The opinions and words of this website are those of Dr. Rosemary F. Rodgers (M.D.), a diagnosed
paranoid schizophrenic. As Dr. Rodgers develops further thoughts and concerns that she wishes to share with
the internet, we will continue to add to this site.
Happy New Year! 1 had planned to write about the power of the U.S. military, but I'll postpone that
subject until next time. Instead l like to discuss the hit movie Patch Adams which I just saw over
Christmas.
I enjoyed this new film staring Robin Williams. It is a typical Hollywood make-you-feel-good
movie. When the film ended, I felt good, but later I reflected on the movie's subplot of the female medical
student. and l had second thoughts.
This movie is about a fellow Patch Adams who goes to medical school because he wants to help people,
not just make money. He is a likable guy who knows how to make people laugh and feel comfortable. So
far, so good. But the female medical student in this story has a weak personality and a history of
continuing abuse by men, gets mediocre grades, and ends up being murdered by a psychotic.
I gather from this story that women doctors are weak and expendable. There are few books or films that
portray women doctors as strong characters or heroines. A notable exception was the series CBS aired for
several seasons with Jane Seymour as an American frontier doctor.
Even with medical school classes now roughly half and half men and women, women still get the short
straw. Women continue to enter less prestigious specialties like pediatrics, internal medicine, and
psychiatry while men predominate in surgery.
In 1998, a female physician was elected for the first time as President of the American Medical
Association (AMA), but I question whether her election was orchestrated to entice more women to join the
falling ranks of the AMA membership. The new executive director of the AMA holds a permanent
position, has a military background, and is a man. He actually wields the real power at the AMA, not the
President who is a figurehead.
I do not know what it will take for women to obtain equal power and prestige with men in medicine. Women have impediments to career advancement such as childbirth, child-rearing, and housework. Women, as a whole, are not as aggressive as men. Women generally do not have access to the predominately male networks at the major medical clinics, universities, and government organizations. Women lack role models and mentors.
Using myself as an example, I was the only female in the Thoracic Department at the Mayo Clinic
between 1974 and 1976. There were about twelve other male fellows in training and twenty-five
consultants. I felt isolated and trapped. The Mayo Clinic used me as a workhorse and gave me no benefits
in retum. The Clinic definitely discouraged my attempts to perform research. Anything I got out of the
Mayo Clinic experience was due purely to my own efforts. Although I received very high scores on the American Board of Internal Medicine Pulmonary exam in 1976, I barely received one letter of congratulations from the men at the Mayo Clinic.
If you want to see a good movie. go see Patch Adams. But remember to question the depiction of the female medical student in the this film.
The opinions and words of this website are those of Dr. Rosemary F. Rodgers (M.D.), a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. As Dr. Rodgers develops further thoughts and concerns that she wishes to share with the internet, we will continue to add to this site. If you have any questions or something to share with Dr. Rodgers, you can email her at drrodgers@tapping.org.
