Women, Work, and the Demand for Balance-Session Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this comprehensive discussion session, Dr. Erica Trovato and her colleagues, Dr. Monica Rodriguez-Gutierrez, Victoria Whitehair, and Kristin Wong, tackled the pressing issue of achieving work-life balance, particularly for women in medicine. The event aimed to identify challenges women face balancing personal and professional aspirations, share experiences, and develop actionable plans to improve this balance. <br /><br />They started by recounting historical milestones for women in medicine, such as the achievements of Elizabeth Blackwell and Rebecca Lee Crumpler, highlighting ongoing disparities, especially in leadership roles and compensation. Despite women's progress in early academic and professional stages, significant gender disparities remain at higher levels of medical leadership. <br /><br />Attendees were encouraged to self-reflect on their various roles and identify personal barriers to achieving balance. A brainstorming session generated ideas like saying no, setting boundaries, relying on support systems, and utilizing technology and AI tools for efficiency. Additionally, participants discussed institutional roles in mitigating burnout and enhancing employee wellness, urging systemic changes and emphasizing dialogue between employers and employees.<br /><br />The session underscored the need for self-advocacy and informed negotiation in personal and professional spaces, stressing that work-life balance is a personal creation, not a standardized formula. A pivotal takeaway was the recommendation for curricula to incorporate self-care and work-life management training for medical professionals, paralleling other high-pressure fields like law and finance. The session concluded with a reminder that striking a personal balance is essential for fulfilling one's life and career.

Keywords

work-life balance

women in medicine

gender disparities

medical leadership

self-reflection

burnout mitigation

employee wellness

self-advocacy

negotiation

self-care training

personal balance