Women who are doctors face far more challenges than their male counterparts. They suffer bias, burnout, and discrimination throughout their careers. Still, there are several things that they can do to further their careers.

1. Don’t Wait for an Invitation

In the medical field, women don’t get invitations to meetings, discussions, symposiums, and the like as often as men. So, when that happens, women should just show up. After all, if they have the qualifications, experience, and skills, then they should be included in relevant discussions. Gender is irrelevant when it comes to knowledge and skill as physicians. As Representative Shirley Chisholm once famously said, “If they don’t offer you a seat at the table, then bring a folding chair.”

2. Be Brave

In society, women are taught to be meek and pleasant, not to have opinions, and never to “cause a ruckus.” Women who are physicians cannot be any of those things. Making decisions about people’s health, let alone life-and-death decisions, precludes societal teaching on women. So, as a qualified, experienced, and skilled physician, a woman should speak her mind as a true equal. Otherwise, she risks being walked upon by her male colleagues and not taken seriously.

3. Stay Mentally Healthy

Physicians of all genders are taught to prioritize others and to neglect themselves. This has had tragic consequences, which can be seen in the rate at which physicians face mental illnesses. Women who are doctors have a much higher rate of mental illness than women who are not doctors. That means that women must take time for themselves away from the job. This will not only reduce the rate of mental illness in female doctors but also increase the quality and efficacy of the care they provide to their patients.

4. Practice Continuing Education

Medicine is not a static field. There are new discoveries and new research all the time. Doctors should read. They should attend conferences and take additional classes. They should do their own research if it suits their fancy. They should explore as many ways to learn as possible to be able to keep up with the exponentially changing medical world.

5. Become a Mentor

There’s a very old saying: “The best way to learn is to teach.” Up-and-coming physicians of all genders benefit greatly from mentors. But, what’s not widely known is that mentors themselves benefit from the mentor-mentee relationship. They can develop leadership qualities and gain valuable experience. By proving themselves as excellent mentors and teachers, female physicians can increase their chances of promotion and developing career prestige.

6. Join a Professional Medical Association or Society

The chief benefit of joining such an association or society is the chance for networking. As the saying goes, “There is always someone smarter than you.” So, doctors can benefit from being able to ask colleagues to consult on tough cases. Also, someone who is exceptionally experienced and skilled can be asked to consult on such tough cases. The sense of camaraderie is strong, too, which can help contribute to a doctor’s mental-health stability.