• Jennifer McCall, Jessica Pudwell, Jamie S Pyper, and Romy Nitsch.
• From the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (McCall, Pudwell, Nitsch), Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
• J. Am. Coll. Surg. 2024 Sep 1; 239 (3): 298308298-308.

BackgroundThis project aims to characterize the extent and nature of impostor phenomenon (IP) among women surgeons in Canada. IP is well documented among medical professionals and trainees. It is known to have significant impacts on mental health and career trajectory.Study DesignWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of self-identifying women who have completed a surgical residency and currently or most recently practiced in Canada.ResultsAmong 387 respondents, 98.7% have experienced IP. Median IP score corresponded to frequent impostor feelings or high impostorism. Self-doubt affects most women surgeons for the first time during training. It tends to be most intense in the first 5 years of practice and lessens over time. One hundred twelve (31.5%) surgeons experience self-doubt in the operating room (OR). Due to self-doubt, 110 (28.4%) respondents preferred to work with a more experienced assistant in the OR, whereas 40 (10.4%) stated that they would only operate with an experienced assistant. Few surgeons take on less OR time due to self-doubt (29 [7.5%]), but 60 (16.5%) take on fewer complex cases due to self-doubt. A small but important number of surgeons (11 [2.8%]) had given up operating altogether due to self-doubt. Due to feelings of self-doubt, 107 (21.4%) respondents were hesitant to take on a leadership role in the workplace.ConclusionsIP is a nearly universal experience among women surgeons and is influential in their professional lives. This study contributes to scientific knowledge that can advance gender equity in medicine and leadership.Copyright © 2024 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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