We are sheMD - a virtual community of practice where we discuss, discover and delve into the adventure of women on the road to MD. We strive to inspire and educate women in medical training about gender disparities and to provide tools to overcome inequality. We aim to create a culture where future generations of physicians will achieve equality.
As a female on the pre-med track, or maybe in medical school or residency, have you felt that you weren't good enough? That you wouldn't survive your schooling? That you wouldn't be smart enough? That you couldn't manage your medical training? Have you ever been told any of the following:
"Don't pick that specialty. It's not good for having a family."
"Are you sure? That's a lot of school."
"You will never be able to balance your career in medicine with having a marriage and a family."
"Women shouldn't be physicians."
"You can't be a mom and a doctor." or
"You can't be a wife and a doctor."
These statements are NOT true. You are good enough! You can be a mother, a wife, a doctor and MORE. We created sheMD to address these issues - the cannots and should nots that women in medicine are told. We should be speaking in the affirmative. We CAN and SHOULD be doctors . We CAN and SHOULD have spouses and children in addition to being a physician (if we want them). The goal of sheMD is to inspire women to pursue their dreams of medicine, aware of the hurdles they may face, but eager and ready to trounce those hurdles when they come along. Let's do this!
I want to add my favorite comment from undergraduate school when I told someone I was going to medical school - "What a great idea! You can meet and marry a doctor and have it made and not have to be doctor yourself!" Pretty sure that had never even crossed my mind until that point. I did end up marrying a doctor, having 2 great kids and an awesome career as a full scope family medicine program director.