes to "perfect your technique" in my mind. I didn't say anything more on the topic.

Maybe I just misinterpreted what happened, but I doubt it.

8 comments:

Jade said...

That is so true. I recently told someone that i was considering going into orthopaedic surgery and was pretty much told that it was not a smashing idea for a petite girl and if at some point i plan to get pregnant. Just like a female cardiothoracic surgeon is intimidating but a male one is fascinating. Then again, how many sturdy, rugby playing and beer drinking guys go into dermatology :-)

rlbates said...

I doubt that you misunderstood. So sorry, but happy to see you back here. :)

Dragonfly said...

Gah. It really sucks, doesn't it? I am often afraid to share any surgical/critical care ambitions with people because then they automatically seem to assume I have no patient skills, whereas a male who has an interest in these areas is "motivated and dedicated".

Jabulani said...

I'd be very interested to know what the outcome would be, if you pleasantly asked the surgeon to allow you to do the prep so that he could "correct all (your) flaws" too. If he flounders like a fish, it was sexism. If not, you misunderstood.
I know where my money is ...

amanzimtoti said...

Jabulani, long story short, when I brought the topic up again, he floundered.

Jabulani said...

Goodness ... no! Really? You surprise me ... then again, not!!!! So are you going to tactfully pursue it?

amanzimtoti said...

Jabulani, I've decided to let it go. It is unfortunately how it goes and to make an issue of it would only cause bad blood and achieve nothing else.

Jabulani said...

This is, sadly, the wisest course of action. I practise similar wisdom in an area of my own life. It sticks in my craw to do so, but I console myself that at least I hold the moral high-ground ;)
All the best and I will pray for an improvement for you.