"This work is really fascinating" - An interview with Nieves Gonzalo
Dr Gonzalo agrees to answer our questions to give us her impressions and share her experience as a woman interventional cardiologist in Spain.
I wish that gender would no longer be an issue influencing the decision to hire somebody.
Why are there still so relatively few women interventional cardiologists? Do you think that working conditions (e.g. exposure to radiation) may be an impediment on women embarking on this career path?
I think that many women feel like they will have problems to develop their career in this field because of several aspects such as:
- exposure to radiation and influence on maternity plans
- intense load of on-duty or on-call hours
- lack of role models given the limited number of women in this specialty.
Nieves Gonzalo
What made you choose this specialty?
The continuous and fast development of new technologies to improve patient care. This specialty is in continuous evolution and has changed dramatically since I started my practice.
Furthermore, is it very rewarding because it gives you the possibility to provide immediate relief to patients in critical situations such as acute myocardial infarction.
What is the main obstacle you have encountered to become an interventional cardiologist? How did you manage to overcome this?
I've had the luck to be lead by a head of the Interventional Cardiology Department who was a woman in the hospital where I trained, so I've always been encouraged when I decided to follow this path.
My main obstacle was the need of planning my maternity in a period when I was in an intense part of my training. However, I had the luck of working in a team of colleagues who were understanding and helpful in this regard.
From your point of view, what are the main assets you may have as a woman, compared with your male colleagues?
I think that both men and women can do the same work, and I wish that, in the future, gender would no longer be an issue influencing the decision to hire somebody for a job.
In general, the empathy component may be more developed in women and this could be an asset in patient care.
Do you feel your patients have a different attitude to you because you are a woman? Do you feel your colleagues treat you differently because you are a woman?
Some patients may treat you differently when you are a woman, especially if you are young, but I understand this is related to cultural and educational aspects and hopefully, it will improve in the future.
I have never experienced that my colleagues treated me differently for being a woman but as I just mentioned, I have had the privilege of working in an Interventional Cardiology Department with several women among the staff.
What advice can you provide to young women fellows wishing to pursue a career in interventional cardiology?
I would advise them to follow a career in Interventional Cardiology because it is a very rewarding work with tremendous potential for personal and professional development.
Luckily, every year we are more women in this field and I believe conditions will improve in the future.
Another important aspect is to make sure that choosing this career does not limit one's personal life (you can be an Interventional Cardiologist and a mother if that is what you want!).
This work is really fascinating and anyone who feels passionate about it should be able to follow this path independently of her/his gender.
