Dr. Bell says HM, as a whole, has more leadership opportunities than there are trained, capable physicians to do the job—something female hospitalists can take advantage of. But it’s up to women to seize the opportunity, says Mary Jo Gorman, MD, MBA, MHM, who started her career as a hospitalist and is now CEO of Advanced ICU Care, a St. Louis-based firm that connects intensivists to hospital ICU patients via telemedicine.
“Every leadership position that I’ve been in, I got there because I was trying to solve a problem,” says Dr. Gorman, a past president of SHM. “The No. 1 mistake that women make is they don’t step up to volunteer to take responsibility for things; they expect somebody to notice their good work and ask them to lead. Culturally, that’s been shown not to be what happens and not very successful.”
The No. 1 mistake that women make is they don’t step up to volunteer to take responsibility for things; they expect somebody to notice their good work and ask them to lead. Culturally, that’s been shown not to be what happens and not very successful.
—Mary Jo Gorman, MD, MBA, MHM, CEO, Advanced ICU Care, St. Louis
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
Female hospitalists who are interested in leadership need to find an organization that values and encourages their employees to make meaningful contributions, Cannon says. Then they need to join projects and committees in order to develop some leadership qualities, Dr. Ammann says.
“Being involved in one or two committees initially that you strongly believe in, being active, voicing your opinion, and finding ways to find solutions─that’s where you get seen and known,” Dr. Satpathy says. “You actually gain credibility because it’s authentic.”
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Table 2. Attitudes Regarding Gender Equity
The old adage “from small beginnings come great things” applies to leadership, Dr. Gorman says.
“If you can complete things regularly and successfully, if you can do that, then the next time you go to a slightly bigger project and then a bigger project and a bigger project, until you’re directing a couple hundred people,” she says.
It’s also important for female physicians to find multiple mentors, Dr. Valantine notes. “You may need a mentor that is within your own discipline who can help guide you about planning your career, writing a grant, doing a project. You might need someone else entirely different who will help you think about when is the right time for you to consider having a family, taking sabbatical, and just integrating your work with life,” she says.
Additionally, female hospitalists pursuing leadership roles must remember that every time they say “yes” to something, they’re saying “no” to something else, Cannon says.
“Too often what I see is women are so eager to please and they’re so driven to be their best, they end up saying ‘yes’ in their career. Then, all of a sudden, they arrive at a point and they say, ‘Something is really missing,’” she says. “If you can get ahead of that and think through things, it’s really going to help your planning.”
Dr. Valantine says female physicians should “take the long view” of leadership and pace themselves.
“Look at this along the entire career path and say, ‘I may not be able to do everything right now, but there might be periods of flexing up and flexing down in my career, and that’s fine,’” she says. “The important thing is to stay in it.”
Dr. Bell and others urge hospitalists who are motivated to lead to tell people in positions of authority that they’re interested; otherwise, they’re not going to be thought of when a position opens.