Celebrating our Female Examiners on International Women’s Day 2023

08 Mar 2023

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, the College has reached out to our women examiners to reflect on their important contribution to education and training and encourage more female participation in College life. As it stands, there is still a notable gender gap present in examination boards across medical disciplines. The College is committed to supporting more women to be involved in delivering exams, inspiring young trainees with an exam board that is reflective of their working environment. Read below the responses from some of our examiners who work on behalf of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

Dr Katherine Willmer PACES International Chair and examiner

Why do you feel it is important that more women are involved in examinations?

Every physician should seriously consider becoming involved in the PACES examinations.  This is particularly true currently of women as there is a marked imbalance between the number of male and female examiners whereas the number of male to female candidates is evenly matched.  Ideally the characteristics of the examiners should match the characteristics of the candidates and therefore, at this time, more women should be stepping forward to become examiners.  This should not stop the men getting involved as well – everyone from all backgrounds is welcome!

What aspect do you find the most rewarding as an examiner for the College?

Becoming a PACES examiner is hugely rewarding in so many ways.  Without doubt it improves and maintains my own clinical skills and is an aid to keeping up to date with advances in all fields rather than just my own.  In addition, the first 12 hours of examining counts as clinical external CPD without having to move out of my own hospital (we run the exams 3 times per year).  It is an activity that encourages great networking with the other examiners (a large number of whom also work in my own hospital so it creates good interdepartmental working as well) and, as a bonus, after many years of hosting the exam I have been lucky to have had the opportunity to examine abroad several times in a wide variety of other cultures which has enabled me to see a large number of diseases that are rare in the UK but becoming increasingly common due to the increasing mobility of the world population.

What advice would you give to other women in College who are interested in getting involved but might not know where to start?

If you are lucky enough to work in a hospital where the examination is run and want to become an examiner, just approach the consultant who hosts the examination and talk to them and they can take you through the process, regardless of which college you belong to and which college the hospital is affiliated to.  If you don’t, the best thing to do is to get in touch with your parent college’s PACES examination department (the team at RCPSG is superb) who can guide you through the process and assist in getting you in touch with other examiners/hosts nearby.  If your own college is not currently recruiting examiners, consider affiliating yourself to an alternative college who is (which is what I and two of my colleagues have done through RCPSG).  I can thoroughly recommend Glasgow as a great college to become an examiner for!

Professor Jackie Taylor MBE, Past President, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, PACES International Chair and examiner

Why do you feel it is important that more women are involved in examinations?

Women now make up 40% of the consultant physician workforce, and 52% of HSTs in medicine, yet examiner panels are frequently still male dominated. I believe that it is important for examiners to mirror the workplace in all respects as far as possible. I think a diverse, inclusive examiner group gives candidates more confidence in the process. Particularly for female candidates, seeing women as examiners, gives them encouragement that this is something that they too can achieve.  I act as a Chair of Examiner Panels in the UK and also for International PACES. Women are very under-represented in these roles and we are desperately keen to change that.

What aspect do you find the most rewarding as an examiner for the College?

It might be stating the obvious but the most rewarding part of being an examiner is seeing candidates pass! For me, it’s also about creating the conditions to allow candidates to perform at their very best in an exam situation. Being an examiner is fantastic CPD: I always learn something new and very much enjoy finding clinical signs. It’s also a great opportunity to meet with colleagues from other specialties, and there are fewer ways of doing that as we all become more specialized. I find it rewarding to know that by being an examiner, I am helping to maintain a standard which is recognised around the world, and that this ultimately improves patient safety and quality of care.

What advice would you give to other women in College who are interested in getting involved but might not know where to start?

Getting involved as a PACES examiner is easier than you might think. First of all if you are unsure whether or not it’s for you, speak informally to any current examiner: if you don’t know any, contact the exams department at the College- pacesexaminers@rcpsg.ac.uk – who can put you in touch with someone. If you would like to become a PACES examiner, please visit  https://rcpsg.ac.uk/work-with-us/become-a-paces-examiner to ensure that you fulfil the criteria and download the application form! I look forward to examining with you.

Professor Christine A. Goodall, Dean of Faculty of Dental Surgery

Why do you feel it is important that more women are involved in examinations?

It’s up to us to be positive role models for other female clinicians, you can’t be what you can’t see.  We can support our younger female colleagues to be the examiners and senior college figures of the future. There’s no better way to do that that than being with them on the first big milestones in their careers.

What aspect do you find the most rewarding as an examiner for the College?

Seeing people do well and sharing in their success knowing that our examinations help them to progress in their careers no matter where they are in the world or what branch of dentistry they choose to go into. You only have to attend one graduation ceremony to know what a sense of pride they and their families have in their achievements.

What advice would you give to other women in College who are interested in getting involved but might not know where to start?

Don’t be held back that feeling that you are not good enough, or bright enough or senior enough, you are all of those things, so just do it.

If you, or someone you know, are interested in becoming an examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, please follow the links to our examinations page for full guidance on requirements and application forms.

PACES: Becoming a PACES Examiner – information and application form

FRCS Ophthalmology: Invitation to Become an Examiner- information and application form

Dental Surgery: Exams and Assessments

Categories: College, Engagement, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion