Working her way up through the ranks of the medical industry wasn’t easy for Theresa Jacques.
Starting from the bottom she saw very few women before her reach senior positions.
Now as St George Hospital Director of the Intensive Care Unit and a Associate Professor she hopes to encourage young women entering the science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) industries.
She spoke to a group of high school students on Tuesday as part of Kogarah Council’s International Women’s Day event.
‘’There have been few women in my position and it has been a bumpy road,’’ she said.
‘’There has been challenges with conscious or unconscious bias and intensive care is particularly challenging.
‘’We are the pioneers so hopefully young women won’t have to go through what we went through.’’
She said an experience 30 years ago particularly sticks out.
‘’A senior surgeon said to me ‘If you can’t stand the heat get out of the fire.’ That made me tougher,’’ she said.
She said the STEMM industries were behind the ball when it came to gender equality.
‘’In medicine the undergraduate level is almost equitable,’’ she said.
‘’But the number of women in senior levels doesn’t reflect the number of women coming into the industry.’’
She said fighting the gender imbalance was something that people and the community need to address.
‘’There should be guidelines in recruitment to encourage women into the senior ranks,’’ she said.
‘’There should be more female editors for scientific journals so woman can have a voice.
‘’People, both male and female, should call out gender inequality when they see it.’’
She hopes to pass on what she’s learned on her way to the top.
‘’Ignore the naysayers and be prepared for a bumpy road,’’ she said.
‘’You’re never too old to learn but it’s important to have a balanced life.
‘’It is achievable if you want it.’’