How to Recruit and Retain Female Medical Specialists

A cardiologist recommends salary transparency, networking opportunities, and checking assumptions about what women want.

It's no secret that female healthcare professionals face multiple barriers professionally, especially in male-dominated specialties. Cardiology is one example:

• The number of cardiologists overall was estimated to be about 31,500 in 2013. Less than 12% of cardiologists are women, according to The American College of Cardiology.
• In a recent ACC survey of more than 2,000 female cardiologists, 63% said they have experienced discrimination or have been passed over for a promotion.

Toniya Singh, MD, an invasive, non-interventional cardiologist and managing partner at St. Louis Heart and Vascular in Missouri, aims to change that. Singh is working to promote groups where female clinicians can network, support each other, and create change within the profession.

In October 2016, she founded a chapter of the Women in Cardiology (WIC) section of The American College of Cardiology.

Recently, Singh spoke with HealthLeaders Media about her experiences and the difference that groups can make in the lives of women working in healthcare. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

HLM: Talk about your experiences as a female physician working in this male-dominated specialty.

Singh: I went to an all-girls medical school in India where they taught us to think and do things very independently. So I "grew up" in medical school surrounded by women who were all very motivated and excited to be doing what they were doing.

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Then I moved to the United States, and the differences were a surprise to me.

People here make assumptions about female physicians, such as that because you were a woman and married, you wouldn't want to work too hard, or that if you had children, you would want to work part-time.

They didn't expect me to want a leadership position, they didn't even ask me. Coming from a school where women were the leaders, I got used to being thought of as an individual and being judged on my merits, rather than being judged as a man or a woman.

I felt like I had to remind people that I was working just as hard as everybody else. I just wanted to be judged on my work, and go from there.

HLM: Why did you start the WIC section?

Singh: Part of the reason I did this was to help all women find a place. We are a minority in our profession. Since we all work in different locations, sometimes we can feel very isolated. I don't have any other women in my practice—I work with 14 men—and many other women are in similar situations.

HLM: How does this group help other female cardiologists?

Singh: The chapter allows women a focus group where we can interact, network, share, and learn from each other's experiences.

We can also meet medical students and residents looking to join cardiology and show them that we have normal lives and love what we do, and provide them with information, mentorship, and sponsorship.

HLM: What HR policies would aid women working in healthcare? How can we retain female specialists?

Singh: I think one helpful policy is having transparency around salaries. We know that women get paid less than men do. But if salaries are transparent, people will feel more comfortable.

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Also, judging people based on productivity rather than hours worked makes a difference, too—using number of patients seen and procedures done rather than the number of hours worked as the primary metric would be very encouraging.

HLM: What is a common mistake healthcare leadership makes?

Singh: People make assumptions and treat all women as if they are the same. Not all women want a family, not all women are married, and we all have different goals and situations.