Introduction: We examined trends in the mentorship and career choices of women urologists.
Methods: An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to 1,563 women urologists in January 2015. Descriptive data are presented as the percent and mean.
Results: Of the 1,563 emails sent 365 surveys were completed for a 23% response rate. Practicing women urologists were most likely to be in academic practice (85 of 218 or 39%) or group practice (96 of 218 or 44%). Of 215 women urologists 108 (almost 45%) held a traditional academic rank of professor, associate professor or assistant professor. Of practicing female urologists 52% had completed fellowship training. In the early 1990s a traditional academic rank was held by 22% to 31% of women compared to 44.6% in the current study. Fellowship trained women urologists were more likely to hold a traditional academic rank (p <0.001). Nonfellowship trained women urologists were as likely to work more than 50 hours per week as those who were fellowship trained (p = 1). Compared to practicing urologists current trainees were more likely to have another female urology resident in the program during training as well as a female attending (each p <0.001). There was no difference between trainees and those in practice with respect to being mentored during training (p = 0.6). Most trainees and practicing urologists reported being a mentor to younger women in urology (p = 0.5).
Conclusions: Women urologists have a high rate of fellowship training and more women are attaining academic rank and pursuing academics. Mentoring in urological training is improving. However, there is a continued need for women urologists to ascend to leadership positions in training programs and urological societies to more accurately reflect the changing membership of urologists as a group.
Keywords: faculty, medical; fellowships and scholarships; mentors; physicians, women; urology.