There’s a day for EVERYTHING

Yesterday was National Women Physician’s Day… Yep! There’s a day for everyone and everything! Ice cream, doughnuts, pancakes… They all have days, and deservingly so. Who doesn’t want to celebrate doughnuts? Mothers, fathers, grandparents, the list goes on and on- a chance to celebrate in so many ways! As a mom of a red head, I really enjoyed “kiss a ginger day”. 

Yesterday, however, I stood conflicted. I went to Facebook to put the overlay over my photo and #iamBlackwell, but I never did it. I felt agitated, bothered, unsettled. There is a National physicians day, why do we need a national women’s  physician’s day? It’s 2016! Half of medical classes (or more) have been women for over a decade. My chairperson is a woman (woohoo), and when I walk through the hospital many of the physicians, residents, and medical students are women. I DONT WANT THIS DAY ANYMORE!!! And I don’t want it because we still need it. Damn it. 

Why in 2016 do I celebrate that my chair is a woman? Why is it that women physicians are promoted less often and later? Why do female physician’s salaries lag behind their male counterparts? Why do our brilliant, well trained female physicians only work an average of 7 years out of practice? Why, when after seeing her new female physician for the first time (yes Dr Nicole Torres- you!), did my daughter- the daughter of a  female pediatric surgeon- ask why we were leaving when she had only seen the nurse? Why? Why? Why?!

So, we need it. We need to stand by our colleagues, stand up for ourselves, mentor our students, stand as role models to the best of our abilities, promote ourselves and when we succeed, promote those on the way up. We need to tell our children why we work, what we do, how we make a difference. And please do. Make a difference.

Let’s get rid of this day.