Women's professional development programs for emergency physicians: A scoping review

Background

Gender disparities in emergency medicine (EM) persist, with women underrepresented in leadership positions and faced with unique challenges, such as gender discrimination and harassment. To address these issues, professional development programs for women have been recommended.

Objectives

The purpose of this scoping review was to examine current women's professional development programs for EM and develop a collection of program characteristics, meeting topics, and tips for success that can be useful to new or existing women's professional development programs.

Methods

The authors systematically searched research databases for literature detailing current women's professional development programs for EM physicians. Studies detailing professional development programs for female physicians in EM were included.

Results

After 149 unique articles were screened, 11 studies met inclusion criteria, describing 10 professional development programs for women in EM. The most commonly cited program objectives included providing mentors and role models (n = 9, 90%), offering career advice and promoting professional advancement and leadership skills (n = 5, 50%), increasing academic recognition for women (n = 4, 40%), and promoting work–life balance and integration (n = 2, 20%). The most common topics covered in program sessions included mentorship and coaching, compensation and/or negotiation, leadership skills, and career advancement and promotion. Challenges and barriers to the success of these programs included a lack of funding and support, difficulty in recruiting participants, lack of institutional recognition and support, lack of time, and difficulty in sustaining the program over time.

Conclusions

The study's findings can inform the development of programs that promote gender equity and support the advancement of women in EM.