One reason seems to be that, on average, women physicians take more time per patient and then spend more time documenting the case in electronic medical records. Why does practicing medicine take a greater toll on women? Both female and male physicians experience large increases in depressive symptoms during internship, and the increase is statistically greater for women. The ChallengesĪt the beginning of their internships, male and female physicians have similar rates of depression (which resemble those of the general population), but then the curves start to separate. But first, let’s look at the root causes of the problem. To stem that tide, leaders must understand the forces causing them to look for the door and apply three basic strategies for helping them thrive. Health care organizations cannot afford a mass exodus of women physicians. In office-based medicine - as well as the rest of health care - physicians are central, and the percentage of physicians who are women has been steadily increasing. Nursing shortages are the immediate crisis at many hospitals, but the health care system is much more than hospitals and ICUs.

The imperative to improve working life for women physicians has particular strategic importance as health care organizations institute changes to address clinical and non-clinical staff turnover.

As a result, executives are stepping back and asking, “Are we a good place for women physicians to work?” This problem existed before the pandemic, but add it into the mix and it’s no wonder why their withdrawal from the workforce is creating crises for health care providers trying to staff operations.īeyond the immediate short-term challenges from the pandemic, leaders of health care organizations (hospitals, systems, and physician groups) have their own version of “long Covid”: They simply cannot sustain operations unless they can recruit and retain women in these high-stakes roles. However, a large amount of anecdotal evidence and one small-sample study indicate that a significant proportion of female physicians either no longer work full-time or are considering cutting back. Women make up more than one-third of all physicians in the United States and are the growing majority among medical students.

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