The only constant is change. And the male-dominated field of surgery is in for more demographic changes in the near future. More than half of the recent class of surgery residency applicants were women. Some residency programs, some of the best in the country, this year accepted all-female, or nearly all-female classes. These surgical residency classes reflects dramatic changes from even twenty years ago, when the opposite was common. 

When a person graduates from medical school, they begin their training in their chosen medical specialty through a residency program. Where a person ends up for their residency is not a straightforward apply-interview-hire type arrangement. Instead, placement in a residency program is done through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). The candidates apply and interview at residency programs, and rank their choices. The residency programs in turn rank the candidates that they interviewed. The NRMP then matches the students to the programs based on how each ranked the other.

As a result this year eleven of twelve surgery interns (first year residents) at Stanford are female, and seven of eight at the University of Washington are female. This reflects a continued demographic shift where more and more women enter the surgery field. While historically predominantly male, slightly less than half of surgeons today are women. This will continue to shift as women continue to comprise more than half of incoming classes of surgeons. 

There is a lot to celebrate in the demographic shifts of surgical residency classes, from a patient perspective, from a malpractice perspective, and from a cultural perspective. Evidence shows that diversity in the medical practice, specifically in what is called demographic concordance, improves clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Especially in historically underrepresented population groups.