Women doctors' career choice and commitment to medicine: implications for general practice

Area of Science:

• Medical Workforce Studies
• Physician Workforce Analysis
• Graduate Career Tracking

Background:

• The increasing number of women entering medical school necessitates an understanding of their career trajectories.
• Previous studies have not fully captured the long-term work experiences of female physicians in the UK.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the work experiences and future practice plans of a national cohort of female medical graduates.
• To assess the impact of increasing female physician numbers on the UK medical workforce, especially general practice.

Main Methods:

• A national sample of 150 female medical graduates from 1976, 1980, and 1984 was traced.
• A high response rate (97%) was achieved through telephone interviews, including 100% of those likely to practice in the UK.

Main Results:

• High rates of recent and planned participation in medical practice were observed, with a notable concentration in general practice.
• No instances of involuntary unemployment were reported among the surveyed female doctors.
• The study confirmed the feasibility of achieving high response rates from medical graduates via telephone interviews.

Conclusions:

• The growing number of women in medicine is influencing medical manpower, particularly in general practice.
• While female physicians contribute significantly to the workforce, their increasing numbers may not fully address potential overall overproduction of medical graduates.
• Telephone interviews are an effective method for surveying medical graduates.