The 11th of February has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The purpose of the day is to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls and to further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
At present, less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women. According to UNESCO data (2014 - 2016), only around 30 per cent of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. The British Society of Echocardiography welcomes the opportunity to highlight the contribution of the many female scientists in the echo community. Encouraging young women to ask questions is a key facet of our approach to inspiring greater involvement in STEM.
As part of our work to encourage young women into science and specifically, cardiac science, our intrepid reporter Flora, 12, caught up with Lucy, Cardiac Physiologist at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Flora: How old were you when you realised you wanted to work in healthcare science?
Lucy: 22! I had no idea the career existed until I saw the job vacancy as I flicked through the paper one evening. I studied Applied Animal Science at university and was pursuing a career in the animal industry as I had grown up with horses and dogs. The advert for a trainee cardiac physiologist sounded really interesting and I really liked the idea of going back to university and having the opportunity to study again. I thought it was worth a visit to the cardiac department just to see what the job entailed and immediately knew that this is what I wanted to do.
Flora: What training did you have to go through to become a cardiac physiologist?
Lucy: I did a degree in Clinical Physiology on a part time basis while I worked at the hospital. I began by learning ECGs with the ATO team. I remember finding it a bit of a shock to the system to suddenly find myself running to cardiac arrests pushing an ECG machine! Once I had mastered ECGs including ambulatory monitoring and exercise tests, I moved to the Cath lab and pacemaker clinic. I loved the lab and was really pleased with my career choice but when I started to learn echo I realised that’s where I wanted to be.
Flora: What do you enjoy most about your job?
Lucy: I think one of the great benefits of being a cardiac physiologist is that it’s a great mix of science and patient care. Writing reports and being involved in research and training all satisfy my love of science and physiology in particular, but the job also requires lots of patient contact which is possibly the most enjoyable aspect for me. Knowing that you have made a difference to a patient whether it be through an interaction or spotting a diagnosis that might have been missed gives me lots of job satisfaction.
Flora: Do you think the fact you are a woman has any effect on your job?
Lucy: In my experience the cardiac physiology workforce are predominantly female and certainly during my career our department has been led by some strong female leads. I hope that cardiac physiologists in general don’t feel the effects of inequality the way some other scientific careers do. I don’t think any career is however entirely immune and I often find that other healthcare workers and patients will address any questions to the male trainee I’m standing next to rather than me!
Flora: What advice would you give to any young women considering a career in cardiac physiology?
Lucy: Do it! Also don’t be in a rush to specialise in one area. I specialised in echo early in my career and for me it was 100% the right decision but I have seen friends and colleagues who have limited their opportunities by specialising too early and regretted their decision. Aim to do everything and see everything, it will make you a much more rounded physiologist even if you do decide to specialise further down the line.
Many thanks to Flora and Lucy for their insightful discussion!