Background: In a surgical field, where surgeons are, "sometimes wrong, but never in doubt," lack of confidence can have detrimental effects on career advancement. In other fields there is evidence that a gap exists between women and men in the amount of confidence they display, and that confidence is a proxy for success.
Methods: This study used the General Self Efficacy Scale and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale confidence surveys to assess self confidence amongst female trainees and attending plastic surgeons, to search for baseline characteristics associated with higher confidence scores.
Results: Of the 73 participants, protective factors associated with increased female plastic surgeon confidence include age, parity, more advanced academic status, and mentorship.
Conclusions: In order to matriculate into a surgical training program, there must be a measure of confidence and resiliency, but further work needs to be done to identify and address gender gaps in training and early academic careers.
Keywords: Confidence; Gender differences; Gender disparity; Surgical education; Women surgeons.
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