In the June issue, we posed some questions designed to discover whether attracting female physicians to CME was a concern. While the results are still coming in (OK, so we only have 15 responses so far), here is a sampling of what people have said to date. We hope this inspires you to add your two cents: Go to http://industryclick.com/magnewsarticle.asp?newsarticleid=204363&magazineid=284&SiteID=28 and let us know what you think.
Sixty-three percent of respondents to date said that attracting female physicians to their meetings was not a large concern. The remaining 37 percent said that it was a big issue, especially when it comes to established women in the middle of their careers who also have family commitments. “They have to pick their out-of-town travel very carefully to make sure they get the most bang from their days away from home,” said one respondent.
Interestingly, 60 percent of those who said that attracting women health care providers was not a concern also said that a lack of child care at meetings is a big barrier to female physician participation in CME. Other concerns included guilt over being apart from their families, finding time to be away from their families, and a continued focus on male-oriented programming. Fifty-seven percent said they do not market their CME specifically to female physicians; 43 percent said they did by including information about day care and family activities, and by offering programs taught by female physicians on women's health topics.
Do men and women learn differently? With the exception of one “no comment” and one “too big a question for such little space,” all respondents said that they didn't think men and women differ in learning styles; 58 percent added that they weren't sure because they had never tried to measure it.