Gay in medicine?

[Darwin07]

I was just wondering if anyone had any comments on life in medicine (school, career,etc) if someone is gay. Does anyone have firsthand experience either being gay or knowing someone gay in medicine? My hope is to go to Queen's, as I really like Kingston, so that's why I'm posting here specifically.

 

Thanks so much.

[OttawaURookie]

Well, I'm gay and hope to be in medicine one day. I'm 22, and will be starting my undergrad this coming Sept. I dont have any worries and dont see my personal life being that big part of anything if I should become a doctor. I actually see it as a positive because I want to be in an environment where I am dealing with professionals and I'm discussing important things (a lot more important) than my sexual life. On the other hand I play a lot of sports (always have) and its something that comes up there a lot more. So I dont see why it should be any problem.

 

Personally, I worry a lot more that I am just plain different in general. I played sports during high school and studying was behind a lot of things. But at some point not too far back a change occured in me and suddenly school finally became number 1. So its basically a jock deciding to all of the sudden be an academic. I dont doubt my intelligence (because I still did pretty well regardless of it not being number 1) but sometimes I wonder if I will keep up this attitude. But then I look at myself now and see myself studying how the digestive system works for FUN and I think "yeah, things have changed quiet a bit" lol

[rapoune]

I'm gay too... and although I would like to think that being gay doesn't have a huge part to do with my decision to be a doctor, it certainly has influenced it. That said, I know a lot of gay doctors that I have met through my various experiences and who have all basically said the same thing: it doesn't really matter. Sure, medicine is really conservative profession, but at the end of the day most doctors are quite tolerant. They also made the point that coming out to coworkers is not exactly important, but they have never had any negative experiences when doing so.

 

I know a few gay med students who also say the same thing, so what I gather is that in the end it really doesn't matter.

 

By the way, are you guys all interviewing at Queen's in March? It's such a fitting name I think... lol.

[ffp]

One of my attendings (a relatively close friend) is gay. I can't speak for what he personally has experienced, but from what I have observed, his sexuality does not play a big role in his professional career.

 

People who like and respect him do so because he is caring, brilliant, and just plain fun to hang out with. Some people don't like him because he is very opinionated, and not exactly shy about expressing those opinions. being gay does not really enter into the equation.

 

I have felt like an outcast myself at times. I come from a very poor family where nobody attended university. Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by people from very affluent homes... I felt like an anthropologist on another planet!

 

Now, I'm a female in a male-dominated specialty (cardiology), considering an even-more-male-dominated subspecialty (interventional). Every so often, someone will make a comment about how hard it will be for me to raise a family or look after my husband (groan!). Sometimes I just feel out of place when I hang out with the boys' club.

 

Some of the Muslim residents here (SK) also feel a bit isolated, since there is not a huge Muslim community here, and there are always a few rednecks who will make insensitive remarks (a FEW, by no means the majority).

 

No matter who you are, you will always run into a few people who will act like jerks. For the most part, I think that within medicine you will be respected for who you are, and the work you do. Being straight or gay should not matter in the least!

 

Good luck

[sensfan]

i'm a 1st year in queen's meds, and i can tell you from my own experience that this is the most gay-friendly atmosphere i've ever been in. when i was coming here, i never in a million years thought i would come out to anyone. however, after i got here, i was just overwhelmed by the fact that everyone was so open, accepting, and friendly. and it's not just the students. i feel that many of the faculty go out of their way to project a gender-neutral orientation-neutral atmosphere, and our curriculum (especially clinical skills) is structured to teach a patient approach that is respectful of everything, including sexual orientation. i can't say much about what actually practicing will be like in the future, but i can tell you that from my own experience of being pretty openly gay (i think most of my class knows but it's not like it's written on my forehead), i've never had a bad experience as a med student. i'd say queen's as a whole is pretty queer friendly. suffice it to say i'm really glad i'm here! anyway, with regards to these issues, society is slowly changing as a whole, and that includes the medical profession... so i have a lot of hope that in my future, my orientation will not be an issue (although it's not something i would randomly broadcast to patients, just like i wouldn't tell them where i live - it's just not relevant to the doctor-patient relationship). so as a whole, being gay in medicine is not something that even remotely worries me.

 

good luck, darwin!

[brownie99]

I second that. There are a number of gay/bisexual pple in our class (myself amongst them) and it is the biggest non-issue going. People are so very accepting (at Queen's at least), and - like sensfan said - even the profs tend to go out of their way to ensure the curriculum is very gender/sexuality neutral. Although I know there were a few people that were nervous about disclosing at first, they quickly saw that no-one was going to judge them based on their sexuality, and now they have disclosed and have never been happier.

[Darwin07]

Thanks for the comments everyone! It definitely makes me feel a little more confident about living an "out" life in medicine and not feeling the need to hide my true self because of the profession. As sensfan put it, it's not like I want to broadcast as if it's written on my forehead, but it's nice to know that it's not something that shouldn't be brought up.

 

rapoune, I am in fact interviewing in March. Anyone else that'll be there?

[somber]

I have quite a few gay and lesbian friends. All of them have awesome personalities and many of them went off to medical schools (2 went to Queen's, 1 went to Mcgill, 3 went to UofT, and 2 went to UWO). So obviously sexual orientation is not a factor considered in selection proces.

Regardless of race, sex, or sexual orientation, as long as you have few certain qualities (for example, sensitivity to the needs of others, great social skills, etc), you can obviously become a good physician.

 

I'm waiting for my result from Queen's. This is my first time applying to medical schools, and I, too, want to go to Queen's this September. Wish me luck.

 

 

I wish for your luck too.