Physician health and well-being
Gender equity award
In September, the former dean of medicine at the University of Ottawa accepted the first-ever May Cohen Gender Equity Award from the Council of Ontario Faculties of Medicine. Dr. John Seely set a number of precedents in faculty-related gender equity beginning in 1993 when he appointed Canada's first assistant dean, gender issues. [CMAJ 1999;161(8):937]
Hepatitis B testing
Health Canada guidelines require that all physicians be immunized against hepatitis B - a policy that the CMA opposes. Where does that leave medical students? Every conceivable permutation of policies concerning hepatitis B immunization and testing is found at the six Canadian medical schools known to have a testing policy in place. [CMAJ 1999;160(10):1492-3]
Maternity benefits for physicians
The Medical Society of Nova Scotia set a precedent for medical associations in Canada and perhaps the US by providing maternity benefits for female members who have babies or adopt children. The program is slated to begin in 2000. [CMAJ 1999;161(11):1381]
On-call woes
Results from the CMA's 1999 Physician Resource Questionnaire (PRQ) indicate that onerous on-call duty and other problems are taking a heavy toll on Canada's physicians. More than 3,100 physicians completed the questionnaire. The most significant finding was that 57% of physicians who take call report that the lifestyle restrictions it imposes are stressful or highly stressful. The PRQ also found that although 71% of physicians receive only fee-for-service payments for call duties, this payment method is preferred by only 22% of them. A majority of physicians (55%) want on-call pay that is based on a sessional/hourly rate plus fee-for-service payments, but only 7% of doctors who take call are actually paid this way. [CMAJ 1999;161(8):1020-1]
Sexism in medical schools?
A new cohort study suggests that medical schools are reinforcing nonsexist attitudes. A study of attitudes toward women held by 70 first-year medical students at Queen's University found that students tended not to accept sex-role stereotypes and that these attitudes did not differ significantly from those of 166 students at two other Ontario medical schools. When 54 of the Queen's students were surveyed again three years later, the researchers found that they had become somewhat less accepting of sex-role stereotypes and less controlling in interactions with female patients over the course of medical school. [CMAJ 1999;160(3):347-8]
Tougher TB screening needed
A Vancouver physician who says she contracted tuberculosis after resuscitating an infected patients is "outraged" by what she calls lax medical screening of immigrants and refugees. "This is truly a public health nightmare," said Dr. Maria Hugi, a Vancouver ER physician. Refugees who arrive in Canada may not apply for status for days or months. After they do apply, they have 30 days to undergo a medical exam, but there is no enforcement. [CMAJ 1999;160(8):1201]
Women physicians need the courage to lead
By 2025, half of Canada's practising physicians will be women. But will the same proportion be leaders in management, politics and academia? In November 1998, the CMA's fourth annual Leadership Workshop for Medical Women addressed that question by providing practical training, role models and networking opportunities for 90 potential leaders.
Linda Tarrant, an expert in the management of change outlined the five steps that must be taken to be a leader. Begin, she says, by branding yourself. What do you stand for? What makes you unique? Next, a leader must be knowledgeable and credible in a range of areas. Tarrant advised continual learning through the CMA's Physician Manager Institute. Thirdly, aspiring leaders need to feel worthy by discovering what they have to offer and formulating their vision. Leaders must also get connected by sitting on the right committees and becoming "visible." "We spend more time planning our vacations than our lives," says Tarrant. [CMA News 1999;9(1):5]
