Women & family medicine 1
Track 9
| Saturday, October 28, 2023 |
| 10:35 AM - 12:30 PM |
| Meeting Room C4.1 |
Speaker
Dr Elizabeth Reji
Chair
WONCA Africa Exco
Fireside wisdom – how sharing our experiences for women in family medicine can help us recover, reconnect, and revive!
10:35 AM - 11:35 AMSummary
Fireside wisdom references settings where exchange of knowledge and expertise are shared. It usually involves cross – generational discussion, and draws on cultural traditions – for example, African women would share stories while sitting around the fireplace in the evening, or leaders would share examples thoughts with their community to discuss concerns. It also implies informal and personal two-way communications of experiences and needs, which provide opportunities for learning at a personal level. The WWPWFM has used this scenario at WONCA conferences before – for example, during the Ugandan Conference in 2019 when our theme was” women and mentorship”.
Aim:
To discuss cultural, economic, and linguistic barriers that women doctors face in the field of teaching, training, research, and leadership roles in our work settings - both ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ countries.
Content:
A brief introduction of all participants will be followed by a short presentation on the WWPWFM and its current clinical and professional concerns. We shall then set up the ‘fireside’, and establish how to use this (max. 15 minutes). Our group discussions will focus on cultural, economic and linguistic barriers that attendees experience (30 minutes), encouraging people to think about this in their different work settings – clinical, educational, academic, and leadership roles as relevant for individuals.. Our goals are to highlight key issues for shared learning, but also to draw together priorities on which the WWPWFM can act through WONCA. Feedback to the main group will take place, and a report will be written based on the findings. This will be available to the WP Executive to inform the ongoing work programme as it is finalised for the next biennium following the Sydney conference, and also for interested readers via the Membership Portal.
Please schedule for day 1 or 2.
Aim:
To discuss cultural, economic, and linguistic barriers that women doctors face in the field of teaching, training, research, and leadership roles in our work settings - both ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ countries.
Content:
A brief introduction of all participants will be followed by a short presentation on the WWPWFM and its current clinical and professional concerns. We shall then set up the ‘fireside’, and establish how to use this (max. 15 minutes). Our group discussions will focus on cultural, economic and linguistic barriers that attendees experience (30 minutes), encouraging people to think about this in their different work settings – clinical, educational, academic, and leadership roles as relevant for individuals.. Our goals are to highlight key issues for shared learning, but also to draw together priorities on which the WWPWFM can act through WONCA. Feedback to the main group will take place, and a report will be written based on the findings. This will be available to the WP Executive to inform the ongoing work programme as it is finalised for the next biennium following the Sydney conference, and also for interested readers via the Membership Portal.
Please schedule for day 1 or 2.
Takeaways
1. A deeper analysis of the key issues which women family doctors are finding helpful and challenging in their working lives
2. Have a greater awareness of how they can use WONCA and our WP to address and enhance their work and careers
2. Have a greater awareness of how they can use WONCA and our WP to address and enhance their work and careers
Biography
Dr Elizabeth Reji is the current Chair for the WONCA working party of women and Family Medicine, member of the WONCA Organisation Equity Committee and Finance committee, the treasurer of WONCA Africa region and for the past 10 years a member of WONCA Africa Executive Committee. She was Ex-lead of the African WONCA working party of women and Family Medicine. She has a master’s degree in Family Medicine (Pretoria University), Fellowship from the College of Family Medicine, South Africa & Postgraduate Diploma in Health Science Education (Witwatersrand university). She is the Head of Department of Family Medicine Free state, South Africa and works as an educator, clinician, administrator, manager, and researcher. She mission is to encourage women to become a leader and to support them.
E/Prof Amanda Howe
Honorary Professor of Primary Care, Past President WONCA
Royal College of GPs (UK), University of East Anglia Norwich
Women family doctors and the workforce challenge - ways to go forward together!
11:35 AM - 12:30 PMSummary
The choice of this topic reflects one of our WP’s ongoing priorities and will link with the work program for the next biennium.
Family medicine globally attracts an increasing number of women doctors, but there is evidence that negative biases remain in many of their careers. These vary across health systems and national contexts, but common factors revealed in our WP’s previous research include negative attitudes from colleagues; disadvantageous contracts; different career opportunities; and lack of constructive support for women when they need also to accommodate personal commitments e.g. as carers. These issues can lead to demoralisation and reduced job satisfaction, and are known also to influence whether women stay in the medical workforce.
However, there are also evidence based solutions which can be used to address these factors. Our 10 min presentations will include material that addresses these – such as the value of consciously building allies and networks that support and increase opportunities; the role of mentors and peers, especially in periods of transition; more formal structural approaches to recognising and addressing organisational biases; and the value of professional advocacy.
The roundtable will allow discussion of these factors at a personal level, using breakout rooms with 4 faciliators (including online). The brief for the small groups will include examples of where career options can be impacted and how these can be tackled. Finally we shall spend time in regional groupings so that we can build WONCA networks to feed into this work going forward. Conclusions will be fed back into the WP Executive and the wider membership.
Family medicine globally attracts an increasing number of women doctors, but there is evidence that negative biases remain in many of their careers. These vary across health systems and national contexts, but common factors revealed in our WP’s previous research include negative attitudes from colleagues; disadvantageous contracts; different career opportunities; and lack of constructive support for women when they need also to accommodate personal commitments e.g. as carers. These issues can lead to demoralisation and reduced job satisfaction, and are known also to influence whether women stay in the medical workforce.
However, there are also evidence based solutions which can be used to address these factors. Our 10 min presentations will include material that addresses these – such as the value of consciously building allies and networks that support and increase opportunities; the role of mentors and peers, especially in periods of transition; more formal structural approaches to recognising and addressing organisational biases; and the value of professional advocacy.
The roundtable will allow discussion of these factors at a personal level, using breakout rooms with 4 faciliators (including online). The brief for the small groups will include examples of where career options can be impacted and how these can be tackled. Finally we shall spend time in regional groupings so that we can build WONCA networks to feed into this work going forward. Conclusions will be fed back into the WP Executive and the wider membership.
Takeaways
1. Understand the evidence as to contemporary issues for women family doctors in maximising their potential
2. Develop clearer analyses of the causes and possible solutions for these
3. Apply this learning to their own settings
4. Enhance our networks to collaborate to address these through WONCA
2. Develop clearer analyses of the causes and possible solutions for these
3. Apply this learning to their own settings
4. Enhance our networks to collaborate to address these through WONCA
Biography
