Too Many Female Medical School Students?
Posted on: Monday, 7 April 2008, 18:00 CDT
The increase of female medical school students may add to doctor shortages, because women tend to work more part-time hours, a Scottish researcher says.
Brian McKinstry, senior research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, says currently women outnumber men in most British medical schools by 3:2 and most British general practitioners age 45 and older are men who work full-time, but general practitioners younger than 45 years are mostly women working part-time.
As the older, male doctors retire -- unless employment behavior changes -- there will be a shortfall in primary care doctors if the women don't pick up full-time hours as their children grow up, McKinstry says.
Jane Dacre of University College London argues that rather than worrying about having too many women in medicine,health officials should be focusing on ensuring equality of opportunity.
Medicine needs and wants to attract the best and brightest people whatever their sex and greater availability of child care as well as part-time training options would help address the issue, Dacre says.
The two experts debate the issue in the British Medical Journal.
Source: United Press International
Related Articles
- British Medical Journal Report Supports SCHS White Paper on Statins
- Patient Choice Aggravates Health Inequalities, Says British Medical Association
- ThinPrep(R) Imaging System Study Featured in British Medical Journal
- Tampa Women Say Cost, Too-Dramatic Change and Healing Time Are Key Facelift Concerns
- McGraw-Hill Education's Open University Press Receives British Medical Association's Book of the Year Award
- Large Majorities of Women Say They Have All the Information Needed to Maintain a Healthy Weight, Yet 70% Worry About Themselves or A Family Member Being Overweight - Video Available
- Milliken StainSmart Helps Improve Comfort and Care of Hospital Patients; New Healing Threads Hospital Clothing for Women Undergoing Specialized Medical Treatment Features StainSmart Fabric Technology for Superior Comfort and Stain Protection
- Few Women Say They'D Use Tamoxifen Preventively
- Combating Cardiovascular Disease With Compounded Medications: Part 1: Combination Cardiac Medicines to Control Blood Pressure
- Hospitals Accused Over 'Cheap Labour' Medics ; Region Exploiting Foreign Doctors, Says BMA Medical Care on the Cheap
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds