September marks Women in Medicine Month, and we’re celebrating the women of Hayes Locums—the paths they have carved out for themselves as women in medicine, the pride they take in their work, and the incredible impact they’ve had on the communities in which they work.
We’re sharing the experiences of women physicians and APPs in our community: the challenges they’ve faced, how they’ve found work-life balance through locums, and the importance of mentorship in shaping their careers.
Here’s what they had to say:
On taking unconventional paths to medicine
No matter what route you take to medicine, the women that we have the privilege to work with are an example of how passion and determination can lead to successful medical careers at any stage.
“I did not get here by the ‘normal’ route. I was a medical technician in a blood bank for 20 years before I went to medical school at 38 years old.”
–Dr. Sue Prill, Oncologist
“I was a psychiatric social worker before I decided to go into nursing. Then a colleague introduced me to their wife, who was a CRNA. She invited me to come with her into the OR, where I watched her administer a spinal anesthetic and take care of her patient during knee surgery. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I was hooked from that moment and switched to anesthesia.”
“At first, I thought I wanted to study international business because I liked languages and people, but I felt like something was missing. I talked to the guidance counselor…and I switched majors [to health sciences].
In medical school, [I never thought I would want to do surgery]. But during my first clinical rotation, my first surgery was a cochlear implant surgery, and I loved it. Helping patients with hearing and communication tied into my passion for language and communication, and a lot of the surgery was performed under a microscope, which tied into my microbiology experience. That was when I first realized that I was going to love being an ENT.”
–Dr. Gia Marotta, Otolaryngologist
On not having to choose between your professional and personal lives
Achieving work-life balance is a concern for any physician—especially those with families. However, these women demonstrate that you don’t have to choose between a career you love and what matters to you outside of work—you can balance both.
“Most women surgeons have families. For women considering medicine in surgery as a career, although there will be sacrifices, you don’t have to sacrifice your family. You can be a mother and a surgeon. It’s very doable, and it’s becoming much more common.”
–Dr Mary Arbuthnot, Pediatric Surgeon
“[I think it’s] a fallacy to think you can ever achieve true ‘balance.’ It implies homeostasis. There will always be pressures, and the pressures will change as you go through all the phases of having a family. You want a job that allows for occasionally shifting your day for family emergencies.”
–Locum Tenens Urologist
“When I had a traditional job, I felt like I was only half a doctor and half a mom. When I was home, I was always thinking about my patients, and when I was at work, I was thinking about what to make for dinner. With locums, my typical schedule involves working 7-10 days per month, and then for the rest of the month, I can focus on being home. Not only do I get more days at home with my kids, the days I’m home, I don’t have to worry about work at all. I love being able to be 100% doctor and 100% mom. It’s so satisfying.”
On developing a schedule that fits your priorities
A challenge we hear about often is balancing family, work, and free time. However, female physicians around the country are increasingly taking control of their schedules to find a balance that works for them through locums.
“After working my 70-hour work weeks, locums allows me to choose what and when to work, allowing time for family and time to enjoy traveling.”
–Dr. Sue Prill, Oncologist
“I’m able to balance my free time better than I could when I was working full-time in a hospital. Requesting time off is more accessible in locums, and I can request it without feeling bad about it. I finally feel like I have control over my schedule. I want to be able to go home every weekend where I’m grounded, rejuvenated, and reconnected with my real life.”
–Rebecca Van Leeuwen, CRNA
On the importance of mentorship
Strong mentorship—especially from other women practitioners—is one of the key ingredients to success for women in medicine. It can help providers navigate some of the unique challenges that women face in the medical field and build a foundation for success for future women in medicine.
“Finding acceptance by my male peers and having to prove my dedication to my profession was challenging. That’s why mentorship is so important. Upcoming female physicians need to know their value, and mentorship can help with that. They need to understand they have choices in choosing their place in the medical field.”
–Dr. Sue Prill, Oncologist
“[There are challenges that come with being a female physician]. It’s an everyday occurrence to be mistaken for a nurse by both patients and hospital personnel—no matter what I’m wearing, or what’s written on my badge. It does not interfere with my ability to do the job—but it is weird, even after over 20 years.
Women physicians also tend to make less. Statistically, we spend a little more time with patients and our patients fare a little better compared to male physicians, yet we make less money overall.
That’s why I recommend mentoring at the start of your medical career. With the special challenges women in medicine—and especially the challenges that women in surgery face—mentoring should be a given.”
–Locum Tenens Urologist
“I thought urology was a specialty that was for men, by men. I didn’t have any inclination that there was any room for a woman to become a urologist, certainly not a Black woman. I didn’t see myself as a surgeon either, at this point. I didn’t have representations of diversity in these specialties at all. But when I was a second-year medical student, we were given a brief lecture by Dr. Lenaine Westney, who was the Interim Chair of Urology at the University of Texas, Houston medical school at the time. I was amazed and starstruck that this was a Black woman who was a urologist. [She showed me that] it’s not just for men—here’s a whole subspecialty of urology that is primarily focused on women. And I thought: this is what I want to do with my life.”
–Dr. Fenwa Milhouse, Urologist
On how they’re making an impact in medicine
We’re lucky to work with incredible women physicians who’ve made a tremendous impact in the communities where they practice medicine: by helping people when they’re at their most vulnerable, treating each patient as a whole person, and handling any situation they come across with professionalism and care.
“I had a patient…who had been newly diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. He and his wife didn’t speak any English, and it became rapidly clear that they didn’t understand the scope of his brain tumor. They were very clearly under the impression that we were going to fix him, and things would be fine.
I ended up spending an hour to two every day in his room, talking to this family through the interpreter, answering their questions, and trying to get them to understand the scope of the problem and think about the future. I dreaded it every day because I hate giving bad news, and I had to give bad news over and over again. Every day, they had new questions, and with the interpreter, the process of answering them was slow.
When I rotated off his service, the matriarch of the family told me through an interpreter that she could tell that I had a very kind and giving spirit. They all gave me big bear hugs, and we were all crying. Up until that point, I didn’t know if the time I had spent with them had made a difference, because I knew they were frustrated that we couldn’t just fix him. But in the end, they were so appreciative, and it had clearly meant a lot to them. It was a moment when I really loved medicine.”
“I really like being able to help people in their most vulnerable time. To be able to use testing and resources in an emergency setting and come up with care plans in a much quicker time period—it aligns so well with my personality and the way my brain works.”
–Jody Sherman, Emergency Medicine PA
“[I’m proud to have] survived with my integrity in place. I have the wealth of 20+ years in practice, so I can handle almost any hospital situation I encounter in my specialty—with both confidence and humility.”
–Locum Tenens Urologist
“I really like being able to help people in their most vulnerable time. I’ve been lucky enough to have a very steady and secure work life and to hold a lot of leadership roles. And it’s because I absolutely love what I do.”
–Jody Sherman, Emergency Medicine PA
“I really do believe that when I treat patients, I’m treating the whole person…It’s about offering choice, guiding patients, and partnering with them on their journey. That’s my philosophy when it comes to treatment and medicine.”
–Dr. Erika Larson, Psychiatrist
At Hayes Locums, we’re proud to celebrate the women in medicine every day and to support them in achieving their career goals through locum tenens.
