The path to becoming a physician can be challenging yet incredibly rewarding. For women in medicine, this journey often comes with its own unique set of experiences and opportunities.

As the medical field continues to evolve, female physicians are breaking barriers, paving the way for future generations. We gathered valuable insights from St. George’s University School of Medicine alumnae including their roads to success and their advice for medical students and fellow women physicians.

Whether you’re just beginning your journey as a medical student or several years into your healthcare career, consider these valuable perspectives on navigating challenges and embracing opportunities unique to women in medicine.

What does the data say?

The physician workforce has changed significantly over time, particularly when it comes to gender distribution.

In 2023, more than one-third (38.1 percent) of the active physician workforce was female, according to the American Association of Medical College’s 2024 US Physician Workforce analysis.

Pediatrics (66.2 percent) and hospice and palliative medicine (63 percent) had the highest percentages of female physicians, while sports medicine (7.7 percent) and orthopedic surgery (6.5 percent) had the lowest.

Celebrating women in medicine

Women have certainly come a long way in the field of medicine, but there are many opportunities for them to forge even further ahead.

National Women Physicians Day on February 3 celebrates the birthday of  Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to ever receive a medical degree in the United States in 1849. SGU’s School of Medicine Alumni Association (SOMAA) recently honored accomplished alumnae during National Women’s Physician Day by hosting a virtual panel discussion, “SGU Women in Medicine: Stories of Success.”

During the event, Dr. Frances McGill, a 1981 School of Medicine graduate and SGU professor emerita of clinical skills and obstetrics & gynecology, shared that the University’s first graduating class in 1981 had just four women. Today, women represent just over 50 percent of recent incoming classes in the School of Medicine.

From seeking out mentors to pursuing a specialty you are truly passionate about, SGU grads and the panelists provided some of the advice to the future generation of women doctors.

Insights women doctors want future practitioners to know

1. Seek out mentors

Mentorship is very important especially when medical students are starting their medical education journey.

“A lot of the students have many different interests, and they don’t know which path to go,” said Sasha Lake, MD ’18, assistant professor within SGU School of Medicine, during the panel discussion.

“Personally, I believe in having several mentors—I have a mentor for leadership, and I have a mentor to help me guide through my academic pathway. They have provided both constructive criticism of my strengths and weaknesses, and things that I can work on to evolve as a better individual and medical educator. And I tried to do the same for the students that I interact with,” Dr. Lake said.

Added Dr. McGill: “Look for role models, and when you get comfortable, talk to them about yourself. Don’t be afraid to be open and say, ‘you know, I just don’t know if I can do this’ or ‘I’m not sure what I want to do’ or ‘there are all these opportunities that are out there, but I’m concerned about my ability. I’m concerned about the time commitment.’”

2. Use the resources that are available to you

Medical schools offer an array of student support services designed to help future physicians succeed, so it’s wise to leverage any resources that can help you perform to the best of your ability. You might consider attending tutoring sessions, group reviews, and workshops to help you develop good study habits, such as SGU’s Department of Educational Services.

“They can help you and tell you exactly what kind of test-taker you are and what kind of studier you are,” said Dr. Devon Thomas, a 2020 SGU graduate and chief resident at The University of Florida College of Medicine—Jacksonville in the Department of Urology.

It’s even more beneficial if you can connect with graduates training or working at hospitals with residency programs in your chosen field.

Dr. Thomas recommends tapping into your professional network as you progress through your education and career. For her, contacting other SGU graduates proved invaluable as she prepared for residency.

3. Keep an open mind during clinical rotations

After you’ve started school, you need to begin thinking about which medical specialties you’re interested in sooner than you might expect. While you should explore options and recognize what types of interactions and procedures you most enjoy, it’s equally as important to recognize that you might change your mind during clinical rotations.

“Keep an open mind,” offers Dr. Maham Mahmood, a 2017 SGU graduate and anesthesiology resident physician at the Indiana University School of Medicine. “Give every single rotation your best effort, put your 100 percent into it, and see what you end up loving the most.”

In fact, Dr. Mahmood changed her career trajectory by remaining flexible. She initially thought she would pursue pediatrics because working with children sounded like a great way to make a living. But once she realized how much she enjoys being in the operating room and performing procedures, it became clear that anesthesiology was the best fit for her.

“I’m very happy with what I do on a daily basis, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” she says.

4. Pursue what you’re truly passionate about

It’s true that some specialties have more female doctors than male, but women in medicine should feel empowered to pave their own ways.The percentage of females practicing in the field of urology, for example, was just 11.8 percent in 2023, according to the American Urological Association’s census data. The gender gap in urology is actually a big aspect that inspired Dr. Thomas to enter the field, particularly when she realized how many female patients she would see.

“I thought I could be there for women who wanted a female physician who kind of understood them a little bit more,” Dr. Thomas says.

Emergency medicine doctor, Jessica Best, MD ’12, chose her specialty because of the flexibility and opportunities to move into many different sub-specialties if she wanted. 

“There are a lot of different specialties in emergency medicine,” Dr. Best said during the School of Medicine alumni event. “People that are interested in global health can do administration, you can even do ICU, you can go into pain management, you can do sports medicine, you could probably even get into urgent care primary care. A lot of people do aesthetics on the side, so it’s a very flexible specialty in that if you are experiencing any kind of burnout, you can easily pivot into something else.”

5. Know that women in medicine can achieve work-life balance

Medicine offers so many avenues for physicians to shape their own career. Think about the lifestyle you want, and then you can start determining ways to achieve it, including in procedure-oriented fields.

Aspiring female physicians who plan to have children should feel encouraged to know it is possible to balance a medical career you love with family life.

SGU graduate, Kumkum Sarkar Patel, MD ’12, a double board-certified gastroenterologist, shared during the School of Medicine alumni event her experience with balancing work and her personal life. She chose to open her own practice, the benefits of which include:

• Allowing her to set her own hours,
• Deciding how many patients she sees,
• Using her skills and knowledge in other ways to generate income, while
• Ensuring she has equal work and family time with her husband and children.

“I realized that for me, while I loved gastroenterology and I still do, and I obviously I opened my own practice, there are so many other ways to use my skill set to generate revenue,” Dr. Patel said.

For example, Dr. Patel sits on the advisory boards of several companies, including the medical device company, Medtronic, and several pharmaceutical companies.

Dr. Patel added that having a strong support system has also helped her to succeed in both areas: “Do what you can in terms of building a network … whether that is finding a partner, whether that’s finding friends, … or choosing to do residency (or) fellowship wherever you have support because you never know when you’re going to need to rely on them.”

6. Helping to shape the future of healthcare

Remember, the gender gap in medicine is not a reflection of female doctors’ abilities. In fact, women are among some of the most respected and influential physicians.

Take SGU alum Andrea Pakula, MD ’07, MPH ’03, who is passionate about her career in surgery—particularly the ability to use the newest and most advanced technology to help patients get back to living their lives as quickly as possible.

As the medical director of robotic surgery at Adventist Health Simi Valley Hospital in California, Dr. Pakula performs surgeries and procedures entirely with the Intuitive Surgical da Vinci Robotic platform, including emergency surgery. In 2024, she was one of the first surgeons in the country to use the da Vinci 5, the newest and most advanced generation of surgical robots in its field.

Staying on the cutting edge of technology in robotic surgery allowed Dr. Pakula to cultivate her love for surgery and critical care.

“My favorite part of the job is being able to treat and help patients get back to their lives in the fastest, most painless way possible,” she said. “I truly enjoy my patients and being able to take part in their care.”

Join the network of women in medicine

Female physicians play such a vital role in the medicine around the world. Are you interested in making an impact as a woman in medicine? We have a great resource for you—Journey to Become an MD: Steps to Becoming a Doctor. It is packed with helpful info and advice to guide you through every step of your medical education and beyond!

**This article has been updated from its original publication date of March 8, 2021.