Does gender discrimination exist in a gynecology training program in a private hospital?

Does gender discrimination by attending physicians exists in a residency in regard to residents' opportunities to perform complete/operative management of hysterectomies versus just being surgical assistants?

The program studied is a 4-year program in obstetrics and gynecology residency with 3 residents per year. All cases involving a resident were recorded in a computer program designed by one of the authors (C.S.M.) to collect data for Residency Review Committee reports. Data were able to be sorted in a variety of methods including level of management, date of procedure, Physicians' Current Procedural Terminology codes, and attending physician name or resident name. Only intrafascial and extrafascial hysterectomies for benign disease were included in the study. Data were collected from July 1, 1996 to March 31, 1997.

Five hundred and forty-nine hysterectomies with residents participating as primary surgeon (complete/operative management) or surgical assistant were performed during the study period. Complete/operative management was performed by the resident in 82.5% of cases while the resident was surgical assistant in 17.5%. Male residents were responsible for complete/operative management in 81.6% of cases and female residents in 83.2% of cases (P = 0.33). Male attending physicians were more likely to allow residents (male or female) to participate as the primary surgeon in abdominal hysterectomies (95.3%) and vaginal hysterectomies (68.5%) than female attending physicians (abdominal, 87.0% and vaginal, 57.3%) (P < 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively).

Although male attending physicians were more likely than female attending physicians to allow residents to perform complete/operative management, there was no discrimination as to whether the resident in question was male or female.

When determining the level of management private gynecologists will allow residents to perform they do not practice gender discrimination.