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AbstractWomen medical students experience unique stressors and challenges during medical school related to inherent structural androcentric norms. Through a longitudinal qualitative study of 17 women medical students in their first two years of medical school, we sought to investigate how they navigated their medical school experience. We used a critical lens and narrative inquiry to understand their experiences within the powerful and marginalizing culture of medical school. Our participants identified two essential support groups: those relationships made within, and those sustained outside, medical school. These findings invoked a kinship framework—one where women medical students have a network of chosen kin who provide essential support for them during their first 2 years. The participants’ chosen kin within medical school provided support through recognition of one another, belonging by not belonging, being encouraged to reach out, and creating long-term relationships. The chosen kin outside medical school provided support by reminding the student who they are and creating stability. Integrating models of kinship into medical school as practiced by women medical students may have immense value in providing essential supports for medical students, preventing burnout, and changing the culture of care for future physicians that would align recognition and practice of self-care with patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gladys Mary Wauchope was a pioneering woman physician and general practitioner in London and Brighton. Descended from an ancient Scottish family, she was the second female medical student at the London Hospital Medical College after Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, enrolling during the brief period from 1918 to 1928 in which women were permitted to study medicine in mainstream London medical schools due to shortages of doctors caused by the First World War. Unperturbed by opposition to her gender from male colleagues, she was initially house physician on the firm of Sir Robert Hutchison at 'the London', and went on to hold an array of posts in large London hospitals at a time when finding such work was challenging for women doctors. She settled in Hove as a general practitioner in 1924, later becoming a consultant physician at several major Brighton hospitals. Made only the eighth female fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, she also set up the first diabetic clinic in Sussex and Kent. Gladys authored several books, including her autobiography 'The Story of a Woman Physician', which documents life through two world wars and the introduction of the National Health Service, whilst keenly observing the changing landscape of medicine and its place in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents descriptions of epistemic injustice in the experiences of women medical students and provides accounts about how these students worked to redress these injustices. Epistemic injustice is both the immediate discrediting of an individual's knowledge based on their social identity and the act of persistently ignoring possibilities for other ways of knowing. Using critical narrative interviews and personal reflections over an eight-month period, 22 women students during their first year of medical school described instances when their knowledge and experience was discredited and ignored, then the ways they enacted agency to redress these injustices. Participants described three distinct ways they worked to redress injustices: reclaiming why they belong in medicine, speaking up and calling out the curriculum, and uplifting one another. This study has implications for recognizing medical students as whole individuals with lived histories and experiences and advocates for recognizing medical students' perspectives as valuable sources of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2012, a systematic review reported on factors influencing female medical students, career intentions for surgery. This current review is a direct follow-up of that article with the aim of assessing whether factors affecting female medical student career choices have changed over the last decade. This review has identified access to research opportunities as a new factor that can be used to promote female medical student and trainee interest in surgery. Other factors have largely remained unchanged over the last 10 years, such as lack of access to leave, part-time work, and same-gender role models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. Therefore, in this study, the prevalence of hirsutism, overweight and menstrual disorders, which have a high comorbidity with this syndrome, and its relationship with age, marriage, and the use of related medications were investigated among students in the dormitory of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among students in the dormitory of Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2019-2020. The prevalence of hirsutism, menstrual disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome (based on NIH criteria) and overweight were calculated. The polycystic ovary syndrome screening questionnaire was used for screening and its relationship with age, marriage and the use of related medications was measured. Findings: 636 students with an average age of 21.99±3.61 participated in this study. 13.9% of students had a menstrual cycle of more than 35 days. 70.6% had a menstrual cycle of 25 to 34 days. In terms of the growth of thick dark hair, 17.1% experienced hair growth in more than two areas of the body, and most reports of hair growth were related to chin, chest, and abdomen with 31.4%, 29.9%, and 23.2%, respectively, and 45.3% of subjects did not report hirsutism. Moreover, 30.8% were overweight and 4.7% had galactorrhea. With a confidence interval of 95%, the prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome was 10.6 (3.2-18.0). Age and the use of medications had a significant relationship with these symptoms. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome among students is not higher than the average of the society, and it occurs more in people over 22 years of age and people who take medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression, as the second leading cause of dysfunction, is one of the most common mental health disorders. Given that micronutrients have always played a significant role in all physical and psychological aspects of individuals. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship of dietary intake of Selenium, Magnesium, Zinc, and anthropometric profiles with depression in female students at Zahedan University of Medical Science, Zahedan, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 200 female medical students of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences participated. The amount of dietary intake of Selenium, Magnesium, and Zinc were measured by Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). For determining the depression score, Beck anxiety questionnaire was administered. To analyze the data, SPSS 22 software was used. Results: The mean of age, body mass index, waist-to hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio were 23.41 ± 2.26 years, 23.54 ± 4.49 kg/m2, 0.85 ± 0.08, and 0.59±0.10, respectively. The mean daily intake of Magnesium, Zinc, and Selenium were 196.37 ± 42.08 mg, 7.38 ± 3.41 mg, and 106.52 ± 31.69 mg, respectively. The mean of depression score was 31.21±10.58. Zinc and Magnesium intake had a significantly strong inverse relationship with depression score and anthropometric indices. Conclusions: The findings showed that Zinc and Magnesium intake as well as anthropometric indices had a significant inverse relationship with depression score. However, the association between Selenium intake and depression score was not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sexual harassment (SH) may occur anywhere in the world, including the hospital setting. Medical and nursing students are not excluded from being sexually harassed during their clinical practice. This study examined the experiences and compared the perception of SH between female medical and nursing students during their clinical practice in Perak, Malaysia. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study design was done among female medical and nursing students during their clinical practice. Results: Total respondents were 481 female medical and nursing students (response rate of 96.2%). About 17.8% of medical and 18.8% of nursing students had been sexually harassed. The most common harasser for medical and nursing students were males (51.2% and 48.8%, respectively), patients (39.7% and 60.3%, respectively), age 30s (41.0% and 59.0%, respectively) and 40s (65.5% and 34.5%, respectively), occurred in medical wards for both groups (50% each). From the SH checklist, 76.9% of medical and 73.5% of nursing students had experienced at least one item of the total 18 items. The abnormal sexual desire of an individual was chosen as the reason for SH by 44.9% of medical and 33.8% of nursing students. The majority of respondents said the issue of SH in clinical practice was very serious. Around 32% of medical students choose the fear of being disadvantaged during clinical practice as the reason why the victims kept quiet while 41.5% of nursing students chose because of not having evidence. Both groups of students suggested establishing rules and laws relating to SH (30.8% and 35.5%, respectively) as effective methods to prevent it. About 75.3% of medical and 81.6% of nursing students agreed that it was very necessary for implementing a SH prevention program. Discussion: Although SH is not a new issue, there is insufficient exposure about SH among medical and nursing students. This can be corrected by increasing their knowledge and awareness about SH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The prevalence of iron deficiency, latent and symptomatic, is heterogeneous worldwide. In this study, we aim to explore the prevalence of iron deficiency, with and without anemia, among medical college females at the high Altitude Aseer region of Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Methodology: 200 female medical students were randomly sampled, between the ages of 19 and 27 years. Blood samples were collected for complete blood count (CBC) values and serum ferritin determination. Questionnaires were completed in order to collect demographics, medical history, and socioeconomic information of the participants. Results: Prevalence of overall iron deficiency was high (63%, serum ferritin <20 μg/L, 52.5%, ferritin <15 μg/L). Anemia, adjusted for high altitude (defined as less than 13 g/dL was present in 41 participants (20.5%) and 12 (6.5%) have Hb <12 g/dL. Iron-deficiency anemia (Hb <13 g/dL and serum ferritin <15 μg/L) was present in 35 (17.5%). Personal and family history of anemia and poor animal product containing meals were positively correlated with the presence of iron deficiency state. Neither symptoms of anemia, nor the presence of menorrhagia correlate with the presence of iron deficiency anemia. Conclusion: Iron deficiency with and without anemia is a very common and condition in young females' population at high altitude. Implementing a lab method to screen for anemia on vulnerable populations is needed. Frequently asymptomatic, the primary care providers should maintain a high degree of suspicion in order to initiate screening for iron status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enduring significance of gender and how it intersects with class in the organization of parenting, domestic and professional work has been obscured in contemporary neoliberal contexts. This article examines how Greek academic women conceptualize and enact motherhood and the classed and gendered strategies they adopt to reconcile 'good' motherhood with notions of the 'good' academic professional. It draws on semi-structured interviews about the career narratives of 15 women in Greek medical schools in the aftermath of the Greek recession. The analysis presented in this article is informed by a feminist post-structuralist paradigm and an emic approach to intersectionality. Motherhood emerged in the data as a dynamic concept, and a network of practices both constrained and enabled by gendered and classed family and work cultures. Drawing on a neoliberal 'DIY' and 'having it all' discourse, Greek mothers claimed that they could achieve almost anything professionally, if they organized their private lives sensibly. They drew on idealized discourses of motherhood, but they also contradicted these notions by doing non-traditional forms of motherhood, such as remote or transnational motherhood, afforded by their privileged social positioning and academic careers. Further research is required to investigate configurations of classed motherhood in less prestigious professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University students are the youngest population which belongs to the adult human population, 18-64 years of age, with recommended 150 minutes moderate physical activity weekly. It is important for this young population to be informed about these recommendations and health benefits of physical activity. The aim of this study was to determine the level of physical activity of female medical students and their obesity parameters. Material and methods: International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) was used for determining the level of physical activity and bioelectrical impedance (InBody 720) for analyzing the body composition. Results: Average age was 20.2 1.08 years. According to the given data students performed 87.84 130.06 minutes weekly of vigorous physical activity; 178.28 210.78 minutes per week moderate physical activity and walking 248.35 274.68 minutes per week. Body mass index (BMI) was normal, BMI=22.76 4.76; body fat percent BF%= 29.41 8.51 and waist hip ratio, WHR= 0.88 0.07. Conclusion: Female medical students at our faculty reported a significant volume of physical activity but some obesity parameters (BF% and WHR) were moderately high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Old age–based discrimination is observed as the most tolerated prejudice in society and has also been witnessed in healthcare institutions. Aims: The aim of this study is to explore age-based discrimination in healthcare institutions as perceived by seniors and students of Medicine and Nursing. Research design: A multi-method study design, by involving a triangulation design. Participants and research context: A purposeful sample of individuals aged 65+ (n = 80) and medical and nursing students (n = 100) in the eastern region of Poland. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval of the research protocol was received from the Ethics Committee at the Medical University of Lublin. Findings: 'Old age' was perceived by groups of participants based on three themes: (a) positive, (b) negative and (c) neutral connotations. The negative connotations predominated. The beginning of old age was defined by the metric of age and described by showing the complexity of the ageing process involving subjective, objective and societal aspects. Experience of age discrimination in healthcare institutions was reported by 24 (30%) seniors and witnessed by 47 (47%) students surveyed and for both groups occurred mainly at the hospital level and by physicians. Only 48 students (48%) declared a willingness to work with the older people in the future, and barriers were reported at the personal and professional levels, and also in some visions of older people. Conclusion: The conceptualization of old age as reported by seniors and students mainly carried negative connotations, reflecting the profoundly based stereotypes within society regarding the older people. Seniors have reported being exposed to ageism and have witnessed ageism episodes in HCIs; also, students have faced ageism episodes during their clinical education. There is a need for ethical education within medical and nursing courses to shape positive attitudes towards the older people. A positive vision of ageing should be promoted not only among young people but also among adults and older people to avoid self-stereotyping of older people and seeing old age from negative perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Since 2011, more women than men have graduated from medical school, yet there remains a paucity of female physicians in surgical specialties. After the 2018 Neurosurgery Match, only 17.5% of neurosurgery residents are women. Previous literature documented gender inequality, poor medical school exposure, and lack of female mentorship as reasons for this disparity. We sought to further explore factors that deter female medical students from pursuing neurosurgery. Methods A comprehensive survey was created and distributed to the 2017–2018 Rutgers New Jersey Medical School student body, requesting anonymous input from female medical students. Results Of 104 female respondents, 26.9% had considered neurosurgery as a career and felt dissuaded because of their gender. Of respondents, 88% did not have a senior female medical student pursuing neurosurgery or a female neurosurgical resident as a mentor. More than half of respondents disagreed that they would be dissuaded from a field if they did not have a female mentor. The 88.46% of women who felt that there was a glass ceiling in medicine were also more likely to feel that they would face inequality and adversity that would inhibit training in a male-dominated field. Women who described themselves as seeking challenging and competitive careers strongly felt that they would benefit from exposure to surgical subspecialties during their preclinical years. Conclusions Female medical students remain resilient, ambitious, interested in competitive specialties, and eager to explore surgical subspecialties during preclinical years. A multifaceted approach is imperative to recruit and retain qualified women interested in neurosurgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the difficulties women in Pakistan face in their access to education, their numbers have been increasing consistently in medical colleges. However, most of the women medical graduates do not go on to practice medicine after graduation. One of the reasons suggested by Pakistani media and society for this increase in the number of women medical graduates is the desirability of women doctors in Pakistan's marriage market. Based on an ethnographic study of Pakistani women doctors, I examine why women doctors are considered desirable as spouses and how this influences women's access to medical education. I found that women doctors are valued as marital partners because of the status granted to them by their academic credentials, chaste educational experience, and potential to contribute to family income. Because of the value of medical education in marriage, parents are more willing to invest in their daughters' education, facilitating women's access to medical education. I also found that, as a way of bargaining with the patriarchy, women doctors accept the social norms of arranged marriage because it allows them access to professional education, economic opportunities, and a better bargaining position in the marriage market. Overall, I found that, unless underlying patriarchal norms are addressed, potentially empowering projects like women's education will be co-opted by the existing structures of domination. I also discuss potential implications for changing marriage patterns and increasing representation of women in Pakistan's medical workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Specialty choices among medical graduates have undergone changes over time. We aimed to analyze status of otorhinolaryngology as specialty of choice among female medical graduates and factors affecting it. A total of 123 female medical graduates were surveyed during their internship over a period of 1 year in a tertiary-care hospital. Each intern was assessed using a questionnaire at the end of otorhinolaryngology rotation. The survey included nine questions about future career choices with special focus on ENT as a choice for specialization. Questions on choice of specialty, reason for choice, quality of undergraduate teaching and clinical postings were included. The post graduation specialty choices in descending order are Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Radiology, ENT, Anesthesia, Psychiatry followed by Physiology, Anatomy and Biochemistry. Among surgical branches most popular choice was General Surgery followed by Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, ENT and Orthopedics in descending order. Reason for the choice included advice from family and friends. Forty two interns (34.2%) followed advice of senior colleagues, 42 (34.2%) followed advice of relatives in the medical field, 25 (20.3%) took advice of non-medico parents while 14 (11.3%) followed their peer group. Regarding the opinion on the quality of undergraduate teaching and clinical postings, both were rated good by the majority. Otorhinolaryngology is less preferred than other general surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology and ophthalmology by female medical graduates among surgical disciplines. Possible reasons and ways to improve status of Otorhinolaryngology are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay uses a 1915 crisis at the American Presbyterian Hackett Medical College for Women in Guangzhou, China as a lens to explore the level of control Chinese women, who were known as "assistants," exercised at the school. Official literature of the Hackett portrays the American woman missionary physician Dr. Mary Fulton as controlling the college, but in fact its Chinese women graduates largely ran the institution for some years before 1915. Challenging images of American women missionary physicians either as heroines or imperialists, this article describes instead how Chinese women shaped the institution. Placing the Hackett into the broader context of American Presbyterian medical education for Chinese women since 1879, it argues that rather than only interpreting and adapting missionary ideologies, many of the Chinese women medical students in Guangzhou brought their own conceptions of women practicing medicine. In the case of medical education for women in Guangzhou before 1915, American missionaries were partially responding to Chinese traditions and demands. Ultimately, this essay presents a more complex view of cultural transfer in the women's foreign mission movement of this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Myths about radiology and radiation oncology have likely contributed to the persistent gender gap in these specialties. • Women leaders and mentors are important role models in gaining the interest of women medical students for careers in radiology and radiation oncology. • Radiology and radiation oncology have not seen any significant increase in the percentage of women in over 30 years, in spite of a large increase in women medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative learning has appeared as a new approach to teaching. This approach is utilized for small heterogeneous groups of students who cooperate to achieve a common goal. This study aimed at investigating the impact of cooperative learning on female medical students' happiness and social support. To this end, 72 female students of medicine at Shiraz Medical School were selected using cluster sampling and divided into experimental and control groups. The students were administered social support and happiness questionnaires as a pre-test. The same questionnaires were administered to them at the end of the term as a post-test. The students in the experimental group were taught to use cooperative learning strategies and the students in the control group followed the traditional approach. Data were analyzed using SPSS. The statistical procedures used for analyzing the data were mean, standard deviation, and multivariate analysis of covariance. The findings of the study indicated that cooperative learning had a significant impact on the level of happiness and social support of students compared to the conventional approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice among medical students regarding cervical cancer risk factors, common symptoms and preventive measures. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Foundation Medical University, Rawalpindi from 1st Jul 2016 to 30th Jun 2017. Material and Methods: A total of 173 pre clinical female student of MBBS who give consent were enrolled in the study by non-probability consecutive sampling technique. With informed written consent, data were collected on pretested questionnaire. Data were presented as frequencies and percentages. Results: Total 173 students were enrolled with response rate of 98%. Age ranged from 18-21 years. Fifty three (31%) students had family history of cervical cancer. Majority of the students 101 (59%) had heard about cervical cancer. Knowledge about etiological agent (38, 22%), HPV vaccine available for infection prevention (11, 6%) and its Pap smear screening (61, 36%) was poor. Abnormal vaginal discharge was the most common symptom (98, 57%). Overall response of symptoms was poor. An attitude towards diagnostic measures for cervical cancer was positive. A total of 127 (74%) students responded that every adult girl should be vaccinated against cervical cancer, 137 (73%) voted for regular cytological examination however 88 (56%) were not in opinion of doing pap testing as OPD procedure. Conclusion: Our study revealed poor knowledge about cervical cancer risk factors and symptoms among female students. Awareness programs are required for early detection and treatment of this fatal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medicine has undergone profound changes in terms of the number of women entering the profession with postulated implications of this 'feminization' for the profession. The present phenomenological study sought to gain insight into the experiences of final year male and female Emirati medical students (clerks) in terms of the impact of gender on their careers. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 of the 27 clerks. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed thematically. Findings: There was consensus that the gender profile of medicine in the United Arab Emirates was changing as opportunities emerged for Emirati women to branch into different medical specialties. These opportunities were, however, local or regional due largely to travel restrictions on women. Females would thus receive a less highly regarded board certification than males who were encouraged to specialize abroad. On their return, males would be appointed as consultants or as high-ranking administrators. Participants also acknowledged that like their roles in their society, some medical specialties were 'gendered', e.g., surgery (male) and pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology (female). Conclusion: Although religious and cultural traditions around gender and mobility will influence the professional careers of male and female Emirati medical graduates, the situation is, however, changing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, a significant change in medical school applications has occurred, with more than 50 % of applicants being female. Despite the significant increase in the number of women entering the medical profession, there is evidence that a gendered hierarchy persists. Female medical students are more likely than their male colleagues to enter and practice in less prestigious medical specializations and are less likely to enter more prestigious fields such as surgery. This paper assesses two competing explanations for female medical students' specialty choices. Does women's choice appear to reflect their preference for family and their gender role socialization; or rather the structural barriers and constraints that women still experience in male-dominant fields? Drawing from qualitative data collected from 15 female medical students and residents in Ontario, Canada-this study explores whether Canadian female students and residents anticipate having a difficult time combining career and family life, and how these expectations shape their specialty choice. The findings suggest that structural barriers within the medical field deter women from pursuing certain specializations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women's participation in medicine and the need for gender equality in healthcare are increasingly recognised, yet little attention is paid to leadership and management positions in large publicly funded academic health centres. This study illustrates such a need, taking the case of four large European centres: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Germany), Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), Medizinische Universität Wien (Austria), and Oxford Academic Health Science Centre (United Kingdom).Case: The percentage of female medical students and doctors in all four countries is now well within the 40-60% gender balance zone. Women are less well represented among specialists and remain significantly under-represented among senior doctors and full professors. All four centres have made progress in closing the gender leadership gap on boards and other top-level decision-making bodies, but a gender leadership gap remains relevant. The level of achieved gender balance varies significantly between the centres and largely mirrors country-specific welfare state models, with more equal gender relations in Sweden than in the other countries. Notably, there are also similar trends across countries and centres: gender inequality is stronger within academic enterprises than within hospital enterprises and stronger in middle management than at the top level. These novel findings reveal fissures in the 'glass ceiling' effects at top-level management, while the barriers for women shift to middle-level management and remain strong in academic positions. The uneven shifts in the leadership gap are highly relevant and have policy implications.Conclusion: Setting gender balance objectives exclusively for top-level decision-making bodies may not effectively promote a wider goal of gender equality. Academic health centres should pay greater attention to gender equality as an issue of organisational performance and good leadership at all levels of management, with particular attention to academic enterprises and newly created management structures. Developing comprehensive gender-sensitive health workforce monitoring systems and comparing progress across academic health centres in Europe could help to identify the gender leadership gap and utilise health human resources more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A good social environment is a key strategy to improve the level of education and achievement in medical college students. However, survey data from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia have indicated that a large number of medical students are affected negatively by their social status. This article comparatively explores the impact of four main factors: Social class/Background, Students' Personality, Health Status, and Psychological health on their achievement. Data were collected as part of a program of qualitative and quantitative research investigating the prevalence of bad environment effect on the psychological level of the students. Objectives: To study the four main factors Social class/Background, Students' Personality, Health Status, and Psychological health affecting academic achievement among Female Students at Ibn Sina National College. Methods: The study was conducted among 1315 female students attending colleges of Ibn Sina-Jeddah-Saudi Arabia between 1st of April - 31th of May 2016. An open-ended questionnaire was developed to cover the objectives. Conclusion: After assessment of the factors and variables across the targeted sites about the academic achievement were often conclude that overall achievement were very good regardless the factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: prevention of smoking is a key strategy to improve general health. However, survey data from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia have indicated that a large number of female medical students are addicted to smoking despite the knowledge of its harmful effects. This article comparatively explores the impact of smoking on health among female medical students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected as part of a program of qualitative and quantitative research investigating the prevalence of smoking among female medical students. Objectives:to study the prevalence of smoking among females in the college of ibn Sina and it is impact on their health in relation to personal and family character, CAP knowledge attitude and practice, and association of medical condition as chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma. Methods:the study was conducted among female's students attending college of ibn Sina-Jeddah-Saudi Arabia. An open-ended questionnaire was developed to cover the objectives. Conclusion: this study indicated that across the targeted sites, the descriptions made by female smokers about the harmful impact of smoking on their health were often vague. After assessment of the risk factor and variables that may increase prevalence of smoking among medical students, the prevalence of smoking was only 7.95% and used to practice smoking habit despite the knowledge of its side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Orthopaedic surgery now has the lowest percentage of women in residency programs of any surgical specialty. Understanding factors, particularly those related to the medical school experience, that contribute to the specialty's inability to draw from the best women students is crucial to improving diversity in the profession.Questions/purposes: (1) Does required medical school exposure to orthopaedic surgery increase the proportion of women choosing the specialty? (2) Do negative perceptions deter women from choosing orthopaedic surgery? (3) What proportion of orthopaedic faculty members are women, and what proportion of residents are women? (4) To what degree has gender bias been identified in the application/interview process?Methods: Two PubMed searches of articles between 2005 and 2015 were performed using a combination of medical subject headings. The first search combined "Orthopaedics" with "Physicians, women" and phrases "women surgeons" or "female surgeons" and the second combined "Orthopedics" with "Internship & Residency" or "exp Education, Medical" and "Sex Ratio" or "Sex Factors", resulting in 46 publications of which all abstracts were reviewed resulting in 11 manuscripts that were related to the research questions. The Google Scholar search of "women in orthopaedic surgery" identified one additional publication. These 12 manuscripts were read and bibliographies of each reviewed with two additional publications identified and included.Results: Required exposure to orthopaedics was found to be positively associated with the number of women applicants to the field, whereas negative perceptions have been reported to deter women from choosing orthopaedic surgery. Orthopaedics has the lowest percentage of women faculty and women residents (14%) compared with other specialties; this suggests that same gender mentorship opportunities are limited. For women applying to orthopaedics, gender bias is most evident through illegal interview questions, in which women are asked such questions more often than men (such as family planning questions, asked to 61% of women versus 8% of men).Conclusions: Successful recruitment of women to orthopaedic surgery may be improved by early exposure and access to role models, both of which will help women students' perceptions of their role in field of orthopaedic surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although women account for approximately half of the medical students in the United States, they represent only 13% of orthopaedic surgery residents and 4% of members of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Furthermore, a smaller relative percentage of women pursue careers in orthopaedic surgery than in any other subspecialty. Formal investigations regarding the gender discrepancy in choice of orthopaedic surgery are lacking.Questions/purposes: (1) What reasons do women orthopaedic surgeons cite for why they chose this specialty? (2) What perceptions do women orthopaedic surgeons think might deter other women from pursuing this field? (3) What role does early exposure to orthopaedics and mentorship play in this choice? (4) What professional and personal choices do women in orthopaedics make, and how might this inform students who are choosing a career path?Methods: A 21-question survey was emailed to all active, candidate, and resident members of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (RJOS, n = 556). RJOS is the oldest surgical women's organization incorporated in the United States. An independent orthopaedic specialty society, RJOS supports leadership training, mentorship, grant opportunities, and advocacy for its members and promotes sex-related musculoskeletal research. Although not all women in orthopaedic practice or training belong to RJOS, it is estimated that 42% of women AAOS fellows are RJOS members. Questions were formulated to determine demographics, practice patterns, and lifestyle choices of women who chose orthopaedic surgery as a specialty. Specifically, we evaluated the respondents' decisions about their careers and their opinions of why more women do not choose this field. For the purpose of this analysis, the influences and dissuaders were divided into three major categories: personal attributes, experience/exposure, and work/life considerations.Results: The most common reasons cited for having chosen orthopaedic surgery were enjoyment of manual tasks (165 of 232 [71%]), professional satisfaction (125 of 232 [54%]), and intellectual stimulation (123 of 232 [53%]). The most common reasons indicated for why women might not choose orthopaedics included perceived inability to have a good work/life balance (182 of 232 [78%]), perception that too much physical strength is required (171 of 232 [74%]), and lack of strong mentorship in medical school or earlier (161 of 232 [69%]). Respondents frequently (29 of 45 [64%]) commented that their role models, mentors, and early exposure to musculoskeletal medicine were influential, but far fewer (62 of 231 [27%]) acknowledged these in their top five influences than they did the more "internal" motivators.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the largest study of women orthopaedic surgeons regarding factors influencing their professional and personal choices. Our data suggest that the relatively few women currently practicing orthopaedics were attracted to the field because of their individual personal affinity for its nature despite the lack of role models and exposure. The latter factors may impact the continued paucity of women pursuing this field. Programs designed to improve mentorship and increase early exposure to orthopaedics and orthopaedic surgeons may increase personal interest in the field and will be important to attract a diverse group of trainees to our specialty in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Orthopaedic fellowship training is a common step before becoming a practicing orthopaedic surgeon. In the past, fellowship decisions in orthopaedics were made early in the residency and without a formal match. The process was disorganized, often not fair to the applicants or fellowship programs. More recently, there has been an organized match process for nine different disciplines in orthopaedics. Although the numbers of women applicants into orthopaedic residency has been reported and is the target of efforts to continue to improve gender diversity in orthopaedics, the numbers regarding women in orthopaedic fellowships have not been known. Other details including if there is a difference in match rate between male and female fellowship applicants and what discipline they choose to pursue across orthopaedic surgery has not been reported.Questions/purposes: (1) How have the numbers of women applying to orthopaedic fellowships changed over a 5-year period? (2) Is gender associated with fellowship match success? (3) Which subspecialties have greater proportions of female applicants?Methods: Available orthopaedic residency match data regarding number of applicants and number of female residents between 2010 and 2014 were obtained. For fellowship data, our method was a review of the applicants who submitted rank lists and the number of applicants who matched in all subspecialties through San Francisco Match and from the American Shoulder and Elbow Society from 2010 to 2014. For each year, the number of females versus males applying was abstracted. The total number of females versus males who matched was then obtained. For each subspecialty represented in this article, the number of female applicants and matches was compared with the male applicants and matches.Results: The proportion of fellowship applicants who are female ranged from 7% to 10% annually, and the percentage of matched female applicants ranged from 8% to 12%. Overall, combining results from 2010 to 2014, female fellowship applicants had a higher proportion of match success when compared with men (women: 320 of 335 [96%]; men: 2696 of 3325 [81%]; p < 0.001). Pediatric orthopaedic fellowships had the highest proportion of women (79 of 318 [25%] followed by foot and ankle (42 of 311 [14%]; spine had the lowest (15 of 525 [3%]).Conclusions: Women applicants for advanced orthopaedic training matched at a higher proportion than men in fellowship training. Pediatrics has a higher proportion of women applicants and fellows. Orthopaedics should be a model for other surgical specialties by encouraging women to successfully pursue advanced training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Orthopaedic surgery lags behind other surgical specialties in terms of gender diversity. The percentage of women entering orthopaedic residency persistently remains at 14% despite near equal ratios of women to men in medical school classes. This trend has been attributed to negative perceptions among women medical students of workplace culture and lifestyle in orthopaedics as well as lack of exposure, particularly during medical school when most women decide to enter the field. Since 2012, The Perry Initiative, a nonprofit organization that is focused on recruiting and retaining women in orthopaedics, had conducted extracurricular outreach programs for first- and second-year female medical students to provide exposure and mentoring opportunities specific to orthopaedics. This program, called the Medical Student Outreach Program (MSOP), is ongoing at medical centers nationwide and has reached over 300 medical students in its first 3 program years (2012-2014).Questions/purposes: (1) What percentage of MSOP participants eventually match into orthopaedic surgery residency? (2) Does MSOP impact participants' perceptions of the orthopaedics profession as well as intellectual interest in the field?Methods: The percentage of program alumnae who matched into orthopaedics was determined by annual followup for our first two cohorts who graduated from medical school. All program participants completed a survey immediately before and after the program that assessed the impact of MSOP on the student's intention to pursue orthopaedics as well as perceptions of the field and intellectual interest in the discipline.Results: The orthopaedic surgery match rate for program participants was 31% in our first graduating class (five of 16 participants in 2015) and 28% in our second class (20 of 72 participants in 2016). Pre/post program comparisons showed that the MSOP influenced students' perceptions of the orthopaedics profession as well as overall intellectual interest in the field.Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that The Perry Initiative's MSOP positively influences women to choose orthopaedic surgery as a profession. The match rate for program alumnae is twice the percentage of females in current orthopaedic residency classes. Given these positive results, MSOP can serve as a model, both in its curricular content and logistic framework, for other diversity initiatives in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women and minorities remain underrepresented in orthopaedic surgery. In an attempt to increase the diversity of those entering the physician workforce, Nth Dimensions implemented a targeted pipeline curriculum that includes the Orthopaedic Summer Internship Program. The program exposes medical students to the specialty of orthopaedic surgery and equips students to be competitive applicants to orthopaedic surgery residency programs. The effect of this program on women and underrepresented minority applicants to orthopaedic residencies is highlighted in this article.Questions/purposes: (1) For women we asked: is completing the Orthopaedic Summer Internship Program associated with higher odds of applying to orthopaedic surgery residency? (2) For underrepresented minorities, is completing the Orthopaedic Summer Internship Program associated with higher odds of applying to orthopaedic residency?Methods: Between 2005 and 2012, 118 students completed the Nth Dimensions/American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Orthopaedic Summer Internship Program. The summer internship consisted of an 8-week clinical and research program between the first and second years of medical school and included a series of musculoskeletal lectures, hands-on, practical workshops, presentation of a completed research project, ongoing mentoring, professional development, and counselling through each participant's subsequent years of medical school. In correlation with available national application data, residency application data were obtained for those Orthopaedic Summer Internship Program participants who applied to the match between 2011 through 2014. For these 4 cohort years, we evaluated whether this program was associated with increased odds of applying to orthopaedic surgery residency compared with national controls. For the same four cohorts, we evaluated whether underrepresented minority students who completed the program had increased odds of applying to an orthopaedic surgery residency compared with national controls.Results: Fifty Orthopaedic Summer Internship scholars applied for an orthopaedic residency position. For women, completion of the Orthopaedic Summer Internship was associated with increased odds of applying to orthopaedic surgery residency (after summer internship: nine of 17 [35%]; national controls: 800 of 78,316 [1%]; odds ratio [OR], 51.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 21.1-122.0; p < 0.001). Similarly, for underrepresented minorities, Orthopaedic Summer Internship completion was also associated with increased odds of orthopaedic applications from 2011 to 2014 (after Orthopaedic Summer Internship: 15 of 48 [31%]; non-Orthopaedic Summer Internship applicants nationally: 782 of 25,676 [3%]; OR, 14.5 [7.3-27.5]; p < 0.001).Conclusions: Completion of the Nth Dimensions Orthopaedic Summer Internship Program has a positive impact on increasing the odds of each student participant applying to an orthopaedic surgery residency program. This program may be a key factor in contributing to the pipeline of women and underrepresented minorities into orthopaedic surgery.Level Of Evidence: Level III, therapeutic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To find out the choices of female medical students in selection of their future specialties and to study the factors influencing their decision. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among public & private sector medical colleges of Peshawar including Khyber Medical College (KMC), Rahman Medical College (RMC), Peshawar Medical College (PMC) & Kabir Medical College (KaMC). A semi structured questionnaire based on the objectives was distributed among the students to collect their responses. Frequencies were calculated for all the variables including demographic and objective specific variables for the study. Results: A total of 300 female students gave their responses out of 333, who were given the questionnaire. Regarding the specialty of their personal interest, 90(30%) students answered surgery and allied, 110(36.67%) medicine & allied while 70(23.33%) females selected obstetrics & gynaecology as their specialty of choice. The choice was mainly driven by personal interest [n=189 (65.85%)] and inspiration from a role model [n=36 (12.54%)]. Out of these 300, 85 students were not sure if they will be working in the specialty of their personal interest or not, due to many reasons including whether they will be able to adjust work-life balance [n=21 (24.71%)] and difficulty in the exams of specialty of choice [n=18 (21.18%)]. Conclusion: A large number of female students selected medicine and allied as their choice specialty. The choice was mostly driven by personal interest. There were almost a quarter of students who were not sure whether they will be working in the specialty of choice due to various reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents statistics regarding readership of the journal including locales, number of countries and number of pages viewed by readers, and presents several photographs including Bryant University Physician Assistant (PA) Program Class of 2019 students taking a break to view the journal.

Current reforms in medical education support learners who are self-directed. Measurement tools have been used to measure self-direction worldwide in varied situations. A reliable tool has not been used to measure self-direction ability of medical students. A cross sectional study was carried out to collect data from 220 MBBS and BDS students of Women Medical College Abbottabad, from first to final years between the ages of 18-24 years. All the participants were females. Self-directed learning aptitude survey (SDLAS) was administered. Convenient sampling was done to collect data. Data was analyzed on SPSS version 22 for descriptive statistics and Cronbach's alpha. Cronbach's alpha for the SDLAS scale and its subscales Self-management, Motivation and Self-monitoring were a= 0.873, 0.771, 0.688 and 0.811 correspondingly. Self-direction of female medical students was reliably measured by self-direction aptitude tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female physicians, residents, and medical students commonly suffer from depression and dyadic and sexual dissatisfaction. To identify self-related risk factors for depression and dyadic and sexual dissatisfaction in female medical students in Israel. In Study 1, 194 female medical students were assessed twice over a 1-year interval. Depressive symptoms, dyadic, and sexual dissatisfaction, and three self-concept factors—self-criticism, self-concept clarity, and silencing the self—were measured twice. Physical symptoms were also assessed at Time 2. In Study 2, 14 female medical students with elevated levels of depression were interviewed, and their narrative accounts were analyzed qualitatively. Elevated baseline levels of silencing the self predicted an increase in depressive symptoms and dyadic and sexual dissatisfaction over time, and high levels of physical symptoms at Time 2. The effect of silencing the self on depression was particularly pronounced under low self-concept clarity. All 14 interviewees alluded to the painful tension between their inner, tumultuous self, and their rehearsed self-presentation and a social prohibition to express negative emotions. Resources should be dedicated in order to assess, trace, and treat masked (silenced) distress among female medical students, interns, and residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Due to high prevalence of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and its effect on the educational, professional activities and familial behaviors, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of clinical manifestations of premenstrual syndrome and pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder in medical students. Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was done on 162 female medical students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences in Gorgan, Iran during 2010. Demographic characteristics and PMS and PMDD clinical manifestations questionnaire based on DSM-IV-TR and ACOG criteria was filled for each subject. Results: Mean age and menarche age of subjects was 22.2±2.5 and 13.3±1.2 years, respectively. 145 students (89.5%) were single. 57.4% and 22.8% of participants fulfilled the criteria of PMS and PMDD, respectively. The most frequent affective and somatic symptom was lethargy and fatigability (57.4%) followed by sensation of bloating and weight gain (45.7%). The lowest frequent somatic and affective symptoms were dyspnea (8%) and insomnia (1.2%), respectively. There was significant correlation between the prevalence of PMDD and chronical and menarche age (P<0.05). Conclusion: Pre-menstrual syndrome is a prevalent disorder in medical students of Golestan University of medical sciences in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of marriage, pregnancy and child bearing on the academic performance of the female medical students in Saudi Arabia. Study design: A cross sectional survey study. Methods: A batch of 53 female medical students on the fifth class at college of medicine, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia in May 2013 answered a questionnaire about the effect of marriage on medical study. Results: Thirty-nine percent of married female medical students got a worse grade than before marriage, while 30.5% got better grade (39%), and the remaining percent got the same grade. Conclusion: Marriage in itself doesn't affect the academic performance but it is largely dependent on the individuals involved Marriage supports them emotionally and socially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: Mastalgia is common and could heavily affected females' life. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of mastalgia, its characteristics and predisposing factors among a sample of female medical students in Mansoura University. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 797 female medical students in Egypt. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire covering the presence of breast pain and its characteristics, exacerbating factors, breast pain questionnaire (McGill) as well as effect on usual activities and treatment practices. RESULTS: Among 797 students, 26.7% had mastalgia. The mean duration of pain was 2.6?1.58 days. According to McGill pain score, the mean scores of sensory and affective pain were 2.6?2.3 and 0.93?1.4, respectively. The independent risk factors of mastalgia were: breast infection; breast mass; being married and excess consumption of fatty diet. The commonest adopted management strategy for pain was by wearing a firm bra (47.5%) or drinking hot drinks and herbs (43.7%). A well fitting bra has been shown to reduce pain. CONCLUSIONS: Breast pain or mastalgia is a common symptom in females. A larger representative study including non-university and minority populations would be expected to give better epidemiologic and clinical features of mastalgia as well as its effect on women's activity and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpersonal problem solving skills allow engineers to prevent interpersonal difficulties more effectively and to manage conflict, both of which are critical to successful participation on teams. This research provides evidence that the CareerWISE online learning environment can improve those skills among women in engineering graduate programs. In a randomized controlled trial, N = 128 female doctoral students were randomly assigned to treatment and wait-list control (WLC) groups; treatment consisted of interacting for at least five hours with an online learning environment with comprehensive instruction in problem-solving applied to common interpersonal situations in the academy. A scenario-based assessment instrument measured participants' ability to describe how they would apply that problem solving to a fictional scenario, and a rubric was used to score the responses. Results showed that treatment group members had better knowledge of interpersonal problem solving steps and were better able to describe how they would apply problem-solving skills to a relevant scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this survey was to quantify oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use and to analyze attitudes and knowledge about the pill in a sample of female medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study, conducted between November 28 and December 20, 2011, included 464 female participants from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade. Data were collected before the start of compulsory practical sessions in the classrooms through a 37-item questionnaire and assessed statistically. Results: Prevalence of OCP use was 11.3 %. Highest proportion of the pill use was in the third year (15.4 %). Approximately, 61 % used the pill as a therapy for dysmenorrhea. Difference in knowledge scores was observed between users and non-users ( t = 3.596, p < 0.001). Advancing year at the faculty was highly statistically significantly associated with greater knowledge about health effects of the pill ( ρ = 0.506, p < 0.001). There was no difference regarding attitude score among users and non-users ( t = −0.9, p = 0.369). In the multivariate regression model the knowledge score was the only predictor of pill use. Conclusion: The results of our survey indicate that oral contraceptive pill requires further promotion and reproductive health education in a broader context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]