Breaking the glass ceiling: Importance of representation in medicine

By Camila Gonzalez,MD

The glass ceiling is a metaphorical concept used to describe an intangible barrier that hinders the career advancement of certain individuals, particularly those seeking to attain managerial or executive positions within an organization or industry. Unfortunately, this term can be applied to the current environment in medicine, where underrepresented groups such as women and International Medical Doctors (IMGs) face significant obstacles in advancing their careers. This is a concept that I have been dealing with for a large portion of my young medical career. 

I come from a family of strong women who did the best they could with their circumstances, between migrating continents and countries, taking care of their families, and assuming jobs that could bring food to the table and give better opportunities for the generations to come by sacrificing their dreams. A good example of this is my grandmother, who had a great affinity for medicine but because of the restrictions on education for her gender, couldn’t pursue it at that time. Despite this, she gave everything she could to my mother so she could become the amazing architect she is to this day. 

My medical career path has rarely been straightforward, since all the socioeconomic barriers and stereotypes inherent to what seems to be a male-dominated field in a third-world country that is the Dominican Republic, I was constantly discouraged from following my passions. So instead of letting go of it, I decided to start taking down the barriers that were in my control, like applying for an academic scholarship to study medicine that allowed me to graduate with honors one pandemic and a couple of years later. Another similar action was interviewing for a highly competitive spot of a 1-year internship at one of the top surgical hospitals in the country, which I’m happy to say I got and helped me to both grow my surgical skills and to become a better caregiver by learning to listen and be comprehensive of my patients.

Yet, as a foreign-trained woman in medicine, every door seemed harder to open, despite all these achievements and other outreach and leadership experiences, whenever I externalize my goals of pursuing surgery, I have been met with questions about my skills or if I could ‘’handle ‘’ the long hours as a woman. As an IMG, these doubts have multiplied since I’m proving my capabilities as a doctor andnot just proving my capabilities as a doctor, but also fighting for visibility in a competitive system. An example of this is finding mentorship: the mentors I reached out to often couldn’t relate to my unique challenges, leaving me without the critical guidance many colleagues relied on.

As IMGs, we understand that the journey to enter and thrive in the U.S healthcare system can be daunting and require tremendous effort and adding the fact that Latina physicians remain significantly underrepresented in the U.S. medical field, comprising only about 2% of all doctors, with even fewer in specialties such as surgery. However, we draw inspiration from countless individuals who have achieved success and surmounted various challenges along the way. Their experiences serve as a source of motivation and guidance for us. Moreover, they can advocate for diversity and challenge biases in medical education, helping to pave the way for future generations of doctors from diverse backgrounds. By learning from their stories and examples, we can better navigate the obstacles that lie ahead and work towards breaking down the invisible barriers that still exist.

As the demographics of the United States population are changing at a rapid pace, the demand for promoting diversity in healthcare is crucial. Medical students who learn in a diverse environment might be better prepared to provide care to a diverse patient population. In addition, this will enable patients to receive care from professionals who understand their unique needs and can effectively communicate with them, ultimately leading to positive impacts on patient outcomes. Patients are more likely to feel understood and comfortable when seeking medical attention, and in the long run, they can create a bond as trust is built with their doctor, helping reduce health disparities among different communities. Dr. Quinn Capers highlights the benefits of diversity in medical education, emphasizing that students exposed to diversity are more likely to be culturally competent and aware of social determinants of health that may affect their patients. Therefore, promoting diversity and representation among incoming doctors is crucial in providing equitable and effective healthcare to diverse patient populations.

Every medical doctor has something important to bring to the table, regardless of their gender, background, or where they come from. It’s important to continue breaking the glass ceiling for our patients and for the incoming generation of physicians who share the same goals and dreams as we do in this community. Let us persevere and draw inspiration from those who have broken barriers before us, as we work towards a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive healthcare system.

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