Life in Her Hands: The Inspiring Story of a Pioneering Female Surgeon

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It was perfectly feasible to proceed, and I successfully completed the operation, but today surgeons know things like that ahead of time and can make arrangements to ensure the procedure goes smoothly. Born in Blackpool in 1937, Averil was eight when she read a children’s book about surgery and set her heart on becoming a surgeon. The grandmother-of-six, whose granddaughter begins her degree in medicine this autumn, says she considers herself lucky to have enjoyed such a long and rewarding career. An audiobook edition, narrated by the author, will be released simultaneously by Penguin Random House Audio. Woman's Hour - British Ambassador to Ukraine Dame Melinda Simmons, Kirsty Sedgman, Black women and cancer, Eleanor McEvoy and Averil Mansfield - BBC Sounds".

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She wanted to become a surgeon from the age of eight, after being inspired by a children's book about advances in surgery. Her one sadness is that Jack, a general surgeon who was ten years her senior, and died from heart problems in 2013, only got to spend the first decade of retirement with her.She also served as president of the Vascular Surgical Society and the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland and, in 1999 was awarded a CBE for services to surgery and women in medicine. Today, 17% of surgeons are women, although male consultant surgeons still outnumber females by a ratio of 8:1. of female medical students take up surgery, although women make up nearly 70% of the intake at some medical schools. Mansfield is passionate about her chosen field of vascular surgery, which included stroke prevention operations.

University of Liverpool alumna publishes story of her career

But she became the UK’s first female professor of surgery, much to the astonishment of her working-class parents.

It's certainly not the most popular speciality for girls, and this is why the college is so keen to encourage women to at least think about surgery as a career and not just dismiss it as something for men. Watch this video to learn more about Professor Mansfield, winner of the lifetime achievement award at the first NHS Heroes Awards in May 2018.

Book Review: Life in Her Hands | The Bulletin of the Royal Book Review: Life in Her Hands | The Bulletin of the Royal

It became obvious that, even at that stage, lots of women were thinking about becoming surgeons but were put off from actually doing it because they thought it just wasn’t possible. Averil began her career at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital before becoming a lecturer in surgery at the University. Then along came my second husband, Jack, who already had three children, and suddenly I was a stepmother.

A lifelong pianist, she has since learnt to play the cello and is part of three amateur orchestras, through which she has built a busy social life. I’ve worked with some wonderful anaesthetists and I’ve always been grateful for how they ensure patients are well looked after.