LIFESAVING WORK doctors make a difference every day Imagine life-threatening A broken leg could leave a life without them Strep throat could be person unable to walk for life Doctors stop small health problems from becoming worse The world would not be the same without these medical professionals Doctors make a big difference in the lives of patients 5 CHAPTER ONE
Young women can choose from many medical fields Hundreds of these specialties exist Some deal with life-threatening diseases Others involve less serious problems Some doctors perform surgeries Others heal with medicines Medical students might even pursue research Researchers make new medicines and devices that improve lives Female Doctors and Researchers In 1930 only about 4 4 percent of doctors in the United States were women More women have been entering medicine in recent years In 1952 women earned 6 IN THE REAL WORLD A Wide Range of Careers Studying medicine can lead to interesting and unusual careers Perhaps you would enjoy working as an epidemiologist These doctors figure out the cause of diseases They work to prevent those diseases from spreading Maybe you would prefer being a school psychologist These doctors study how students develop Forensic scientists use science and medicine to solve crimes
In the 1950s relatively few medical researchers were women 5 percent of US medical degrees By 2011 that number rose to 48 percent After medical school new doctors enter residencies This is a period of advanced training In 2013 and 2014 46 percent of medical residents were women Women are making progress as doctors But the number of women in teaching and research 7
