Editor’s Note: This account documents egregious attitudes and comments that were endured during an orthopaedic education. These comments were not made recently, and it is hoped that attitudes and decorum have evolved since then.
I was discouraged from pursuing an orthopaedic residency at my Ivy League medical school. Instead, I was steered to physical medicine and rehabilitation and secured a residency in that specialty. It became clear during my required transitional internship that medical care alone would not suffice as a career. I wanted to operate on my patients as well as see them all the way through their recovery. I pursued and obtained an orthopaedic surgery residency at a large metropolitan medical center. I was the first member of my specific minority group to enter orthopaedics there.
Once my training began, the comments started. I was a “double negative” meaning a minority woman. I was told by my chief resident that “Women have no place in orthopaedics.” He also gave me a racially biased nickname. In fact, when one of the orthopaedic floor nurses heard him refer to me that way, she paged me “stat” to tell me in person. She was very upset as I had treated her respectfully and she was protective of me.
Another senior resident told me, “I should have put you under anesthesia and pulled your tits off.”
When a third minority resident joined the orthopaedic residency program, in our presence someone said, “There goes the neighborhood!” Ironically, each of the three of us had attended an Ivy League medical school and were the only residents in the program who had. The person commenting had obtained his medical degree out of the country.
Yet another comment, “Who did you sleep with to get into the department?”
I reported these incidents to my chairman who essentially ignored me. I, therefore, went to an attorney and received a letter encouraging that “order be restored to the department.” Ironically, the chairman’s wife ran his office. She told him, in my presence, that “She has you. She has been coming here for an entire year and you’ve done nothing.” She had my back, too.
I did make it through the program but with two asterisks. First, the chief resident who said women/I didn’t belong in orthopaedics offered me a job in his private practice since I was “the hardest worker he knew.” The other came during the residency graduation dinner. I was standing and wearing heels and one of my more diminutive attendings stood at about my chest level. He looked up and asked, “Can I touch your boobs?”
Were there any silver linings to my residency experience? Yes, and here they are:
• I learned a lot about people and ignorance. The lack of understanding, empathy and sense of camaraderie was astounding. Not everyone was adversarial by any means. In fact, some of the male faculty members stood up at times for me.
• I put in the work and was well prepared for my future career.
• The hospital staff helped me through. I had relationships with transport people, security personnel, nursing staff, janitors, operating room staff, cafeteria workers, etc. Those relationships enhanced each day and gave me a sense of belonging. If I didn’t make it to the cafeteria during a heavy on-call shift, food was left out for me. On a visit back, after finishing the program, one of the workers said, “Our child is home.” I treasure these memories.
• My spiritual foundation was also instrumental in getting me through especially difficult periods.
What wisdom do I have to share with those following me in orthopaedic surgery?
1. Do not be an “ass”. Don’t take joy in making other people miserable.
2. Being known as a “bitch” is okay because that means you don’t back down, you know what you are doing and don’t deserve to be doubted, and you are there to do the right thing for the patient despite the politics.
3. Be a decent human being to as many people as possible including patients, co-workers, colleagues, family and friends. Do kind things to those who are under pressure and are not able to adequately care for themselves. Feed hungry residents!
Two humorous anecdotes:
I was in attendance at an AAOS meeting and was wearing my badge. A male attendee, who I did not know, came up and handed me his room key and said, “My wife is out shopping, come on up to my room.”
At another Academy Meeting, I attended a dinner with my fellowship director. I had dressed for the occasion in accordance with its importance to me. My director introduced me to the group as his fellow. They said while chuckling, “Sure ____, sure she’s your fellow.”
You can’t make this stuff up!