In-State Retention Rates of Female Neurosurgery Graduates

We sought to determine the rate of retaining female neurosurgery graduates in the same states as their medical education and identify medical school and state characteristics associated with high retention rates.

Database from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services was used to extract female physicians indicating "neurosurgery" as their specialty. The top 25 medical schools with the highest number of female neurosurgery graduates were selected. Descriptive analysis was used to determine the retention rate of female neurosurgery graduates. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to identify medical school and state characteristics associated with high retention rates.

Medical schools with the highest retention rate included the University of California, San Francisco (60%), the University of Alabama (60%), and the University of Pennsylvania (60%). Univariable and multivariable analysis showed the number of female neurosurgery attendings (β = 0.036, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.003 to 0.070, P = 0.04 and β = 0.036, CI = 0.001 to 0.071, P = 0.04.) and the healthcare employment rate (β = 0.098, CI = 0.011 to 0.186, P = 0.03 and β = 0.117, CI = 0.021 to 0.212, P = 0.02) to be positively associated with the retention rate of female neurosurgery graduates.

Retaining female neurosurgery graduates within a state is essential for addressing the physician shortage and gender inequality. To encourage female medical students to practice in the same state, medical schools and states should work collectively to improve the visibility of female neurosurgeons and increase employment opportunities.