medical essay competition 2021

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You know what’s cool about history? There’s always something new.

This summer, the AAFP Foundation’s Center for the History of Family Medicine (CHFM) announced its first essay contest for medical students and residents; essays are being accepted online through Nov. 1, 2021.

The contest goal is two-fold: to encourage the next generation of family physicians to engage with our specialty’s history, and then use the lessons learned to improve future health care.

“The pandemic has shown us why this is important,” says Rick Kellerman, MD, CHFM Board of Curators. “Our history has been very valuable in dealing with COVID-19. We can look back and see what worked and what didn’t work in past pandemics, and learn from these successes and failures.”

To enter the contest, medical students and residents must be members of the AAFP. Residents must also be enrolled in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited family medicine residency training program.

Essay topics are wide-open. The scholarly papers must simply cover a topic relevant to family medicine history in the United States. That could be anything from a day-in-the-life of a family doctor to a medical-political controversy within the specialty.

The author of the winning essay will receive $1,000 and the essay will be featured in a video at the AAFP Foundation’s 2022 National Conference. The second-place winner will receive a $500 award.

Want more details? Look here !

Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

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• October 2021
• YFA Communications Committ...

YFA Communications Committee Essay Contest 2021: An introduction

The introduction to the first-place winner of the 2021 acs yfa communications committee essay contest highlights the inspiration for this year’s theme..

Christopher DuCoin, MD, MPH, FACS

October 1, 2021

Each year, the Young Fellows Association (YFA) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Communications Committee hosts an essay contest, with previous topics ranging from surgical education to the promise of a profession . These essays are typically uplifting, inspirational, reveal insights into our careers, and motivate us to new levels of excellence.

Unfortunately, as the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was in high gear this past year, YFA members were understandably unresponsive to our call to participate in the annual essay contest. So, instead of ignoring the elephant in the room, we embraced it, staying true to the positive and problem-solving culture of the YFA. The essay topic this year is Starting 2021 off Right: Positive Lessons Learned from a Pandemic and How Medicine Has Pushed Forward.

That was all we needed to garner interest in this year’s essay contest—just a bit more time. And, maybe, that is what we all need—just a bit more time to think about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we want to be in the future. With time, more people will get vaccinated. With time, we will gain more insight into what happened last year and process this trauma. With time, we will get back to “normal,” albeit a new normal.

With the added time for the essay contest, the YFA received multiple wonderfully written, positive, and purposeful essays. Please take a few minutes to read and enjoy this essay by Laura S. Johnson, MD, FCCP, FACS. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, turn your phone on silent, enjoy your back porch, stop whatever it is you are doing, and give yourself a break; take this time to enjoy this essay.

It is important to note that Dr. Johnson’s essay was written and accepted before the recent surge associated with the COVID-19 Delta variant. Regardless of when it was written, the essay still provides unique insight that can help ground us and remind us of our calling. We welcome you to find like-minded individuals within the YFA, the Resident and Associate Society, or the ACS. Thanks for taking the time to read this introduction and Dr. Johnson’s essay.

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The BSANZ Medical Student Reflective Essay Competition

The balint society of australia and new zealand has announced the winners from the 2023 medical student reflective essay competition..

There were a record 89 entries this year, with a very high standard of writing covering a wide range of topics.  After several rounds of reviewing, the reviewers are pleased to announce the top 12 essays as listed in the table below.

Congratulations to Megan Torpey and Taneka Tezak who received The Lawrence Gilbert Memorial Prizes.  Runners up were Geetika Malhotra, Alisha Sethi, Dikshya Parajuli and Tuyen Pham.  Links to all these essays will be listed in due course.

Our thanks go to the local and international group of essay reviewers who did an amazing job this year.

Results and essays from previous competitions can also be accessed through the links listed below.

Essay requirements for the next competition in 2025 are listed as well, with a submission date expected to be in July 2025.  We look forward to hearing from you then.

Hamish Wilson (Dunedin, NZ) and Alexa Gilbert-Obrart (Sydney Australia) Conveners on behalf of the BSANZ

2025 Essay Requirements for Medical Student Writing Prize

Medical Student Writing Prize 2021 Results

There were 45 entries in 2021, with a very high standard of writing. Congratulations to Madison Booth and Stephanie Lee who received The Lawrence Gilbert Memorial Prizes.

We would like to congratulate all the students for their perceptive essays about their interactions with significant patients, as well as for their insights about the nature of clinical training and medical practice. Four essays from the 2021 competition were published in medical journals (Journal of Primary Health Care (NZ) and The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine (US)).

Many thanks to students and our reviewers who have made this essay competition such a success.

Alexa Gilbert-Obrart and Hamish Wilson On behalf of the BSANZ.

Winning essays from 2021

Too Momentous for Words , by Madison Booth (University of Queensland)

Beyond the Medical , by Stephanie Lee (Bond University)

An unexpected journey , by Thomas Swinburn (Auckland Medical School)

Homecoming , by Rebecca Gandhi (Auckland Medical School)

Further information about past winners of the Medical Student Reflective Essay Competition is available here.

Home › Essay Competition › Essay Competition Winners › 2021 Essay Competition Winner – Riya R

2021 Essay Competition Winner – Riya R

Table of Contents

Take a look at one of the winning entries to the Immerse Education Essay Competition from the Medicine category. Congratulations to all participants and in particular to those who won 100% scholarships!

by Riya R . Read Riya’s Scholarship Story Here.

How important are soft skills for medical professionals?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines soft skills as ‘personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people’. Soft skills, often referred to as transferable or professional skills, are intangible, non-technical, and are the personal character traits or qualities to help succeed in any profession. 1 For medical professionals, soft skills such as communication, teamwork, patience and compassion are vital to effectively engage with patients, their families and coworkers.

In 2007, a study of 240 medical errors by trainees, including 167 breakdowns in teamwork, identified poor non-technical skills as the main cause. By contrast, 139 errors were attributed to lack of technical competence. 2

Teamwork is a critical soft skill for medical professionals to safely and compassionately deliver patient care. In surgery, increasing effective teamwork between multi-disciplinary teams is found to decrease patient mortality rates. 3 This shows the significance of soft skills in saving lives.

Effective communication skills can help identify patient needs. Medical professionals communicate with one another and patients in various ways including written, face-to-face, and virtually. Written communication is key to making referrals, updating patient records and prescribing medication. 4

“When I define communication, I think of a new grad who is proactive, direct, open, honest, thoughtful and it’s not just about what they say, it’s how they say it,” says Jennifer O’Leary, Faculty, Genetics Technology at The Michener Institute, Canada. 5 Good communication skills include actively listening to others, processing feedback received, and reflecting on the feedback.

Surgeons are among those most resistant to acknowledging the need to brush up their speaking skills and a cause of concern for the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), UK. According to Charles Collins, Chair of the Patient Liaison Groups at RCS, “Only around 25 per cent of a surgeon’s job requires technical expertise, even less in many specialties. The rest is about communicating with patients.” 6 Surgeons need communication skills to discuss complicated procedures and help patients make informed choices. 7

Patience is an essential soft skill for medical professionals. Whether guiding a patient and family through a challenging illness, or managing staff members during a period of heavy admissions, having patience can help decompress stress and enable more effective problem-solving. 8

As medical professionals continually adopt new technologies to engage remotely with patients – as seen during the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic – there is an increasing reliance on soft skills. In light of COVID-19, the NHS has turned to remote consultations to minimise the risk of infection for staff and patients. 9 Such consultations using live video conferencing highlight a clinician’s body language and facial expressions, enabling a patient to clearly understand the message being conveyed. 10

To summarise, soft skills for medical professionals are more important than ever to deliver safe and effective patient care. An increasing dependency on technology and virtual interactions make it imperative for soft skills to be taught as part of medical and associated healthcare curricula globally.

Bibliography

1 Ashley Rego. “Soft skills: Who says they can’t be taught?” Canadian Journal of Medical Laboratory Science 79:2 (2017): 11

2 Hardeep Singh, Eric J. Thomas, MD, MPH, Laura A. Petersen, MD, MPH, “Medical Errors Involving Trainees: A Study of Closed Malpractice Claims from 5 Insurers” JAMA Internal Medicine 167:19 (2007): 2030-2036

3 Andrew Jenkinson. “Teamwork in Surgery” The Laparoscopic Consultant

https://www.laparoscopicconsultant.co.uk/pdf/teamwork-in-surgery.pdf [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

4 Evie Lee. “Effective Communication in Health and Social Care” CPD Online College (2021) https://cpdonline.co.uk/knowledge-base/care/effective-communication/ [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

5 Ashley Rego. “Soft skills: Who says they can’t be taught?” Canadian Journal of Medical Laboratory Science 79:2 (2017):11

6 Jane Feinmann . “Brushing up on doctors’ communication skills.” The Lancet. 360:9345 (2002)

7 Wendy Levinson, Pamela Hudak, Andrea C.Tricco. “A systematic review of surgeon–patient communication: Strengths and opportunities for improvement” ScienceDirect 93:1 (2013): 3-17

8 Bushardt, Reamer L. “Patience is still a virtue” JAAPA (Journal of the American Academy of PAs)

29:5 (2016): 13-14

9 British Medical Association ( BMA ) “COVID-19: video consultations and home working” (2021) https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/covid-19/adapting-to-covid/covid-19-video-consultations

-and-homeworking [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

10 P. Vermeir, D. Vandijck, S. Degroote, R. Peleman, R. Verhaeghe, E. Mortier, G. Hallaert, S. Van Daele, W. Buylaert, D. Vogelaers. “Communication in healthcare: a narrative review of the literature and practical recommendations” IJCP (The International Journal of Clinical Practice) (2015) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ijcp.12686 [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

British Medical Association ( BMA ) “COVID-19: video consultations and home working” (2021) https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/covid-19/adapting-to-covid/covid-19-video-consultations

Bushardt, Reamer L. “Patience is still a virtue” JAAPA (Journal of the American Academy of PAs)

May 2016 29:5 13-14

https://journals.lww.com/jaapa/FullText/2016/05000/Patience_is_still_a_virtue.1.aspx

Feinmann , J “Brushing up on doctors’ communication skills.” The Lancet. 360:9345 . 16 Nov. 2002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(02)11592-3

Jenkinson, A. “Teamwork in Surgery” The Laparoscopic Consultant

Lee, E. “Effective Communication in Health and Social Care” CPD Online College (2021) https://cpdonline.co.uk/knowledge-base/care/effective-communication/ [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

Levinson, W. Hudak, P. Andrea C.Tricco. “A systematic review of surgeon–patient communication: Strengths and opportunities for improvement” ScienceDirect 93:1 (2013) 3-17 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2013.03.023

P. Vermeir, D. Vandijck, S. Degroote, R. Peleman, R. Verhaeghe, E. Mortier, G. Hallaert, S. Van Daele, W. Buylaert, D. Vogelaers. “Communication in healthcare: a narrative review of the literature and practical recommendations” IJCP (The International Journal of Clinical Practice) 6 July, 2015 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ijcp.12686 [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

Rego, A. “Soft skills: Who says they can’t be taught?” Canadian Journal of Medical Laboratory Science 79:2 (2017):11

https://www.proquest.com/docview/1917630414?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true

Singh, H. Eric J. Thomas, Laura A. Petersen, David M. Studdert Arch Intern Med. JAMA Internal Medicine 167:19 (2007):2030-2036.

Why Apply To The Immerse Education Essay Competition? 

Are you a highly motivated student aged 13-18? Have you ever wanted to experience studying at Cambridge or Oxford? 

The Immerse Education essay competition allows you the chance to submit an essay for the chance to be awarded a scholarship to the award-winning Cambridge summer school . 

How To Apply To The Immerse Education Essay Competition? 

The Immerse Education annual essay competition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win a scholarship to a Cambridge or Oxford summer school . 

If you’re aged 13-18 and you’re interested in applying to the Immerse Education essay competition then please visit our essay competition page for more details.

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Medical School Expert

Medicine Essay Prizes (7 Competitions For Year 12 and 13’s)

Every article is fact-checked by a medical professional. However, inaccuracies may still persist.

Having a medical essay prize on your CV looks absolutely fantastic when it comes time for you to apply to medical school.

In such an overcrowded marketplace, anything that sets you apart from the crowd in a positive manner is sure to drastically increase your chances of getting an offer.

Although when I was applying to medical school I hadn’t managed to win an essay competition (despite my best efforts!) hopefully you’ll have more luck than me!

To save you some research time, I’ve compiled a list of 7 medicine essay competitions that you can enter this year.

Competitions that if you win will skyrocket your chances of application success.

INCLUDED IN THIS GUIDE:

The Libra Essay Prize

The Libra essay prize is an annual essay prize for all students in years 12 and 13 looking to prepare for university.

Libra Education themselves describe it as:

“An excellent way for 6th-form students to demonstrate that they have the makings of a scholar, the Libra Essay Prize offers a chance to prepare for the academic rigour required by university assignments and provides a great accomplishment to discuss on a personal statement or at an interview.”

Students are free to choose any subject from a list of categories (one of which being science) and then have to write an essay with a title containing a chosen word.

The small pool of words you can choose from change each year but are all generally quite abstract so you can connect and use them in creative ways.

The essay has to be between 1,500 – 2,000 words, with Harvard style referencing which isn’t included in the word count.

Libra accept entries from all over the world, but the essays must be written in English.

First prize wins £50, second prize £30, and third £20, all paid out in book vouchers. There’s also Commended and Highly Commended entries for each category.

Minds Underground Essay Competition

Minds Underground is an online learning platform, designed to support and enhance the learning and problem-solving of determined young students.

Every year they run a medicine essay competition, primarily aimed at year 12’s (although they do say younger or older students are also welcome to apply).

To enter, you have a choice of three questions, to which you need to write a 1,000 – 1,500 word answer.

“Should all healthcare be free? Discuss.” “What goes wrong for cancers to develop?” “Tell us about a key development/invention that you think has been most influential to medicine.” – Past Minds Underground medicine essay questions

If you’re feeling ambitious, students are permitted to enter an essay for more than one subject- so you could have a crack at the psychology or science one too!

Helpfully, under each question Minds also give you a few pointers to get your creative juices flowing.

Newnham Essay Prizes

Newnham College of the University of Cambridge runs a medicine essay competition with a twist:

Only female students are allowed to enter.

Again, students have a choice of three differing questions.

For example, the questions in the 2021-22 competition were:

• How realistic is it to develop a small molecule therapy for Covid-19? Could such a therapy be rolled out in a timeframe that it could have an impact on the current pandemic?
• Sleep deprivation in clinical health settings. Does it matter?
• Looking to the future. Will stem cell therapies be outpaced by machine-brain interfaces for the treatment of retinal disease?

Newnham do give you a bit more of a range when it comes to the word count, accepting anything from 1,500 to 2,500 words.

There’s a generous £400 prize for first place, £200 for second and £100 for third.

Unfortunately for you as an individual though, prize money is split 50:50 between the essay prize winner and the funding of resources for their school…

John Locke Institute Essay Competition

“The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics that turn good students into great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style. “

The John Locke Institute arguably gives away the most generous prize out of any competition on this list.

You get a scholarship worth $2,000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute program, as well as an invitation to their prize-giving ceremony in Oxford.

The essay questions for each subject are published in January, with the deadline for submission generally being in late June.

As well as the opportunity to secure the prize for medicine, the candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior Fellowship- which comes with a $10,000 scholarship to attend one or more of their courses!

American Society Of Human Genetics Essay Contest

Although this next essay competition comes from America, it’s open to students worldwide.

The American Society Of Human Genetics supports national DNA day through its annual DNA day essay contest: commemorating the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003 and the discovery of the double helix of DNA in 1953.

The contest is open to students in grades 9-12 worldwide and asks students to “examine, question, and reflect on important concepts in genetics.”

With a limit of only 750 words, not including reference lists, this is a short but sweet chance to bag yourself a considerable cash prize for your efforts.

In addition to the personal prize money, the ASHG will also provide you with a $1,000 grant towards genetics research or teaching materials.

Although it is a worldwide contest, so undoubtedly will have plenty of entries, there are also 10 honorable mentions up for grabs (in addition to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place) that all come with a $100 prize too.

Immerse Education Essay Competition

Immerse Education run summer programs for over 20 different subjects in Oxford, Cambridge, London and Sydney.

The reason why students get so much value from these courses is because they’re immersed in centers of academic excellence whilst learning from experts in their chosen field.

The good news for you is that their essay competition gives you the chance to attend one of their summer school programs for free.

10 winners receive a 100% scholarship and runners up are awarded partial scholarships of up to 50% to study their chosen subject.

According to Immerse, around 7% of entrants receive scholarship funding to attend a program- which is pretty good odds if you ask me!

“There is no downside to entering the competition. If you win, it is awesome. If you don’t win, you gained an experience. Entering the competition and working as hard as I did for it was one of the most gratifying experiences.” – Pedro L (100% scholarship winner)

You can find the full list of essay questions, in addition to top tips for writing academic essays (as well as the terms and conditions for the competition), simply by signing up via Immerse’s website.

The RCSU Science Challenge

The Royal College of Science Union (RCSU) is a student union at Imperial College London and run an annual science challenge open to both home and international school students.

The focus of the challenge is communicating scientific concepts in a non-technical manner, so that people without a science background could still understand and enjoy the content.

The big twist with this essay competition is that you don’t actually have to enter an essay!

The idea is to produce a ‘short piece of science communication’ which can be an essay or can be a short video in answer to one of the four questions set by the judges.

Written entries must be less than 1,000 words, whilst video entries must be less than 3 minutes and 30 seconds long.

For this competition, it’s really all about short and snappy responses that will captivate the reader whilst answering the question in a precise but easy to understand manner.

We hope to inspire those who take part in the Science Challenge to explore, develop and use their scientific skills along with their passion for their corner of science to help others see what all the excitement is about.

Why You Should Enter Medicine Essay Competitions

I think it’s fair to say that competition to get into medical school in the UK is insanely high- and it’s only getting worse.

With such large numbers of incredibly qualified candidates, medical schools have to find some way of differentiating them.

One way to make it easy for a university to pick you is to stand out from the crowd by having a medical essay prize on your application.

An essay prize demonstrates your dedication to the subject, scientific knowledge and an ability to write expressively and persuasively- all ideal qualities when it comes to being a doctor.

You may surprise yourself.

Often, not as many people as you might think enter these competitions.

Simply by writing the essay, you’re also going to greatly increase your knowledge about that particular topic, which can still come in really handy at interview.

Even if you don’t win, just discussing the fact you entered still looks good in the eyes of an interviewer.

It shows that you’re willing to go above and beyond your school curriculum, to explore subjects you’re interested in and that you’re a highly motivated candidate.

How To Increase Your Chances Of Winning An Essay Prize

Although when I was applying to medical school I didn’t manage to win an essay prize, there are a couple of things I did that would have greatly increased my chances of doing so.

First and foremost, I think you’ve got to cast your net wide.

Don’t limit yourself to just one shot at the target: if you’ve got the time then I’d recommend trying to enter at least a couple of different competitions.

More entries will mean more chances for you to have your essay officially recognised.

Secondly, if you have the choice between entering a local or national competition, I’d always go with the local one.

Although a national prize would look slightly better on your CV, simply due to the number of entries, you’ll have a much higher chance of winning the more local competition.

By local I mean this could be a more regional charity, nearby hospital or university, or even your school.

Even better yet, you could always enter both!

Lastly, I think one of the best ways you can increase your odds of winning a prize is by entering a competition around a topic that you’re genuinely passionate about.

If you’ve no interest in genetics, then I wouldn’t enter the American Society Of Human Genetics’ contest!

Your interest in the subject will come through in your language, depth of knowledge and motivation to go above and beyond for your essay- all of which will put you in a much better position for winning.

Where You Can Find Further Essay Competitions

In addition to the essay prizes described above, there are tonnes of other opportunities available for you to distinguish yourself as a medicine applicant.

Loads of the Royal Colleges run an ever changing variety of prizes and competitions, usually to encourage interest in their specialty.

The opening dates and deadlines for these prizes are always changing so it’s worth keeping an eye out for the perfect essay question or new prize that’s just been announced.

Some of these organisations that run their own competitions include:

• The Royal Society of Medicine
• Royal College of Emergency Medicine
• British Orthopaedic Association
• British Society for Haematology
• Royal College of Pathologists
• Royal College of Psychiatrists
• British Association of Dermatologists

But there are many more out there. If you have a particular interest in one specialty or area of science then I’d definitely recommend doing a bit of digging to see if there’s a society or organisation related to that field that runs their own competitions!

Final Thoughts

There really aren’t many downsides to entering one of these competitions.

You get a shot at winning, gain a talking point at interview and develop your scientific knowledge (not to mention technical writing skills).

Although you might feel that some of the smaller prizes aren’t worth your time and effort to write the essay, the real value comes from the boost one of these prizes would give your medicine application.

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Katherine Branson Essay Prize 2021 - Winner

Who Runs the World? by Beth Holmes 

In January 2020 I was in the middle of my first year of medical school, grappling with anatomy, histology and physiology. Little did I know that a viral pandemic was gathering pace around the world that was going to change my life and those of millions of others. Two months later and I was starting my first shift as a heathcare assistant in a local emergency department. My university course had been suspended, so, keen to get clinical experience and help in the NHS response, I found myself donning scrubs and a FFP3. A year on and what have I and the rest of the world learnt?

In the male dominated political space, female world leaders have shone in their responses to the Covid pandemic. Whilst Jacinda Arden, Tsai Ing-wen and Angela Merkel gained global attention with their countries’ comparatively low death rates, Boris Johnson was criticised for a sluggish response to the health risks posed by the virus and for outsourcing PPE contracts to friends (1).  Meanwhile, in the similarly male dominated arena of science, women like Professor Sarah Gilbert and Dr Ozlem Tureci have also been at the forefront of vaccine breakthroughs that are turning the tide of the pandemic (2). More than ever before this global crisis has highlighted the value of gender diversity in our society. So, what is it that has led to their success? And more importantly, what we all learn from them?

• Non-Verbal Communication

Traditionally it has been thought that women need to emulate male leadership styles and non–verbal communication (NVC) to compete in male dominated fields. Research on televised interviews during the pandemic, however, found that female leaders displayed typically feminine NVC (3). Women expressed empathy and compassion though their voice, eye contact and facial expressions. Comparatively, men were found to portray competitive, threatening and fear-arousing gestures. Whilst female leaders’ NVC acted to enhance their leadership during the crisis, their male counterparts aroused feelings of antagonism (3).

• Verbal Communication.

The language used by world leaders strongly influences levels of public trust (4). This is especially pertinent during a pandemic when the most effective method to save lives is to ask whole populations to reduce social contact to a minimum. On analysis of pandemic speeches, female leaders were found to express more emotive and empathetic statements, compared to male leaders who focused on a ‘wartime’ intimidation approach (4). In New Zealand 88% of people reported trusting their Governments’ response to the pandemic (5). Jacinda Arden’s ability to be openly ‘emotional’, whilst usually condemned in leadership, aligned with the national response to the pandemic.

• Collaborative Decision making

Countries with low transmission and death rates were characterised by swift decisions on national restrictions. Often women leaders are criticised for being risk averse. During the pandemic, however, the prioritisation of health over economy, actively collaborating with science experts, and the ability to act decisively demonstrated an active willingness by females in power to take risks in the best interests of their countries (1)(4)(5). New Zealand locked down when it had 102 cases and 0 deaths. Comparatively UK had 6,500 cases and over 330 deaths. Whilst Boris Johnson ignored scientific advice, women acted on it (6).

The current crisis has highlighted the vital role that women play in society. Over 70% of the NHS workforce are women, and an even higher proportion of care home workers (7). Women were at the forefront of the Covid response, exposing themselves and their families to risk. The role of teachers, another female dominated workforce, became evident as the whole country has discovered how difficult it is to home-school, and the Government have prioritised the re-opening of schools to ensure businesses can re-open fully. Women, however, have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, taking on the burden of carer responsibilities, consequently being more likely to lose their jobs and have reductions in income (8). It has been hypothesised that the drop in scientific papers published by women during the pandemic may be partially a result of such increased unpaid responsibilities (8). The lack of women in policy spaces means such barriers for women have not yet been adequately addressed (9).

This year has made me re-evaluate my future. Having previously believed that the Emergency Department was too ‘macho’ for me, I have discovered how much I enjoy a fast-paced environment, where team cohesion, shared leadership and compassion are vital. I have stepped out of my comfort zone and seen other women do the same. From fellow healthcare professionals working under enormous stress, to politicians and scientists, women have stepped up and out of the shadows. Let us hope that society starts to acknowledge that whilst men have traditionally run the world, women have the skillset required to do it better.

• Garikipati, S. and Kambhampati, U., 2021.  Leading the Fight Against the Pandemic: Does Gender ‘Really’ Matter? . [online] SSRN. Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3617953 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3617953> [Last Accessed 28 March 2021].
• UN Women. 2021.  Women in science who are making a difference during the pandemic . [online] Available at: < https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2021/2/compilation-women-in-science-leading-during-the-pandemic> [Last Accessed 28 March 2021].
• Grebelsky-Lichtman, T. and Katz, R., 2020. Gender Effect on Political Leaders’ Nonverbal Communicative Structure during the COVID-19 Crisis.  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 17(21), p.7789.
• Dada, S., Ashworth, H., Bewa, M. and Dhatt, R., 2021. Words matter: political and gender analysis of speeches made by heads of government during the COVID-19 pandemic.  BMJ Global Health , 6(1), p.e003910.
• Wilson, S., 2020. Pandemic leadership: Lessons from New Zealand’s approach to COVID-19.  Leadership , 16(3), pp.279-293.
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