A new study reveals why we have so few rural female surgeons
The first study of rural female general surgeons reveals some insights into the workforce and calls for a review of workforce recruitment.
Amidst the rural doctor shortage in Australia, there is a significant lack of female surgeons in the rural workforce, requiring urgent recruitment of trainees in the bush, according to a survey of half of all rurally-based female surgeons, led by researchers from Monash Rural Health in Bendigo.
The study, led by Monash University alumna and local junior doctor, Dr Jessica Paynter and Associate Professor Janelle Brennan, and published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery, conducted an extensive survey of 36 female rural general surgeons across Australia – surprisingly representing just over half of all female rural general surgeons nationally.
Respondents were characterised by the remoteness of where they lived with the majority (78%) living in inner regional areas with the remainder in outer regional areas (ie. Ie. Mildura).
The study found that female surgeons living in inner regional areas were:
- Younger
- Had attained their surgical qualifications more recently
- lived near extended family
- and all had followed their partner's work rurally
- have children across a wide age range
Those living in outer regional areas were:
- More likely to have primary school-aged children
- More likely to have gone to primary and high school in a rural area
Currently 21% of the Australian general surgery workforce are female, but only 16% of the rural general surgery workforce are female. According to Dr Paynter , the rural general surgical workforce is vital to delivering high standards of healthcare for all Australians.
“Maintaining rural general surgical services will require greater recruitment of female surgeons as women are increasingly represented among surgical trainees,” she said.
“It is also imperative that the rural general surgical workforce reflects the gender proportions of Australian communities.”
The survey produced some key characteristics of Australia’s current crop of female surgeons, which can be used to attract more to the profession including:
- Enjoying working rurally due to ‘proximity to work location’ (92%),
- ‘Lifestyle’ (78%)
- ‘Nature of work’ (75%)
- Those on outer regional areas also specified ‘opportunity to work in a salaried role’ (88%) and ‘job opportunities' (75%).
The greatest barriers to working rurally (in inner and outer regional areas) were:
- ‘distance from family/friends' (72%),
- ‘large workload due to workforce insufficiencies' (50%)
- and ‘large on-call volume’ (42%).
According to Associate Professor Brennan, this research demonstrates factors important to female rural general surgeons. “Our research has shown that flexible working conditions are required to attract and retain female rural general surgeons. Female general surgeons typically work less hours and are less likely to reach leadership roles compared with males, possibly because they are fitting in other life commitments, such as caring roles, and maternity leave,” she said.
Because general surgical training is long and typically occurs alongside major life milestones such as pregnancy and parenting, which may require time off work, particularly for maternity leave, “rural flexible training options should be implemented, as all existing Royal Australian College of Surgeons flexible training locations are based in metropolitan centres,” Associate Professor Brennan said. “It is important that rural employment opportunities match the preferences of contemporary female surgeons.”
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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