Women comprise more than 57% of pediatricians and 70% of pediatric residents. Gender therefore is a critical influence on the pediatrician workforce. Relevant issues range from part-time practice and balancing professional and personal lives to building leadership skills and advancement within academic medicine. The Division of Workforce and Medical Education Policy, working with partners such as the American Medical Association Women Physicians Congress and the Association of American Medical Colleges, has undertaken a number of activities to study this critical topic.
Demographics and Other Resouces
The American Medical Association Board of Trustee Report 19: Gender Disparities in Physician Income and Advancement, June 2008.
Demographic Characteristics Fact Sheet
According to data collected by the American Medical Association (AMA), there were 78,108 certified and non-board certified pediatricians in the US in 2009 (the most recent year for which data is available). The majority (55.2%) were women, and of these women pediatricians, the majority (70.5%) were under age 35. Looking at the entire physician population, only 29.6% are women.
For more information about women in medicine, please view A Profile & History of Women in Medicine (PowerPoint) developed by the AMA Women Physicians Congress to celebrate Women in Medicine Month.
Web sites for Women Physicians
Women in Pediatrics Reading List
AAP Personal/Practice Characteristics of Pediatricians (U.S. only), 2010
Job Search and Salary Negotiation
PedJobs is a free resource for job seekers.
Registered users receive access to the best employers and jobs in pediatrics. PedJobs lists both full- and part-time positions, and includes salary information.
Articles/Publications on Salary Negotiation and Related Topics (Note: a listing here does not indicate endorsement by the AAP)
Negotiate Like a Pro (PracticeLink: The Online Physician Job Bank)
How to Get the Salary You Want (The Wall Street Journal)
Annotated Model Physician Employment Agreement: 2008 Updated Edition (AMA)
Part-time Career Resources
Part-time and Flexible Work Options
The AAP, in collaboration with the American Medical Association Women in Medicine Congress, has developed a Web site to provide resources on part-time career options. The site offers online and downloadable self-assessment questionnaires; information and insights from physicians who are working part time, have worked part time, or work in other non-traditional ways; a tailored bibliography; data sources; and links to additional online information.
Part-Time/Reduced Hours Questionnaire
In October 2010, the Division of Workforce and Medical Education Policy, in collaboration with the Division of Pediatric Practice and the Division of Member Services and Relations, posted a part-time/reduced hours questionnaire on the Women in Pediatrics webpage. Click here for the results.
Resources and Selected Readings
Flexible Careers for Pediatricians
Flexible Careers: Questions to Think About
Selected Readings on Part-Time/Reduced Hours Employment
Physician Reentry into the Workforce
Physician reentry into clinical practice can be defined as returning to professional activity/clinical practice for which one has been trained, certified, or licensed after an extended period. This is an issue that cuts across genders and specialties. However, anecdotal evidence indicates that reentry into the workforce will affect women more often than men. Although there is paucity of data on this complex topic, many agree that it is an issue that is gaining prominence.
The Reentry Project is a collaborative endeavor led by the American Academy of Pediatrics that aims to examine the diverse issues encompassed under the rubric of reentry. The Reentry Project aims to develop resources and strategies to assist organizations as well as individual physicians who are seeking physician reentry information.
Women Leaders in Pediatrics
Women have made great strides in recent years as leaders in medicine, particularly in
pediatrics. Following are tools and data related to women pediatricians in leadership positions, both in
the AAP and other pediatric organizations. Even though much progress has been made, more efforts are needed to promote women to positions of leadership at all levels of medicine. Read the report of the Federation of Pediatric Organizations (FOPO) Task Force on Women in Pediatrics to learn about ways to enhance the leadership of women pediatricians. Also, read tips and insights from distinguished women physicians in leadership roles.
Training and Resources Related to Work/Practice Issues
The Maternal and Child Health Leadership Skills Development series synthesizes leadership-development materials into modular formats. This series, originally designed to help maternal and child (MCH) professionals and students, offers a wealth of information that can apply in a general sense to those already in leadership positions and/or those seeking leadership skills. Materials were developed by the Women and Children's Health Policy Center at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and offer a mix of presentation and exploration in different learning formats.
Women in Biomedical Research: Best Practices for Sustaining Career Success, Meeting Proceedings; March 4 2008.
Related AAP Policy Statements and Articles
Policy Statement on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace and Educational Settings
The American Academy of Pediatrics is committed to working to ensure that workplaces and educational settings in which pediatricians spend time are free of sexual harassment. The purpose of this statement is to heighten awareness and sensitivity to this important issue, recognizing that institutions, clinics, and office-based practices may have existing policies.
"Prevention is best medicine for sexual harassment in workplace" (AAP News, October 2006) by Beth A. Pletcher, MD, FACMG, FAAP
Pediatrician Workforce Policy Statement
This statement discusses the importance of pediatrician workforce issues and their relevance to the provision of pediatric health care. It reviews previous work in the health policy arena on physician and pediatrician workforce. Key pediatrician workforce trends are described, including the growth in the number of pediatricians in relation to the child population, the increase in the number of female pediatricians, the role of international medical graduates, the diversity of the pediatrician workforce, the contributions of internal medicine-pediatrics physicians, the increasing number of nonpediatrician providers of pediatric care, geographic distribution of physicians, and the future of pediatric subspecialists. Methods of influencing the pediatrician workforce are also considered. In the concluding series of recommendations, the statement identifies both overarching policy goals for the pediatrician workforce and implementation strategies designed to ensure that all of America’s infants, children, adolescents, and young adults have access to appropriate pediatric health care.
The AAP Division of Workforce and Medical Education Policy manages physician workforce policy and medical education issues on behalf of the Academy. The Division strives to ensure that the deliberations of health policy, legislative, and regulatory bodies include a pediatric perspective. The Division agenda includes topics such as projections regarding the future supply of physicians, and the influence of gender on the pediatrician workforce. For information and resources related to workforce and GME issues, please access the Division's Web page.
Staff Contacts:
Holly J. Mulvey, MA
Director
Division of Workforce and Medical Education Policy
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Boulevard
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
E-mail: hmulvey@aap.org
Carrie Radabaugh, MPP
Senior Health Policy Analyst
Division of Workforce and Medical Education Policy
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Boulevard
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
E-mail: cradabaugh@aap.org
