Some people believe that women are unable to be both successful in their field and manage to be good mothers at the same time. Specifically in the medical field, it is thought that in order for a woman to gain a dominant position, they must completely devote themselves to their work and give up all unrelated activities. Dr. Maria Griffiths is an example of a woman who has completely shattered this belief. She has found great success in her career while still raising a family and being involved in a number of other activities she is passionate about. Dr. Griffiths is a board certified pediatric anesthesiologist that specializes in pain management. At work she is entrusted with her patients' lives as she administers anesthetic and is responsible for monitoring the their wellbeing throughout the surgery. Dr. Griffiths has worked hard to obtain a prestigious position in the medical field, and continues to work hard to be a dynamic community member and a devoted mother to her four children.
Dr. Griffith’s journey to becoming a physician started out a little easier than most. She was accepted into a six year combined undergraduate and medical school program at Kent State University and began her medical education right out of high school. This program ensured her a spot at Northeastern Ohio College of Medicine, provided that she maintained a certain GPA and scored well on the MCAT. Not only did this program cut off two years of school, but also because her father was a professor at Kent State University, her undergraduate education was free. “I was very lucky financially,” Dr. Griffiths states. “I did not have any large financial burdens, and this allowed me to really focus during undergrad.” As part of her six year, fast-track program she had to attend classes year round all while doing research, volunteering, and shadowing. Her hard work in school did eventually pay off as she landed a residency position at the Cleveland Clinic, one of America’s top five hospitals in the country.
Dr. Griffiths acknowledges that the biggest challenge she had to face on her journey to become a physician was being a woman in the medical field during the 1980s. During this time in our society “women were just nurses and the men were doctors,” Dr. Griffiths recalls. Although she may not have been the first woman to receive a doctor of medicine degree, it was not yet commonplace for a woman to be working in the medical field during this time. Because of this, Dr. Griffiths was faced with numerous, additional obstacles throughout medical school and residency.
In the 1980s, Northeastern Ohio College of Medicine’s physician’s lounge was directly connected to the male locker room, preventing females from being able to converse with the surgeons during their down time. “You’re just not going to learn as much talking to the nurses as the males who are with all of the surgeons in their lounge,” Dr. Griffiths states. On top of this physical separation, she says, “I also had to work a little harder with the older male surgeons to prove myself.” Because these men grew up in a time where it was unheard of for women to work anywhere else but in the home, Dr. Griffiths felt that she had to go above and beyond her male colleagues to gain the respect of her superiors.
Nevertheless, Dr. Griffiths never let these obstacles prevent her from reaching her goals. Even with all of these additional challenges that came along with being a woman, Dr. Griffiths was appointed the first female chief of surgery and later the first female chief of staff at Medina Hospital in Northeastern Ohio. Dr. Griffiths has also received numerous honors including a fellowship grant from the Canton Medical foundation for outstanding performance in Internal Medicine, and The Donald S. Nelson Award for excellence in pediatric anesthesia.
Although Dr. Griffiths has seen a great amount of success in her career, she still has to work very hard at her job everyday. Dr. Griffiths is a contract physician affiliated with a number of different hospitals and outpatient surgery centers in Northeastern Ohio. She typically works about 45-60 hours a week, including the hours that she is on call for any emergency surgeries in the area. Scheduled surgeries generally begin around 7:30 a.m., so on a typical day she arrives by 6:30 a.m. in order to set up her operating room and check all of her equipment. Then, if she isn’t on call, her day typically ends by 4:00 p.m. “The hours aren’t too bad,” Dr. Griffiths says. “When you’re done, you’re done. Being an anesthesiologist, I don’t get late night calls from patient’s about pain or nausea. Those go to the surgeon or the patient’s primary care physician.” Dr. Griffiths is lucky because she is able to leave her work at work, so that when she gets home she can focus her time and energy on other aspects of her life.
In addition to this packed work schedule, Dr. Griffiths is also involved in a number of other activities in her community. She has been passionate about education and involved with libraries her whole life. She has held a position on her district library board for seven years and also served as the president of her local library branch. Dr. Griffiths is also very immersed in her church and teaches catechism on the weekends. She is active politically as well, and helps with local elections through her position in Leadership Medina County.
Besides being a commendable physician and an active community member, Dr. Griffiths expresses that she is most importantly a mother. She has four children between the ages of 12 to 19. She makes it a priority to come home from work and help her kids with their homework and cheer them on at all of their tournaments and recitals. However, she does admit that sometimes “the balance isn’t always right” and she does miss important events. When asked more about this she responded, “When I look at my friends, they’re a better mom because they stay at home, but I’m a better mom because I work. I would be miserable if I stayed at home so my kids would be miserable too.” Dr. Griffiths loves the excitement and stimulation that is a part of her everyday job, and when she comes home she makes sure that she can give her all to everyone and everything that she is committed to.
Because she works a large number of hours during the week and has many other commitments, the Griffiths do not waste any time off that they have together as a family. “If we’re on vacation we’re packing everything in. When I have the time, I spend it with my kids.” Dr. Griffiths’ number one priority is her family, so she makes sure that all of her free time is spent with the ones she loves doing things that they all love. “I realize that my husband and I don’t really do a lot without our kids. If it’s not a family event, we most likely aren’t going to do it.” Dr. Griffiths has made it clear that family time comes first. She strives to be diligent with her time so she can be an involved parent while still living her dream of being a pediatric anesthesiologist.
It is clear that Dr. Griffiths has worked hard all of her life to be the successful woman that she is today. She has faced adversities in obtaining her degree and position in the medical community because of her gender. She works long hours at her current position and is a part of the Medina Hospital administration board. She is also committed to her church, library, and local politicians through Leadership Media County. Despite all of these obstacles and obligations, Dr. Griffiths has been able to find an enormous amount of success in her career and is also able to be an engaged and loving mother of four children. Not only has she been instrumental in breaking the glass ceiling for women in the medical field, she has also shown that women are capable of working fulltime and pursing their passions while still being good mothers. Dr. Griffiths is an inspiration for all women pursing a medical degree and an example of how women are capable of overcoming any obstacle or stereotype.
Dr. Griffiths acknowledges that the biggest challenge she had to face on her journey to become a physician was being a woman in the medical field during the 1980s. During this time in our society “women were just nurses and the men were doctors,” Dr. Griffiths recalls. Although she may not have been the first woman to receive a doctor of medicine degree, it was not yet commonplace for a woman to be working in the medical field during this time. Because of this, Dr. Griffiths was faced with numerous, additional obstacles throughout medical school and residency.
In the 1980s, Northeastern Ohio College of Medicine’s physician’s lounge was directly connected to the male locker room, preventing females from being able to converse with the surgeons during their down time. “You’re just not going to learn as much talking to the nurses as the males who are with all of the surgeons in their lounge,” Dr. Griffiths states. On top of this physical separation, she says, “I also had to work a little harder with the older male surgeons to prove myself.” Because these men grew up in a time where it was unheard of for women to work anywhere else but in the home, Dr. Griffiths felt that she had to go above and beyond her male colleagues to gain the respect of her superiors.
Nevertheless, Dr. Griffiths never let these obstacles prevent her from reaching her goals. Even with all of these additional challenges that came along with being a woman, Dr. Griffiths was appointed the first female chief of surgery and later the first female chief of staff at Medina Hospital in Northeastern Ohio. Dr. Griffiths has also received numerous honors including a fellowship grant from the Canton Medical foundation for outstanding performance in Internal Medicine, and The Donald S. Nelson Award for excellence in pediatric anesthesia.
Although Dr. Griffiths has seen a great amount of success in her career, she still has to work very hard at her job everyday. Dr. Griffiths is a contract physician affiliated with a number of different hospitals and outpatient surgery centers in Northeastern Ohio. She typically works about 45-60 hours a week, including the hours that she is on call for any emergency surgeries in the area. Scheduled surgeries generally begin around 7:30 a.m., so on a typical day she arrives by 6:30 a.m. in order to set up her operating room and check all of her equipment. Then, if she isn’t on call, her day typically ends by 4:00 p.m. “The hours aren’t too bad,” Dr. Griffiths says. “When you’re done, you’re done. Being an anesthesiologist, I don’t get late night calls from patient’s about pain or nausea. Those go to the surgeon or the patient’s primary care physician.” Dr. Griffiths is lucky because she is able to leave her work at work, so that when she gets home she can focus her time and energy on other aspects of her life.
In addition to this packed work schedule, Dr. Griffiths is also involved in a number of other activities in her community. She has been passionate about education and involved with libraries her whole life. She has held a position on her district library board for seven years and also served as the president of her local library branch. Dr. Griffiths is also very immersed in her church and teaches catechism on the weekends. She is active politically as well, and helps with local elections through her position in Leadership Medina County.
Besides being a commendable physician and an active community member, Dr. Griffiths expresses that she is most importantly a mother. She has four children between the ages of 12 to 19. She makes it a priority to come home from work and help her kids with their homework and cheer them on at all of their tournaments and recitals. However, she does admit that sometimes “the balance isn’t always right” and she does miss important events. When asked more about this she responded, “When I look at my friends, they’re a better mom because they stay at home, but I’m a better mom because I work. I would be miserable if I stayed at home so my kids would be miserable too.” Dr. Griffiths loves the excitement and stimulation that is a part of her everyday job, and when she comes home she makes sure that she can give her all to everyone and everything that she is committed to.
Because she works a large number of hours during the week and has many other commitments, the Griffiths do not waste any time off that they have together as a family. “If we’re on vacation we’re packing everything in. When I have the time, I spend it with my kids.” Dr. Griffiths’ number one priority is her family, so she makes sure that all of her free time is spent with the ones she loves doing things that they all love. “I realize that my husband and I don’t really do a lot without our kids. If it’s not a family event, we most likely aren’t going to do it.” Dr. Griffiths has made it clear that family time comes first. She strives to be diligent with her time so she can be an involved parent while still living her dream of being a pediatric anesthesiologist.
It is clear that Dr. Griffiths has worked hard all of her life to be the successful woman that she is today. She has faced adversities in obtaining her degree and position in the medical community because of her gender. She works long hours at her current position and is a part of the Medina Hospital administration board. She is also committed to her church, library, and local politicians through Leadership Media County. Despite all of these obstacles and obligations, Dr. Griffiths has been able to find an enormous amount of success in her career and is also able to be an engaged and loving mother of four children. Not only has she been instrumental in breaking the glass ceiling for women in the medical field, she has also shown that women are capable of working fulltime and pursing their passions while still being good mothers. Dr. Griffiths is an inspiration for all women pursing a medical degree and an example of how women are capable of overcoming any obstacle or stereotype.