Women Medical Students and Pediatric Residents
THE 1950s
In the 1950s the number of women admitted to medical schools was extremely small. Even fewer of these individuals were able to obtain fellowships for postgraduate training in the specialties and centers of their choice. Traditionally, women physicians have preferentially chosen to specialize in pediatrics, psychiatry, and medicine. Today these three choices remain priorities, but increasing numbers of women are now seeking careers in nontraditional areas. Women offer some of the following reasons for selecting pediatrics as a career choice: they like children; they feel comfortable in the field; they believe opportunities for training are available; role models are often present in the student's institution; career guidance is available from such models; the specialty seems less competitive with male counterparts; and the potential for development appeared greater with fewer obstacles. Awareness that the income level might be low in comparison with other specialties has not been a deterrent in making the choice. Some of the common denominators of residencies in the 1950s characterize the experiences of women trained during this era. Many women chose rotating or semirotating internships in a large city or university hospital. This was often followed by 2 years of straight pediatric residency in a wide variety of hospitals, private and public, city, suburban, and rural. From such varied professional exposures emerged not only negative opinions and experiences, but also positive strengthening ones. When compared with present day experiences, there still remain some common problems. Program directors were highly selective in accepting women as residents because these positions were in demand by men including many post-war veterans whose training had been interrupted by military service.
