The women-led medical team tackling Ottawa's COVID-19 hospitalizations
For nearly two years, Ottawa’s health-care workers have been tending to those worst affected by COVID-19.
“Right from the get go, we really felt like this was our calling. These patients sort of belong to us and so, as a group, we really took that on,” Dr. Isabelle Desjardins, General Internal Medicine Site Chief for The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) General Campus said.
As of Wednesday, there are 137 COVID-19 positive patients at the Ottawa Hospital but the majority are not in the intensive care unit; instead the General Internal Medicine unit, a team led entirely by women, cares for most.
“Our chief of staff is a woman, our senior medical officer is a woman, all of this sort of fairly recently and I think that sort of highlights the change that is slowly coming about within medicine,” Dr. Desjardins said.
The situation is not unheard of, but is still relatively rare in medicine.
At The Ottawa Hospital 80 per cent of the executives on the administrative side are women but there is a stark difference when it comes to the clinical leadership.
Just one woman is a department head, an eight per cent representation, and only 18 per cent of division leads are female.
“I think I’ve always been raised with this attitude of it doesn’t matter who you are you can do whatever you want to do,” Dr. Halman said.
Caring for the latest wave of patients is quickly proving arduous and, like most, these doctors are ready for reprieve.
“I think the hardest part is feeling like you’re giving 120 per cent all the time and that it’s not enough. You want to do better and you would want to do more but you just don’t have it. I think that feeling is very, very difficult to accept,” Dr. Samantha Halman, a internal medicine specialist and the Training Program Director for General Internal Medicine at The Ottawa Hospital said.
Dr. Krista Wooler is one of the Division Leads. After taking charge of General Internal Medicine this summer, Dr. Wooler is hopeful her division can be a model for others.
“It’s hard to believe that only 18 per cent of the division heads at TOH are women, it seems that it should be more than that given how many women are in medicine right now but I think it is changing,” Dr. Wooler said.
“I think being that visible face and stepping up when somebody offers you a job like this is the first step to be honest with you,” she continued.
In a statement, the Ottawa Hospital said, “The Ottawa Hospital is constantly looking for ways to improve patient care, outcomes and performance. One key element to this success is encouraging women to take on more leadership positions.”
“I didn’t really ever encounter these barriers or these walls by gender and I think that that is very fortunate, it’s rare in our field and we’re just really lucky to be in this very, very positive culture and positive environment,” Dr. Halman said.
The women say they’re doing their best to foster and encouraging environment for others.
“The best way to shift culture is to actually role model it. I think it’s easy to speak about diversity and equity but until people actually put pen to paper and demonstrate that it is actually being implemented it’s almost impossible,” Dr. Halman said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.