Mentoring and the U.K. Medical Women’s Federation

Women doctors in the United Kingdom hit the headlines in 2014 with the news that women were heads of five Royal Colleges, including the first-ever female President of the Royal College of Surgeons, that bastion of male tribal culture. The Physicians, GPs, Pediatricians, and Pathologists all had women at the helm, and have now been joined by the Ophthalmologists. Dame Sally Davies is the first-ever female Chief Medical Officer (CMO). This is a great achievement, but the unanswered question is why it has taken so long, considering that more than half of medical students in United Kingdom have been women for the last 20 years. Several reports on women doctors have been published recently: Medical Women’s Federation’s (MWF, 2008), Making part-time work; Royal College of Physicians’ (RCP, 2009), Women and medicine: the future; and National Working Group on Women in Medicine’s (2009), Women doctors: making a difference. The recommendations from these reports are consistent, and all include mentoring, flexible schedules, women rolemodels, and improved access to child care. Implementation of the recommendations has proved much more difficult than merely identifying the barriers and suggesting changes. TheMedicalWomen’s Federation, which is a U.K.-widemembership organization, offers practical help and support at all stages of medical careers, from student to consultant, including student grants and prizes, career advice, help with job applications, how to work less than full time,maternity leave, return towork, and advancing to senior positions. We have set up a Buddying Scheme, which allows members to benefit from contact with other members for advice on a variety of issues, such as career choices, job applications, and work/life balance. Our ethos is that a Buddy does not need formal mentoring training, but simply a desire to help another member and the willingness to share her time and life experience on amutually agreed basis. Buddying provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the career development of another member by sharing knowledge acquired through years of experience. This is our version of mentoring, using the term in a broad and inclusive way. The benefits of offering your services as a Buddy include the satisfaction of helping others reach their career potential or manage their work/home balance, passing on what you have learned from others, improved communication and leadership skills, increased confidence, an increased network of colleagues and, appreciation from the Buddy you have advised.