Women discuss health care jobs

The work world can be challenging for today's women. Four women, representing the Trustees Council of Penn Women, formed a panel Thursday night to share their career experiences in health care at Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. Physician Susan Taylor, dentist Tara Sexton, nurse practioner Jane Pond and veterinarian Cindy Otto offered their advice to almost 20 women. The students questioned the panel on everything from salary discrepencies to balancing a career and a family. Taylor told anecdotes about her occasionally stressful experiences with handling a newborn in addition to practicing medicine full time. The panel also discussed the certifications needed to pursue an academic career in medicine. They said that although prestigious degrees such as masters and doctorates are helpful in obtaining security in the academic world, they are not required. Otto said that there is still a discrepency between salaries of men and women in veterinary medecine. Taylor and Sexton agreed, saying that a variety of reasons cause the discrepency. Pond said that in nursing no such discrepency exists. The panel members agreed that the respect women receive in medicine depends on each individual's situation. Sexton said that it is still a "male-dominated world," but noted that women have made significant progress. She noted that careers in medicine are as time-consuming as each individual chooses. She gave examples of peers who worked as many as seven days a week as well as people who worked only three. She said that it is possible to earn a "reasonable" living without working 80 hours a week. Taylor and Sexton extended an invitation to the students to visit their offices for a day. "I thought the . . . candidness of the panelists gave good insight into the field of health care," College sophmore Angel Bair said.