Why is it that a male nurse is often mistaken for a doctor, but a female surgeon is assumed to be a nurse? Discrimination in the workplace is commonplace, but one female surgeon is challenging male stereotypes associated with her profession.
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Dr. Nikki Stamp is a cardiothoracic surgeon, the Daily Mail reports, and she has experienced gender assumptions firsthand. But Stamp is speaking out — and her voice is encouraging other women to do the same.
On her blog, she highlighted the way society mistreats professional women by describing three scenarios.
“Whilst waiting to talk to a patient on the phone ‘Hang on, the nurse is here to see me’ (after seeing them every day for a week and doing the surgery),” she wrote.
“From a male physician ‘Women should just work harder to make up the pay gap. And because they have time off for children.'”
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Stamp then described a third scenario: “From a colleague involved in conflict resolution, man (and recent) cases of women in distress due to discrimination in the workplace, resulting in illness or leaving the profession.”
Gender assumptions aside, women still tend to be a minority in many professions, making it hard for aspiring female professionals to find “someone to identify with”. And this is what spurred Stamp to support the social media campaign #ILookLikeASurgeon.
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Below are some of the tweets that are inspiring change and changing perceptions.
https://<a href="https://oto.diwarta.com/tags/twitter/" id="auto-tag_twitter_1" data-tag="twitter">twitter</a>.com/LoggheMD/status/634709870621687808
https://twitter.com/roro500/status/632656834822860800
@LoggheMD 😂 Too much? Fueled by everyone's energy for #ILookLikeASurgeon. So inspiring! + really gets the point across in 140 characters 😷🙌🏻
— Marissa Boeck MD MPH FACS (@KickAsana) August 13, 2015
Finished the first rotation of second year! #ILookLikeASurgeon @LUMCsurgery @MedTootMD#coresidentspic.twitter.com/mPF0jDLPh0
— Ashley Meagher, MD, MPH, FACS (she/her) (@Dr_AMeagher) August 13, 2015
Proud to call them all friends/colleagues. #ILookLikeASurgeon @LeighNeumayer pic.twitter.com/Q5gFlSJLV9
— Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS (@pturnermd) August 13, 2015
And even some men agree that this is a great movement.
Great movement. Hopefully a defining one of our profession.#CelebrateDiversity#ILookLikeASurgeonpic.twitter.com/r7OeBzMwJ0
— Brendon Stiles (@BrendonStilesMD) August 21, 2015
Shout out to the global surgical workforce. Rising together. Embracing all. #ShoutOutDay#ILookLikeASurgeon
— Tom Varghese Jr. MD, MS, MBA, FACS, MAMSE 🇺🇸 (@TomVargheseJr) August 13, 2015
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