Gas Gals: mentoring women

Mentorship is a cornerstone of professional and personal growth, offering guidance, encouragement, and a sense of connection. For women across many careers, access to mentorship can be particularly powerful in overcoming barriers to progression and in fostering confidence and belonging.

In medicine, and particularly anaesthesia, the demands of training and clinical practice make mentoring especially valuable. Recognising the potential of structured support, we created Gas Gals, a women-only mentoring group within our anaesthetic department. The group was established to provide a safe, supportive space where female anaesthetists could share experiences, build confidence, and develop networks across all career stages.

Why Gas Gals?

The inspiration for Gas Gals came from conversations among colleagues who felt that female residents and consultants sometimes lacked visible role models or opportunities to explore issues specific to women in anaesthesia. This impression was reinforced by a local survey, which suggested that alongside Educational Supervision, some female resident anaesthetists would welcome the added support of a structured mentorship programme. Gas Gals was therefore launched as an initiative by and for women – open to residents, specialty doctors, and consultants alike – with the aim of fostering a culture of belonging and support.

How the group works

All women within the department were approached to see if they would like to take part. Mentors and mentees were then matched according to their goals, what they hoped to gain from the programme, or particular skills that mentors felt they could offer. This created a set of matched pairs, alongside another group of women who preferred not to take part in formal one-to-one mentoring but still valued being part of the wider community.

The pairings were deliberately flexible: the number and style of meetings were not mandated, allowing relationships to form organically. Some pairs chose to meet informally outside of work, while others kept in touch by phone or messaging. In addition, the whole group came together for social events such as dinners, walks, and a book launch. A WhatsApp group provided a space to share useful articles, conferences, and webinars, and to keep members connected between meetings.

Reflections and impact

Feedback from members has been overwhelmingly positive:

• one junior member reflected, ‘As a complete stranger to a new country, I felt my presence recognised by being added to the group’
• a consultant mentor commented, ‘I wish something like this had been available when I was training – it’s rewarding to give back now’
• a mentee added, ‘Professionally, having a mentor has been invaluable in helping to plan out the next few years of my career – she has offered up really useful advice and practical solutions’.

From these reflections, several themes have emerged:

• confidence building – members highlight the reassurance of hearing that others have shared similar struggles
• role modelling – seeing women succeed in their careers has reassured residents that they will be supported in facing challenges and planning their own paths
• community – the group has fostered stronger bonds within the department, reducing feelings of isolation.

Beyond individual benefits, Gas Gals has contributed to a departmental culture that values inclusivity and wellbeing. Acknowledging gender-specific challenges has been an important step, and has opened up conversations that may not have taken place otherwise.

Challenges and lessons learned

Like any new initiative, Gas Gals has faced challenges. Scheduling meetings around busy clinical rotas required flexibility, and maintaining momentum between sessions was sometimes difficult. Survey responses also showed variation in how often pairs met, from several meetings to only one or two. Despite these challenges, enthusiasm for the programme has remained strong, reinforcing its value as a sustainable and evolving source of support.

A particular group who found the sense of community especially beneficial were international graduates within the department, who described feeling more welcomed and supported as they adjusted to a new working environment. 

Looking ahead

Gas Gals continues to evolve and is now also established in a neighbouring hospital. Future plans include extending the reach of the programme to other anaesthetic departments and continuing to build strong support within our own teams and region. We will also continue to seek relevant external networking and events for our members. Our hope is that Gas Gals will contribute to a broader movement of mentoring and mutual support within anaesthesia, as well as continue supporting women locally.

Gas Gals has shown that dedicated mentoring can create meaningful connections, foster confidence, and help women in anaesthesia feel better supported at all stages of training and practice.

Although Gas Gals focuses on women, it complements wider efforts to build a more inclusive and supportive environment for all colleagues within the department. The enthusiasm and positive feedback from participants suggest it could be adapted more widely, benefiting women in anaesthesia and other specialties across the UK.

Recognition through the Liz Sizer Award 2025 at the Women in Medicine International Network Conference further affirmed the value of our work, and we hope that sharing our experiences will inspire similar groups to develop across the specialty.