Majority of Canadian med students female

TORONTO, March 17 (UPI) -- Within a decade, the majority of doctors in Canada will be female, based on medical school enrollments showing 60- to 70 percent of students are women.

A recent National Physician Survey showed women doctors in Canada now account for about a third of all physicians although the average doctor is due to reach retirement age in 15 years, the Canwest News Service reported.

Gender is also becoming significant in areas of specialization, with three-quarters of residents in obstetrics/gynecology and two-thirds of residents in family and pediatrics being women.

However, men dramatically outnumber women among young doctors training in neurosurgery, cardiac surgery and orthopedic surgery, said Canadian Medical Association President Dr. Brian Day, an orthopedic surgeon.

"Orthopedics is somewhat of a carpentry type branch of medicine, and women don't tend to become carpenters," he told the news service.

Dr. Bryce Taylor, surgeon-in-chief at the University Health Network in Toronto, said women's avoidance of surgical specializations is likely linked to difficulties in maintaining a family life because of the high number of hours required for emergency work.