Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

How every female physician can be a somebody

Amy Faith Ho, MD
Physician
June 23, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

We live in incredible times.

A time when a millennial with a YouTube account clears six-figures a year (sometimes, seven figures!) with just a computer and a webcam.

A time when a small-town girl with a love of fashion and an Instagram account can go from Nowheresville, America to front row at New York Fashion Week.

A time when the shy girl in the back of the classroom amasses a following of hundreds of thousands of like-minded shy girls through her writing blog.

But when it comes to media and medicine, where are all the women?

Sure, there are plenty of young female physicians, residents, students, and pre-meds in conjunction with fashion scrub brands featuring jumping pictures and healthcare content.

But beyond social media, do we have a female to match Atul Gawande? Kevin Pho? Sandeep Gupta? Mehmet Oz? ZDoggMD? Or even, Dr. Phil?

Where my ladies at?

Women, as the historic underdogs of medicine, suffer from a degree of imposter syndrome perhaps not as pronounced in their male counterparts. We are happy just to be part of the club now, having been banned from it — medical schools, training institutions, academic positions — in the past.

In the recent push for women empowerment, though, women are commonly told they have a voice. However, that does not beget an intrinsic belief that they have a voice, nor a feeling that they can share that voice in a meaningful way.

Part of the problem is successful female physicians interact and hang out with other successful female physicians, and while we praise each other’s accomplishments, sometimes that can make our own accomplishments feel less worthy.

This is when stepping back — and viewing yourself, as a female physician, in the greater scheme of all women — is particularly astounding.

You will realize you have combated decades of gender bias just to get to where you are.

You studied, rounded, and rotated for years just to be able to be called “doctor.”

You have worn those horrible ‘unisex’ (aka male) baggy hospital scrubs and fought to have people recognize you as a physician and authority.

ADVERTISEMENT

You came up with clever retorts when patients consistently called you “nurse.”

You battled sexual harassment, prejudice, and public belittlement.

And, you did it while being the source of life and sustenance (all you breastfeeding mom docs!) for perpetuating the human species.

Every female physician can go head to head with any man — but instilling that belief in us is the biggest challenge. Once you believe you have a voice, really truly believe it, sharing that voice is easy.

There exist many venues looking for content, ones that women can take advantage of to garner an audience. There are writing blogs, popular media news and opinion sources, videocasts, podcasts, social-media based campaigns, prime-time television features, nightly news features, and more.  They are all waiting to hear your incredible story.

These are the times when every nobody can become a somebody.

And you are definitely a somebody.

Watch the full FIX17 talk below:

YouTube video

Amy Ho is an emergency physician.  She can be reached at her self-titled site, Amy Faith Ho.  This article originally appeared in FeminEm.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

MKSAP: 30-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus

June 23, 2018 Kevin 0
…
Next

Health care is making the classic mistake that many startups make

June 23, 2018 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Mainstream media, Practice Management, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
MKSAP: 30-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus
Next Post >
Health care is making the classic mistake that many startups make

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Amy Faith Ho, MD

  • An image that reminds us what life versus death looks like

    Amy Faith Ho, MD
  • Stop the abuse of hierarchy with these 5 tips

    Amy Faith Ho, MD
  • Residency as a series of mini-interventions against physician suicide and depression

    Amy Faith Ho, MD

Related Posts

  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • How a physician keynote can highlight your conference

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Chasing numbers contributes to physician burnout

    DrizzleMD
  • The black physician’s burden

    Naomi Tweyo Nkinsi
  • Why this physician supports Medicare for all

    Thad Salmon, MD
  • Embrace the teamwork involved in becoming a physician

    Nathaniel Fleming

More in Physician

  • How a rainy walk helped an oncologist rediscover joy and bravery

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • How inspiration and family stories shape our most meaningful moments

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • A day in the life of a WHO public health professional in Meghalaya, India

    Dr. Poulami Mazumder
  • Why women doctors are still mistaken for nurses

    Emma Fenske, DO
  • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

    Nicole M. King, MD
  • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

    Ashish Mandavia, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How a rainy walk helped an oncologist rediscover joy and bravery

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • How inspiration and family stories shape our most meaningful moments

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • A day in the life of a WHO public health professional in Meghalaya, India

      Dr. Poulami Mazumder | Physician
    • Why women doctors are still mistaken for nurses

      Emma Fenske, DO | Physician
    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How a rainy walk helped an oncologist rediscover joy and bravery

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • How inspiration and family stories shape our most meaningful moments

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • A day in the life of a WHO public health professional in Meghalaya, India

      Dr. Poulami Mazumder | Physician
    • Why women doctors are still mistaken for nurses

      Emma Fenske, DO | Physician
    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

How every female physician can be a somebody
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...