From the day we started the Women in White Coats blog back in the summer of 2018, we knew that this was the beginning of a powerful movement of women doctors coming together to support, uplift and empower one another.  

But every movement not only has a dream of what it is aspiring to reach, but also has a demon it needs to slay. 

So what exactly is the grand vision? And what is the common enemy for Women in White Coats?  

First let’s talk about the common enemy.

Here are the facts:

• Women physicians earn 72 cents on the dollar and over a career will earn $2 million less compared to male physicians. –  Medscape 2021
• Women doctors represent less than 20% of division chiefs, medical school deans, department chairs, and hospital CEOs. – Annals of Surgery, 2011
• 70% of women vs 15% of men in medicine report gender bias. – JAMA 2016
• 56% of female vs 41% of male physicians are reporting burnout.  – Medscape 2022

These statistics show that the Old Boys Club of medicine is alive and well. It’s certainly a BRO CULTURE within medicine and especially when it comes to hospital, department and practice leadership. 

Bro culture is more than the secret handshake and the “Sup, Bro?” greeting you hear when male colleagues run into each other. 

Bro culture is when all the male physicians in your group have poker night, get together to watch the game or go golfing and don’t invite the women in the group. 

Bro culture is being obnoxiously competitive about getting the highest RVU numbers or bonuses. 

Bro culture is when you overhear inappropriate comments made about an attractive female staff member and her body. Or when you hear sly comments about a woman physician being on maternity leave or needing to leave on time to pick up her child from daycare. 

And bro culture is most definitely when you get passed up for a promotion or a raise simply because you are a woman.  

In a nutshell the common enemy is gender discrimination, the leaky leadership pipeline, gender pay inequity, sexual harassment, and burnout which is all perpetuated by the boys club of medicine. 

Now don’t get me wrong. (Yes, this is my disclaimer.) I’m not saying male physicians are awful. We all know some wonderful, amazing and supportive men physicians, but we also know many who fit the bro culture mold or who fall in line with it to conform. But what we need are more male allies who truly want to see women in medicine succeed and truly see all that we bring to the table. 

Let’s talk about the dream and grand vision that we have here at Women in White Coats. 

• Imagine pay parity and earning 100 cents on the dollar because that’s just fair.
• Imagine feeling like you bring all of yourself including your feminine side to work with you.
• Imagine not having to feel guilty about being a pregnant woman, nursing mother, or a mom who doesn’t want to leave her kid at daycare for 12 hours a day. 
• Imagine at least half of physician leaders being women who have walked in your very shoes
• Imagine medicine becoming a family friendly profession and that you didn’t always have to sacrifice time with your family to be a doctor
• Imagine not feeling like an imposter because of the non-inclusive bro culture of medicine.
• Imagine reconnecting with the joy of medicine because you feel like you do belong and that you are supported.   
• Imagine a sisterhood within medicine that receives you with open arms so that you end the loneliness and isolation and truly know you are not alone. 

Well that’s exactly what we want to create. 

But we need your help to do it by becoming a founding member of our Women in White Coats membership. Inside our membership you will find community, empowerment and resources to help you rise above gender discrimination, pay inequity and burnout.  Most importantly you’ll finally have the support and accountability you need to achieve all your big goals in life. 

We are looking for 100 Women Doctors to become FOUNDING MEMBERS of our membership to help us end bro culture and create more equity and inclusivity within medicine.  If this message resonates with you and you see yourself as someone who wants to bring about a positive change within medicine for yourself, your sisters and future generations of women doctors, then WE NEED YOU to join in the movement by becoming a founding member TODAY!

To learn more or become a member click HERE!