Le orthopedic surgeons in Italy they are a crushed minority: 400 out of over 6 thousand specialists, 11 per cent of the total. Only three primaries, Daniela Dibello in Bari, at the Giovanni XIII Hospital, Erika Viola in Cremona, Alessandra Colozza in Faenza. A gap that hides a discriminatory mentality. What a group of specialists, who created the association WOW Italynow is committed to overcoming.
Orthopedic surgeons: an anomaly?
«Orthopedic surgery is the most masculine (or male chauvinist, ed) of surgical specialtiesnot only in Italy but in the world »explains Daniela Dibello president of WOW ITALIA . “The girls enrolled in medicine are coming discouraged from undertaking the specialty. For orthopedic surgeons, a “heavy” profession is expected that needs to be a lot of physical strength, which is badly combined with “family life”, this is the information circulating in the courses ”explains Dibello.
The stereotype that shapes the career
«The isolation of the few orthopedic surgeons in specialty schools it reinforces the perpetuation of the stereotype. Often the primary men. responsible for the training of postgraduates and trainees, they allocate them more to the surgery than to the operating roomin fact forcing their careers on precise tracks ».
Orthopedic surgeons do WOW
Come open the profession to women? How to make it an inclusive work environment, without forcing the few “daredevils” to adhere in all respects to a male model of career and management of everyday life?
«On Saturday 1 October in Rome we presented the first meeting of the Italian section of Women in Orthopedics Worldwide, a reality well rooted for some time in the 5 continents and that we formed in 2021 »says Dibello.
Continuous training
As in other professional fields where the crystal ceiling resists part of WOW’s commitment is to provide the youngest with coworkers role models and a mentoring service that accompanies you in every moment of the training course. And to dispel the many doubts that still weigh on the choice, for example on the very sensitive issue of management of parenting and the surgical profession.
Ward sexism
Another commitment that sees orthopedic surgeons united is combat verbal violence and prejudice, not only of patients and their families (often in “looking for the surgeon” who will take care of the operation, when they are in front of the specialist who speaks to him) but within the wards. For this it was opened a virtual desk Speak Up Ortho Italia to give support and collect anonymous complaints, so as to more accurately monitor the extent of the phenomenon.
Work in the University
An important voice in the activity of WOW Italia is also the work of raising awareness of aspiring doctors and of those who teach them in Italian faculties to be supported in their desire to undertake un career as a surgeon and in the case in the branch of orthopedics.
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