Stereotypes apparent in practice: Old attitudes die hard, female veterinarians say

摘要

For clients who feel they haven't seen a real doctor until a man walks into the room, Dr. Linda Randall has a message: Go elsewhere. The small animal and exotics practitioner from Medina County, Ohio, says she's dealt with plenty of owners harboring stereotypes in her 20-plus years of practice. And whether its because she's black or female, she just looks at them, smiles and sends them on their way. "Clients are outspoken; they'll tell you what they want," Randall says. "Four or five years ago I hada male associate, and you could really see the difference in the way clients responded to him. You could see people would trust what he had to say even though he was a new veterinarian right out of school. I've also noticed that clients really want to see male veterinarians when getting second opinions. I'll give them a list of two or three names, and they'll always choose the man."