Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jul;130(7):1651-1656.
doi: 10.1002/lary.28306. Epub 2019 Sep 18.

Evaluating gender parity in operative experience for otolaryngology residencies in the United States

Richard K Gurgel  1 , Brandon R Cardon  1 , Chelsea McCarty Allen  2 , Angela P Presson  2 , Brenna C Kelly  3 , Harriet W Hopf  4 , Sukgi S Choi  5 , Robert H Miller  6
Affiliations

Evaluating gender parity in operative experience for otolaryngology residencies in the United States

Richard K Gurgel et al. Laryngoscope. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives: Gender disparity exists in medicine, such as differences in pay and promotion opportunities. We hypothesize that there is also a gender difference in graduate medical education as manifested by operative case volume. This study compares surgical case volume by gender for graduating US otolaryngology residents.

Study design: Cohort study.

Methods: With data use approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, we evaluated the key indicator case log summaries of graduating otolaryngology residents from 2009-2017. Mean and standard deviation were used for all cases, and t-tests were used to compare cases by resident gender. The Bonferroni method was used to adjust for multiple comparisons across years.

Results: Data from 1740 male and 804 female residents were evaluated. Across all years, the average number of key indicator cases reported was 778.8 and 813.6 by female and male residents, respectively, with an average difference of 34.8 cases per graduating year (95% confidence interval [CI] 19.4, 50.2; P < .001). When a resident self-reported the role of resident surgeon/supervisor, the average number of key indicator cases reported was 602.6 and 643.9 by female and male residents, respectively, with an average difference of 41.3 cases per graduating year (95% CI, 28.0, 54.6; P < .001).

Conclusion: Gender-based discrepancies in surgical case volume exist among graduating otolaryngology residents. This disparity is partially attributed to the self-reported role in the surgery. This study has identified those discrepancies so that training programs can implement strategies to ensure improved gender parity.

Level of evidence: 2b Laryngoscope, 130:1651-1656, 2020.

Keywords: Gender disparity; graduate medical education; key indicator cases; otolaryngology residency; surgical volume.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY

    1. Tomer G, Xanthakos S, Kim S, et al. Perceptions of gender equality in work-life balance, salary, promotion, and harassment: results of the NASPGHAN task force survey. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2015;60:481-485.
    1. Zhuge Y, Kaufman J, Simeone DM, Chen H, Velazquez OC. Is there still a glass ceiling for women in academic surgery? Ann Surg 2011;253:637-643.
    1. Grandis JR, Gooding WE, Zamboni BA, et al. The gender gap in a surgical subspecialty: analysis of career and lifestyle factors. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2004;130:695-702.
    1. Jena AB, Olenski AR, Blumenthal DM. Sex Differences in physician salary in US public medical schools. JAMA Intern Med 2016;175:1294-1304.
    1. French DD, Margo CE, Campbell RR, Greenberg PB. volume of cataract surgery and surgeon gender: the Florida Ambulatory Surgery Center experience 2005 through 2012. J Med Pract Manage 2016;31:297-302.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources