Work, life, and the gender effect: Perspectives of ACVIM Diplomates in 2017. Part 1—Specialty demographics and measures of professional achievement

Abstract

Background: Barriers to achieving work-life balance, as well as gender-based differences, exist in the male-dominated surgical specialty in veterinary medicine. Similar information does not exist for the more feminized American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). Hypothesis/Objectives: To provide data on the professional and personal lives of Diplomates of the ACVIM so as to help define the state of the specialty, including genderrelated differences, and identify areas requiring intervention to improve work-life balance. Sample: A total of 896 surveys (781 completed) of Diplomates of the ACVIM, including cardiology, large animal internal medicine, neurology, oncology, and small animal internal medicine. Methods: An 82-item online survey was distributed in February 2017 to ACVIM Diplomates via their respective ACVIM listserv. Participation was voluntary. Results: Thirty percent of the total ACVIM registered membership responded and 26% completed surveys; 25% were men and 75% were women. Specialists in academia worked significantly more hours, with larger numbers of diplomates per specialty section, and made less money compared with those in private practice. Women were less likely to report full-time employment, practice ownership, or higher academic rank, and reported 20% lower income overall (after adjustment for relevant factors) as compared with men. Men and women differed in their subjective assessment of the effect of gender in the workplace. Eighty-three percent of respondents were somewhat satisfied or better with their career. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Specialization in the ACVIM is a satisfying and potentially profitable career. However, despite a highly feminized workforce, significant gender-related imbalances are evident.

Work, life, and the gender effect: Perspectives of ACVIM Diplomates in 2017. Part 2—The intersection of personal life and professional career

“…Across all survey responses analyzed, the percentage of missing responses was ≤5% Response by specialty was: SAIM, 294 (37.8); LAIM, 175 (22.5%; equine, farm animal, or mixed); cardiology, 84 (10.8%); neurology, 95 (12.2%); and oncology, 130 (16.7%) with 3 respondents not providing a specialty. Of those providing information regarding gender (n = 776), 25.3% (n = 196) identified as male, 74.6% (n = 579) as female, and 0.1% (n = 1) as other 3 …”

“…The current professional demographics of the different specialty groups within the ACVIM, and some objective and subjective measures of professional success and climate among men and women, and in different age groups are described elsewhere 3 . Here, we consider the same population to summarize elements of life outside of the work environment, and assess the conflicting effects of personal life and a demanding professional career.…”

“…Although the majority of ACVIM Diplomates are women, and the majority of ACVS Diplomates are men, we did not identify differences in their experienced work environment. We suggest that a paradigm shift in workplace management and culture, structured more specifically around the needs of a female workforce, is critical in order to address the barriers and gender gaps that have been reported across various disciplines of veterinary medicine 3‐5,9 …”

“…In this way, veterinary medicine can serve as a model for other high‐level professional groups, providing an example of what happens when a field requiring multiple years of graduate and postgraduate training shifts to a predominantly female demographic. The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) could serve as a particularly good model for considering the features of a feminized medical profession because it is a large field, comprised of many specialties, each of which reports a female majority membership 3 …”

“…The professional lives of male and female veterinarians differ substantially, and practice setting is a major component of this difference 3,4 . Furthermore, the personal and professional lives of veterinary surgeons intersect, and those experiences may differ between men and women 5 .…”