Speaker: Be an ally to women in medicine through mentorship
CHICAGO — To be an ally to women in medicine, it is important to value the importance of diversity, be cognizant of inequities, accept feedback on personal shortcomings and be a mentor to incoming physicians, according to a presenter here.
In her presentation at the Women in Medicine Summit, Arianna L. Gianakos, DO, noted previously published research has shown 84% of orthopedic surgeons reported that having a mentor was the most influential reason behind selecting orthopedic surgery. Mentorship has also been shown to determine whether female medical students pursue the specialty they want to go into, according to Gianakos.
“In order to recruit more women into your profession, you have to offer them genuine, solid mentorship. That means putting in the time to speak with them and meet with them,” Gianakos, of the department of orthopedic surgery at NYU Langone Health, said in her presentation.
Be a mentor
However, physicians need to be honest if they do not have the time to be a mentor, according to Gianakos. While physician’s lives can be busy and it is often difficult to say ‘no,’ Gianakos said it is OK if a physician is unable to be a mentor. However, she added it is important to direct the medical student or resident to another physician who may have the capacity to work with a mentee.
“You can also help them find either a society or organization to join, which they will appreciate tremendously,” Gianakos said.
Gianakos also noted that physicians can be mentors without realizing it.
“People are looking at you. They are looking at how you act and how you carry yourself professionally. People who look up to you see not only how you treat your colleagues, but also how you treat those following in your footsteps. Being respectful to those around you – from the way you interact with support staff to the nursing staff to the CEO of a hospital – is what people will see and want to emulate,” Gianakos told Healio. “We as mentors have the power to demonstrate the qualities we feel are important in order to encourage inclusivity, diversity and mutual respect, thereby shaping the culture of our workplace.”
Bidirectional partnership
She added mentorship is bidirectional. Although it may seem that the mentor is only helping the mentee, Gianakos said mentees can help their mentors stay current and keep them accountable. Mentors can also learn a lot from their mentees.
“I have learned so much, especially about tech and social media, from some of the younger people and so, it is an incredible partnership,” Gianakos said.
When looking for a mentor, Gianakos said it is important to have both female and male mentors. Once the partnership is established, mentees should respect boundaries and express their gratitude, according to Gianakos.
“Write a thank you letter, reach out, check in on them. These simple acts go a long way because your mentors are putting in a lot of time to help you and they are doing that out of the goodness of their heart in order to pay it forward,” Gianakos said.
References:
Aiyer AA, et al. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2021;doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-20-01274.
Gianakos AL. Speak Up Ortho: From bystander to upstander – strategies and scenarios in becoming an ally and advocate in medicine. Presented at: Women in Medicine Summit; Sept. 16-17, 2022; Chicago (hybrid meeting).
Trinh LN, et al. J Surg Educ. 2020;doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2020.08.050.
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Gianakos AL. Speak Up Ortho: From bystander to upstander – strategies and scenarios in becoming an ally and advocate in medicine. Presented at: Women in Medicine Summit; Sept. 16-17, 2022; Chicago (hybrid meeting).