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Re: Fw: Male/Female OBGYN
From: AnnMarie (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 16 Sep 1998 01:03:14 -0500 (CDT)
Well said, Dr. Hill!!!
At Tue, 15 Sep 1998, D. Ashley Hill, M.D. wrote:
>
>It seems that Dr. Braun and I both share this as a soapbox issue. I'll
>tread carefully here, especially since the comments I have thus far read
>here about this issue have been thoughtful and honest.
>
>As a preface, I work in a city with about 100-120 gynecologists. I
>would guess the ratio is something like 60:40, or perhaps 70:30,
>male:female. Although female gynecologists are being recruited heavily
>here, this has not impacted my practice at all. I'm as busy as I want
>to be and, to my knowledge, have not lost patients to a female gyn (in
>fact, some have "tried" female gyns in the area and then returned to my
>care). And, my wife is a female doctor (internal medicine) and is one
>of the best doctors I know. Thus, none of my comments are "sour
>grapes."
>
>Dr. Braun's commented that bright and compassionate male gynecology
>residents are having a hard time finding a job, while some poorly
>trained female gynecologists have no difficulty finding a position due
>to their gender. As a faculty member for a residency, this concerns me.
>Despite similarities in training, all doctors are not equal. In fact,
>unfortunately, some are lazy, incompetent, uncaring, and have poor
>surgical skills. This crosses gender. Thus, we have a situation being
>driven by market dynamics and not by medical and social skills. Here
>are some things I have noticed over the past few years to illustrate my
>concerns:
>
>An outstanding male gyn senior resident I know has had a terrible time
>finding a job, even though he is as smart and talented a doctor as it
>gets. His classmate, however, is a below-average doctor, yet she has
>had literally dozens of job offers, all because she is female.
>
>During my own residency I once offered a female colleague the chance to
>help with a difficult surgical procedure that she had not performed
>before. She declined, because it was at 5:00 on a Friday afternoon.
>When I commented that this was a procedure she should know how to do by
>the time she graduated (in a few months), she commented "I don't need to
>know how to operate; I'm a woman gynecologist and I'll own this town."
>
>A patient came to my office about 6 months ago for a consultation about
>having a laparoscopic tubal ligation. She somehow did not note that I'm
>a male (my office staff makes this very clear since I have a name that
>can be both male and female) and told my nurse that she was going to see
>a female gyn because "a man would not understand my tubes." It sounded
>as ridiculous in person as it does in print. Well, about 2 weeks later
>a gyn friend of mine called to ask if I could teach her how to do a
>laparoscopic tubal ligation, since she does not know how to do
>laparoscopy. When I walked in to the OR, it was the same patient!
>
>I was seeing a woman with a medical student once, and the woman had
>depression, chronic pelvic pain, and other symptoms that suggested a
>potential for childhood sexual abuse. She was also extremely
>overweight, which is also linked to childhood abuse. So, the student
>and I talked about it, and went back and asked her. Sure enough, she
>had been abused by 2 family members as a child, and had never told
>anyone. We talked about it, and got her in to counseling. She was
>grateful for the chance to unburden herself of this horrible issue, and
>I was grateful that we had the chance to help her, and that my student
>learned a valuable lesson. My female gyn colleague, however, berated us
>for asking her anything about sexual topics. She stated that this issue
>is "none of our business" and that she would "never consider asking a
>patient about sex." As a gynecologist, that's a big part of what we see
>and treat. The student and I were shocked.
>
>Another female gyn I know (not from my area) is extremely popular
>because (I think) she is a well-dressed, attractive, and well-spoken
>woman who is in solo practice. Lots of women flock to her practice to
>see "a lady gynecologist." Yet, she is a *horrible* doctor and barely
>knows which end of the scalpel to hold. When she is in the operating
>room, the OR nurses actually find out where other gynecologists are
>because she is so dangerous.
>
>Lest you think I am being one-sided, I could share with you similar
>stories about male gynecologists I know or have known. And that's
>exactly the point! Being a great doctor is more difficult than you might
>imagine. It takes a number of skills, *none* of which are
>gender-exclusive. When your health is on the line, the smartest, and
>safest, option is to find the best doctor you can, regardless of gender,
>race, hair color, etc. It may be hard to discuss sensitive issues or
>have a pelvic exam by a member of the opposite sex, but it will be even
>harder if that doctor is poorly skilled and misses something that makes
>it hard to get pregnant, an ovarian or cervical cancer, leads to a
>preventable stillbirth, or otherwise impacts you for the rest of your
>life. Thanks for indulging me in one of modern medicine's most
>exasperating topics. Have a nice day.
>
>--
>Ashley Hill
>David Ashley Hill, M.D.
>Associate Director
>Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
>Florida Hospital Family Practice Residency
>Orlando, FL
>http://home.mpinet.net/dahmd
>
>The above is intended for general medical education,
>and is not for specific medical advice.
>I apologize, but I am unable to answer personal e-mail
>due to time constraints.
>
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