Women in Intensive Care Medicine

What is WICM?

In 2016, to coincide with International Women’s Day, the Faculty released a series of short statements from inspiring women working and training in ICM. The articles were very well received and demonstrated an appetite amongst our members for encouraging, inspiring and supporting women to fulfil their Intensive Care ambitions. Building on this and with commitment from the Faculty Board and the Careers, Recruitment and Workforce Committee the Faculty have created a new virtual Sub-Committee called Women in Intensive Care (WICM).

55% of medical graduates are female, examining the reasons for a deficit in gender distribution from postgraduate training to consultancy is essential, as is supporting those doctors who have already chosen ICM training and those considering it for their future.

WICM's aims

WICM aims to specifically address why fewer women than men pursue a career in ICM. Addressing gender imbalance is necessary to secure diversity of our critical care teams. Diversity is imperative to ICM, critical illness is not gender specific, nor are great intensivists.

The deficit in ICM is slowly changing with female trainee numbers increasing each year. WICM aims to enhance representation for women in both ICM recruitment and in the ICM

What do we do?

• Educate to recruit - raise the profile of ICM at undergraduate and postgraduate level
• Support to retain - advocate for female doctors in training and in consultant posts
• Explore to remove barriers -  identify and address reason for gender inequality
• Network to create a community -  be part of something critical in the development of ICM in the UK