Saturday 8 March 2025
Dr Sarah Edwards, Consultant in Emergency and Paediatric Emergency Medicine (EM/PEM) for Royal Derby Hospital, the Emergency Medical Journal’s Associate Senior Editor and RCEMLearning‘s Chair, writes about female EMpowerment in an International Women’s Day RCEM blog.
When I was a medical student, the variety and unpredictability of EM got me interested in it. One of my most memorable shifts, which highlights something that can only happen in EM, is I went from treating a patient who had a paper cut to another who I helped to deliver their baby. Then, to someone who I had the privilege of being with them in their final moments before they died.
One of my proudest moments was passing my final exam before becoming a Consultant. This was a culmination of two years of work. Without my amazing female tribe of other EM colleagues and friends, I wouldn’t have passed it, let alone got through my training. What makes EM great, even in these difficult times, is the tribe sense of family. I have been saved and rescued by many of my colleagues when life has been tough. Over the years, I have shed many tears in work, some of sadness and some of joy, but the tribe that I work with have always got me through.
One of challenges in EM, like other specialities in medicine, is the expectation that woman must be everything. They must do better than their male colleagues, they can’t show any weakness, or they won’t be strong enough. They then must go home and try to be mother’s, partners, and everything else. For me, this has seen huge pressures on relationships and pressures at home. We need to recognise that 50% of patients are female and that nearly 60% of doctors will be female. Therefore, we need to prioritise that work and life are just as important and make it possible to have flexibility for all to get that balance as good as it can be. EM can be incredibly flexible to allow this. This has been helped by EM being the initial speciality to offer less than full time training (LTFT) for any reason. It is equally important that we have female role models to show that it is possible to get to where you want to be! So many times, I’ve been told that it is not possible because you are a woman, and questions about having babies and coping have been raised.
I have been very lucky to work with some very inspirational EM women including the immediate past President of IFEM (International Federation of Emergency Medicine), Dr Ffion Davies, a Consultant in the East Midlands. She is an incredible leader, a truly inspirational clinician and someone who is a very humble human being. She has given me something to aspire to be. Another incredible EM female Consultant I have worked with is Mrs Pauline Cutting OBE, who volunteered with Medical Aid in the 1980s in Palestine and was awarded an OBE for her work there. She still works as an EM Consultant today in Ysbyty Gwynedd, in Bangor North Wales. She helped me in the early part of my EM training when I was struggling with my exams. She gave up hours of her time, to help inspire and motivate me through what was a difficult time. What these two women have shown me, is that when things are tough, being humble and human is incredibly important. Taking that life lesson forward, this has helped me grow as an EM clinician and I practice what they have taught me. Ultimately in the end, only kindness matters.”
RCEM – Share Your Story: At RCEM, we believe that sharing our experiences can foster inclusivity, understanding, and equality within the Emergency Medicine (EM) community. We invite you to contribute video or written insights for medical awareness and diversity days throughout the year, selected by our EDI team and NHS Employers.
