Return to site

Resolving Gender Issues in Healthcare Leadership

broken image

In recent times, female physicians continue to deal with a range of challenges in the medical field. These issues begin with workplace discrimination and payment and promotion gaps to sexual harassment. While it is disappointing, you cannot deny the fact that only a small portion of female physicians become medical leaders despite equal numbers of both sexes graduating from medical school. From US numbers alone, you only find 9% of division chiefs as women, 3% as chief medical officers, 6% as department chairs, and 3% as healthcare CEOs. These numbers will never change despite findings that the associates in womens health healthcare workforce mostly includes women, 80% to be exact. Moreover, these numbers remain the same even if evidence points out that both improved accountability and improved business performance are associated with having women on corporate boards and in upper management.

What these numbers imply is the need for more female physicians in the upper healthcare system positions. The need for better representation of female physicians in the healthcare industry is yet to be realized with the many obstacles they deal with daily. Nevertheless, more opportunities are on the rise not only in the healthcare industry but also in other sectors when it comes to female leadership. There are areas that organizations should take careful note if they want to promote women in the industry. Know about the womens healthcare organization here!

Organizations must carefully assess specific areas in healthcare so female physicians will get equal leadership opportunities as male physicians in the industry. How women are described in the industry in terms of leadership, whether poorly or well, should be adequately assessed by healthcare organizations to make progress. They should also get a clear understanding of the experiences in the workplace of female physicians and how these compare to those of male physicians. Quantification is one way of addressing gender bias in the industry. For instance, charters should give recognition to women who advance their education and research efforts. Depending on how women meet the organization’s requirements, their affiliated institutions may receive gold, silver, or bronze awards. Receiving a silver award makes institutions qualified for health research funding. This kind of recognition means the organization is more aware of diversity and gender issues. You get both financial and numerical incentives for change and catalyzed cultural and structural changes. The result is providing female researchers increased career support. Here are more related discussions about health, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_health_sciences.

Female physicians often find themselves having a hard time receiving major recognition and awards compared to their male counterparts. This has implications on the promotions they receive. With systematization, the organization applies equitable recognition of female and male achievement. Based on studies, the early stages of the job of female physicians are when gender gaps in terms of recognition emerge. You can help narrow these gender-biased gaps by offering systematic publicity and identification of their achievements. You can use this concept on a much more full scale. They include systematizing appointment of physicians to committees, search processes, and a nomination for increased responsibility and leadership roles.