Although women comprise over half of medical school graduates, they only make up about 30% of emergency medicine physicians and less than 10% of the EM academic leadership. But at FIX, it felt like they were all in one room, and it was awesome.
In September of 2019, I got the opportunity to attend FIX, which is the Fem in EM Idea Exchange conference. This conference comprises of two days full of wonderful TEDTalk-style speakers and great networking opportunities. The general atmosphere is one of mutual encouragement and support for female medical professionals, most of whom are in emergency medicine. This third year of the conference was held in New York City and grew from less than 100 attendees the first year to over 800 this year. Needless to say, it's a popular place to be.
While getting to hang out in NYC for a few days was certainly a perk, I think the most valuable part of this experience was taking the ideas brought up there and bringing them back to the program. I listened to inspirational talks on a wide array of topics ranging from what the medical sector can do to decrease carbon emissions to the importance of mentorship and how to improve care in the emergency department for patients undergoing miscarriages. I went from being on the edge of my seat to holding back tears and standing ovations. I don't think there's quite another conference like it out there, and I am very thankful to the program for giving me this opportunity. Now to take those ideas and put them into action!
Andra Farcas, MD - PGY3