Gender Distribution in Paediatric Cardiology Training Programs in Canada

Abstract

Background

Despite female medical students being the majority, there are certain medical specialities that continue to have a prevalence of male trainees, such as adult cardiology. The purpose of this study is to examine gender distribution within Canadian paediatric cardiology training programs.

Methods

Both application and successful matches to core paediatric residency programs and paediatric cardiology programs were obtained through the Canadian Resident Matching Service. Analysis was performed to determine if the association between gender of paediatric residents and paediatric cardiology applicants/fellows was significant.

Results

Between 2016 and 2024, 12% (n = 3/26) of individuals who successfully matched into a Canadian paediatric cardiology training program identified as female and 88% (n = 23/26) identified as male. Between 2013 and 2023, 78% (n = 947/1220) of individuals who successfully matched into a Canadian paediatrics residency identified as female and 22% (n = 273/1220) identified as male. There was a statistically significant difference between the gender of paediatric residents and the gender of paediatric cardiology residents (P < 0.0001). There was no significant association between applicant gender and match outcome within paediatric cardiology training programs (P < 0.23).

Conclusions

There is a gender discrepancy within Canadian paediatric cardiology training programs with a predominance of male trainees in the recent era. It appears that female under-representation in the field is due to the low number of female applicants. Although limited by sample size, there was no clear association between applicant gender and success of admission to a paediatric cardiology training program.