Breaking Down Gender Barriers in Interventional Cardiology: My Conversation With Dr. S. Kimara March

M. Chadi Alraies, MDReading my colleague Dr. Siddharth A. Wayangankar’s comprehensive look at the statistics and potential reasons behind the gender gap in interventional cardiology started me thinking: What would a woman currently in practice think of the issue?

To get more insight, I talked with S. Kimara March, MD, who completed her general, interventional, and adult congenital cardiology training at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN). She currently serves as an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.

Going through your interventional training, did you find that being a woman affected your experience? 

Dr. March: I did not feel that I was treated any differently than my male colleagues while in training, and moreover, I did not find the cath lab any more demanding of my time at work as compared to other subspecialties in cardiology, such as imaging.

It’s no secret the field comes with high stress and long hours, but there seems to be an idea that these qualities are incompatible with a healthy family life. What are your thoughts on this?

Dr. March: Both interventional and general cardiology require unplanned long working hours, and it can be difficult for women cardiologists—particularly the ones with children—to coordinate their jobs and family life under these circumstances. Being on call is also one of the most common concerns fellows have in regard to the field. However, in practice, the work hours for most cardiology specialties are the same.

How much of an issue is radiation safety for women practicing interventional cardiology?

Dr. March: The problem of radiation is not negligible and using precaution is always advised. I had 3 children during my training and practice, and all are healthy with normal development. Existing legislation to protect pregnant women—not just staff doctors but also technicians and especially in the first trimester—is followed in cath labs where I have worked and is important.

Do you think academic or private practice would be more convenient for women practicing in interventional cardiology?

Dr. March: The level of stress and responsibility involved in choosing a career in interventional cardiology really is dependent on the practice setting. Large private practice groups with 8-10 interventional cardiologists will have a less intense call schedule than a small private group with 2-3 interventionalists. Academic institutions tend to have an interventional group size more in line with the larger private practice groups, allowing again for less intense call schedules and more opportunities for teaching, which is what I enjoy doing.

What would be the best way to increase the number of women in the field?

Dr. March: Mentorship. Without my mentor, I wouldn’t be trained in interventional cardiology! I had many concerns that he clarified for me, including confirming that interventional cardiology is associated with a similar level of stress as any other advanced specialty in cardiology, such as imaging, heart failure, and transplant. I think we need more women mentors to best guide future generations of women operators.

What do you think of the work done by the Women in Innovations (WIN) committee associated with SCAI?

Dr. March: Women fellows interested in interventional cardiology should have the chance to meet with the WIN leaders like I did when I was a fellow. WIN is caring for women in the interventional field and creating an opportunity for fellows to meet with women from different backgrounds who have been practicing in the field. This creates an environment for mentorship and a better understanding of interventional cardiology as a viable subspecialty option for women.

What other solutions are needed to close the gender gap?

Dr. March: For women with young children who need flexible work hours, new organizational patterns of work should be adopted to allow part-time employment and in some cases, reduction of the burden of active on-calls. Institutions should consider available childcare facilities in their buildings to increase the working flexibility of these women as well. Of course this would require some degree of flexibility from the directors of the interventional program as well as from the hospital administration. Finally, interventional societies must lead these changes for the benefit of their members and the interventional cardiology community at large. Meaningful representation of women interventionalists is certainly an important step in this direction.

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