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I wanted to go and we fundraised to get there, but because I start third year in a couple of weeks, my schedule wouldn't allow for it. Please post about your experience in this thread!
The LGBTQ Applicant Thread!
- Thread starter Ellie Arroway
- Start date
I wanted to go and we fundraised to get there, but because I start third year in a couple of weeks, my schedule wouldn't allow for it. Please post about your experience in this thread!
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The undergrad associated with the medical school that I want to go to expelled someone for refusing to use the bathroom of the gender listed on their birth certificate, even though that did not match the student's obvious gender. The student was there on a full-ride academic scholarship, which was rescinded. There is a pending civil suit against the school.
So, I think I have real reasons to be afraid to go there. Do I really want to spend the years that I would have been learning medicine suing the school for discrimination, given their proven track record of anti-transgender bias?
Now that transgender patients have won the right to insurance coverage (in my state), it's time for doctors to become educated in trans-health. I'm tempted to mention my desire to learn, teach, and practice emergency care and etiquette for transgender and transsexual patients in my interview and personal statement. Please feel free to PM me if you have suggestions.
There's an article below from the Boston Globe if you're interested in reading about these insurance coverage changes.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...er-patients/a9OPrvqdUPmRoiAQugVwEO/story.html
Mass. to cover gender reassignment surgery for transgender patients
State will also cover hormone therapy
By Jeremy C. Fox | Globe Correspondent June 20, 2014
Thousands of transgender Massachusetts residents will soon have access to a full range of health care services under a new policy announced Friday by state officials.
Under changes proposed by the administration of Governor Deval Patrick, both hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery would be covered by MassHealth, the state Medicaid program for low-income residents, according to a statement from the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
The administration will strongly recommend similar reforms to the Group Insurance Commission, which provides coverage for thousands of state and municipal employees and their dependents.
Additionally, the state Division of Insurance will instruct private insurers that they may not discriminate against transgender customers by denying them any services normally available to customers.
Patrick lauded the change in a statement provided to the Globe this afternoon.
“I am proud to be part of a Commonwealth that puts equality as its top priority,” he said. “Massachusetts is a leader in health care, where we make the tough decisions for the good of our communities, and where discrimination, of any kind, will not be tolerated.”
MassHealth Director Kristin Thorn said in a statement that the agency “is once again leading the Commonwealth and the nation in access to health care services.”
Only two other states — California and Vermont — have Medicaid programs that guarantee coverage for treatment of transgender issues, according to Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, a Boston-based organization that provides legal services for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
There's an article below from the Boston Globe if you're interested in reading about these insurance coverage changes.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...er-patients/a9OPrvqdUPmRoiAQugVwEO/story.html
Mass. to cover gender reassignment surgery for transgender patients
State will also cover hormone therapy
By Jeremy C. Fox | Globe Correspondent June 20, 2014
Thousands of transgender Massachusetts residents will soon have access to a full range of health care services under a new policy announced Friday by state officials.
Under changes proposed by the administration of Governor Deval Patrick, both hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery would be covered by MassHealth, the state Medicaid program for low-income residents, according to a statement from the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
The administration will strongly recommend similar reforms to the Group Insurance Commission, which provides coverage for thousands of state and municipal employees and their dependents.
Additionally, the state Division of Insurance will instruct private insurers that they may not discriminate against transgender customers by denying them any services normally available to customers.
Patrick lauded the change in a statement provided to the Globe this afternoon.
“I am proud to be part of a Commonwealth that puts equality as its top priority,” he said. “Massachusetts is a leader in health care, where we make the tough decisions for the good of our communities, and where discrimination, of any kind, will not be tolerated.”
MassHealth Director Kristin Thorn said in a statement that the agency “is once again leading the Commonwealth and the nation in access to health care services.”
Only two other states — California and Vermont — have Medicaid programs that guarantee coverage for treatment of transgender issues, according to Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, a Boston-based organization that provides legal services for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
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Hey everyone, I saw a great comment somewhere on SDN once, but I can't seem to find it now. I'm wondering if anyone has a good, concise response for when people say something like, "why does sexuality even matter? It doesn't matter that I'm straight, why should it matter that you're gay??" Things along those lines. I can usually get a decent response out, but I was wondering if anyone has seen any good responses to questions like that here on SDN. It is troubling that people who want to become doctors have such a juvenile understanding of what it means to be LGBT sometimes...
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I think a very quick role play can turn the tables very quickly. Assume the person you're talking to it male in this situation
You: It's definitely an interesting question. I want you to imagine a world where everyone is gay and only 5% of people are straight, including you. Your doctor comes into the room and interviews you. In the middle of the interview, he takes a sexual history. He asks, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Other: No.
You: Are you sexually active?
Other: Yes.
You: Do you always use condoms when you have anal sex with other men?
Other: No, no, I'm straight.
You: Oh, you're straight. So how do you guys have sex? In her vagina? Do you touch that? It's pretty disgusting to me, but I'm totally cool with straight people. Whatever floats your boat!
I find this approach gets a pretty good response because you've acknowledged the issue in a nonconfrontational way and gets your point across effectively.
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This is brillant
IMO:
One reason it's important for a LG person to be "out" is that your partner is a big part of your life: getting married, getting engaged, going to company gatherings together, etc. If you are LG and NOT "out" you cannot share such important events (or even day to day things that involve your partner) with other people.
Not being out as LGB or T can make it very difficult for other people to get to know you.
In a healthcare setting doctors may not ask the right questions if they don't know you're LGBT. They will also fail to include you in patterns impacting LGBT groups, assuming they're privy to those patterns in the first place. This all being said, I think many doctors/health centers/hospitals have a long way to go, as so many doctors still don't know that it's possible to be LGBT and celibate, or to be a male to female transsexual and identify as a lesbian (confusing gender identity and sexual orientation), or that the gender on one's health insurance policy doesn't necessarily match their gender identity or legal gender marker, etc. Heck, some doctors still don't know that transmen like to be called, "he" and not "she," and still think it's fine to guess at one's gender and/or stair at the chest and crotch in order to choose a pronoun (instead of just not using one or asking what pronoun you prefer).
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Maybe I'm disclosing too much about myself here, but I just feel the need to share. So I am involved with the medical school educational affairs at my uni. I am basically supposed to memorize different medical scripts and then practice them with medical students (so that they learn how to take histories). One time it went like this:
Student: So are you sexually active?
Me: Yes
Student: With men/women/ or both?
At that time my heart just filled with joy. The world IS actually becoming a better place.
Student: So are you sexually active?
Me: Yes
Student: With men/women/ or both?
At that time my heart just filled with joy. The world IS actually becoming a better place.
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Yes, even older doctors are doing this now. This is how I came out to my PCP! He certainly didn't ask that years ago...
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Wow, I'm so happy to find this thread! I'm queer and applying to medical school next year. How did any of you guys who were out discuss it in your application? Did you work it into your personal statements?
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Personally, I don't see how one can NOT discuss this in their personal statement or elsewhere. Unless one is a sociopath, I think you would come off as inauthentic and guarded if you are closeted during interviews, hiding such a huge part of your character. I discussed it as it was relevant. My involvement at work with the GSA, for example. How could I discuss my experience with diverse cultures and not talk about my partner and his family being from another country? How do I explain my motivations for learning a language (his native language)? For the diversity questions on secondaries, I am talking about it in a way that is not just, "I'm gay! I'm diverse!," but more like talking about how this journey has shaped my character and personality (more empathetic, for example). I am interested in how others work this into their diversity statements as well...
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Yes.
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I just don't want to throw it in my PS for diversity's sake, if that makes sense. I have really done any LGBT advocacy really. I mean, I do think that being LGBT and the things that I've faced (awkwardness at the doctor, having slurs yelled at me, etc) has made me more empathetic to differences and will make me a better doctor, but it just seems like it'd be hard to work in, I guess. I don't want to hide it, because being gay is part of who I am, but...
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Then don't force it. Just be true to yourself and write from your heart. If it comes up, it comes up. Maybe save it for secondaries. If you are writing and you feel an experience needs to be put in the context of your sexual orientation, then that's fine. I think it should come up when you are trying to talk about your ability to overcome obstacles and persevere. But again, it is highly individual.
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Yeah, that was kind of my original thought. I don't want to put it in just for the sake of putting it in, since being gay doesn't define me. However, I am always so paranoid about ever telling anyone I'm queer, because I live in the Midwest, and it quite frequently doesn't go down well.
I'm so glad this thread exists! I am born and raised in Texas...and a lesbian. I would tell you to give Texas a chance, especially if you'll get in-state tuition...good education for relatively cheap can't be beat! I am about to start my PGY-2 year, so maybe I can shed some light. I applied to all the medical schools in Texas -- wasn't blatantly out on my application, but did put that I was part of my undergrad's PRIDE group. Don't know if anyone on admissions picked up on it. I ended up at Texas A&M -- my first two years were at College Station, which has been considered one of the most conservative cities in the US. Despite this, I had no issues -- I brought my girlfriend to our annual dances "Cadaver Ball" and other school functions. There were two out guys in my class, and they too would bring their significant others to events. We felt very welcomed by both my classmates and faculty. My classmates would always ask how my girlfriend was doing and when she would be visiting again. People's views on homosexuality are changing quickly. The large majority in our generation support marriage equality. Most educated people feel the same way. I also knew other LGB students at UTMB (Galveston), Baylor, UT-Houston, San Antonio, UTSW who loved their experience there. Good luck!
Feel free to PM me with anything specific. That goes for anyone on here!
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Yeah I was not out on any part of my app just because I never felt like it came up organically. As a gay woman, I've been more involved in broad women's health stuff than specific lgbt stuff. Work it in if it comes up naturally - don't intentionally leave it out because it is good for diversity but don't work it in if it doesn't make sense with the questions.
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If this has happened to you, then, in my opinion, it would be a positive thing to include. Insight into how to make healthcare better is important, and for many people, having an experience where a doctor makes them feel bad for something they shouldn't is an incredibly relevant formative experience that can positively contribute to your perspective and your classmates' perspective. Don't force it, but if you can express the sentiment somewhere, I think it could go over very well.
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That is how it is mentioned in my PS.
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See, that's one reason I'm paranoid about mentioning it in my application.
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Queer polyfidelitous FTM here.
Not going to out myself as either in my app. I want to talk about my accomplishments first, and once I have their attention, I can tell them a little more about who I am. Going too personal too fast reads as inexperienced if not unprofessional, no matter what the content of the revelations may be. I used to know a girl who would practically introduce herself to new people as "Hi, I'm Katie and I'm a bisexual vegan marxist." You can imagine how that ended up limiting her prospects.
As with any coming out, it is not that I am trying to hide something or to trick anyone. I am choosing when is the right moment to disclose one fragment of data, just as I will choose when is the right time to talk about my family, my favorite color, etc. There may be some information that I never choose to share, because it may never be relevant to the relationship at hand.
Gauss talked about how important it is to be out to your doctor, but I have been discriminated against by a doctor because of my transness. So have other GLBT, especially T, folks that I know. It took several doctors before I found one that would use the right pronouns, even after being asked... and though I love my current doc, her office staff are still pretty rude about it. That is a reason that it is so important for more of us to enter medicine. Not just so that we can take care of all the GLBT patients, but also so that our peers can have experiences with people like us before they see them as patients. I'm totally out at my job so that my colleagues can ask me questions about trans issues, and learn a little etiquette, so that they are better able to interact with trans patients that come in for care.
EDIT: I thought about this all a little more. Here is my beef with the idea that we HAVE to talk about our sexual orientation/gender identity in order to be authentic. It is a variant of @tantacles excellent dialogue above.
Can you imagine anyone telling someone that they have to come out as heterosexual/cisgender/monogamist in order to present a full picture of themselves. "Can you tell me a little about how being a married straight female relates to your career goals?"
Not going to out myself as either in my app. I want to talk about my accomplishments first, and once I have their attention, I can tell them a little more about who I am. Going too personal too fast reads as inexperienced if not unprofessional, no matter what the content of the revelations may be. I used to know a girl who would practically introduce herself to new people as "Hi, I'm Katie and I'm a bisexual vegan marxist." You can imagine how that ended up limiting her prospects.
As with any coming out, it is not that I am trying to hide something or to trick anyone. I am choosing when is the right moment to disclose one fragment of data, just as I will choose when is the right time to talk about my family, my favorite color, etc. There may be some information that I never choose to share, because it may never be relevant to the relationship at hand.
Gauss talked about how important it is to be out to your doctor, but I have been discriminated against by a doctor because of my transness. So have other GLBT, especially T, folks that I know. It took several doctors before I found one that would use the right pronouns, even after being asked... and though I love my current doc, her office staff are still pretty rude about it. That is a reason that it is so important for more of us to enter medicine. Not just so that we can take care of all the GLBT patients, but also so that our peers can have experiences with people like us before they see them as patients. I'm totally out at my job so that my colleagues can ask me questions about trans issues, and learn a little etiquette, so that they are better able to interact with trans patients that come in for care.
EDIT: I thought about this all a little more. Here is my beef with the idea that we HAVE to talk about our sexual orientation/gender identity in order to be authentic. It is a variant of @tantacles excellent dialogue above.
Can you imagine anyone telling someone that they have to come out as heterosexual/cisgender/monogamist in order to present a full picture of themselves. "Can you tell me a little about how being a married straight female relates to your career goals?"
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I do totally get what you're saying, but I think it's a little unfair to say that being a married straight woman has the same impact on one's life as being LGBTQ. The experience is completely different. I feel that being a white male has shaped my life, but in a very different (and far more privileged way) than if I had been a black male.
In general, I think that if being gay played a role in your deciding to become a physician, then bring it up! If it didn't, then don't try to use it to get a leg up on the competition. It's not fair to them, and do you really want to go to a school and wonder if you only got in because they wanted to fill a quota?
https://www.aamc.org/students/aspiring/inspiring-stories/385860/carlgstreedjr.html
http://www.linkedin.com/in/carlgstreedjr
Has anyone had experience with JHU? Is it as friendly as this sounds?
http://www.linkedin.com/in/carlgstreedjr
Has anyone had experience with JHU? Is it as friendly as this sounds?
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Don't know about JHU, but Columbia seems very friendly:
http://ps.columbia.edu/education/student-life/office-diversity/lgbt-resources
http://smdep.org/alumni-profiles/michael-hernandez/
http://ps.columbia.edu/education/student-life/office-diversity/lgbt-resources
http://smdep.org/alumni-profiles/michael-hernandez/
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Of course it doesn't have the *same* impact, but your lifestyle, whether conventional or alternative definitely shapes your worldview. Placing the onus on those who are different to explain themselves is very othering. It further communicates that "Hey, you aren't like we are. Tell us what it is like to be so weird..." Being expected always to be the poster child for whatever kind of freak you are is a profound imposition. Considering certain people to be the default and others to be the exceptions perpetuates privilege. That is to say that not being expected to give an account of your diversity is itself a privilege that certain people enjoy.
Sure, if being queer were central to my story, then I would tell it. Since my reasons would be just as valid no matter my orientation or idenity, I don't feel the need to disclose those details. I was responding to the sentiment that said not sharing that information was inauthentic, as if not sharing meant hiding something that one is obligated to tell.
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I'm really glad I came across this thread. I just wish I had seen it a few days ago before submitting some secondaries... Anyway, my two (fat) cents:
A number of schools ask something along the lines of: What was your greatest personal challenge?
For me, the honest answer is being queer. I could always spit out some generic response about a hard class or a stressful job, but I would rather use this opportunity to let a school actually get to know me. If a medical school's adcomm has a problem with my sexuality, then I surely do not want to attend that school.
In my essays, I discussed how social pressures to be straight have influenced my behavior. Many of you can probably relate... I spent a long time trying desperately to construct a heterosexual identity and in the process, developed some pretty unhealthy habits. I explained how my own experiences have helped me understand the way that harmful social factors, such as racism and stigma toward mental illness, impact the behaviors of the people they target. By tying my experiences as a gay person to the issues I have observed working with underserved populations, I hoped to demonstrate that my status as a sexual minority has made me more empathetic to the struggles of marginalized people.
Granted, it is still scary to divulge intimate details about the challenges you’ve faced as a gay person on an application to a Catholic school... If you're still looking for ways to explain why being LGBTQ matters, @PreciousHamburgers, that in itself might be a good example. As a gay person, I'm afraid to answer that question honestly-just like I'm afraid to mention my partner's name or hold my partner's hand in front of people whose reactions I cannot predict. Straight people are blissfully unaware of the countless words/actions that casually reveal one's sexual orientation. LGBTQ people are painfully conscious of them.
A number of schools ask something along the lines of: What was your greatest personal challenge?
For me, the honest answer is being queer. I could always spit out some generic response about a hard class or a stressful job, but I would rather use this opportunity to let a school actually get to know me. If a medical school's adcomm has a problem with my sexuality, then I surely do not want to attend that school.
In my essays, I discussed how social pressures to be straight have influenced my behavior. Many of you can probably relate... I spent a long time trying desperately to construct a heterosexual identity and in the process, developed some pretty unhealthy habits. I explained how my own experiences have helped me understand the way that harmful social factors, such as racism and stigma toward mental illness, impact the behaviors of the people they target. By tying my experiences as a gay person to the issues I have observed working with underserved populations, I hoped to demonstrate that my status as a sexual minority has made me more empathetic to the struggles of marginalized people.
Granted, it is still scary to divulge intimate details about the challenges you’ve faced as a gay person on an application to a Catholic school... If you're still looking for ways to explain why being LGBTQ matters, @PreciousHamburgers, that in itself might be a good example. As a gay person, I'm afraid to answer that question honestly-just like I'm afraid to mention my partner's name or hold my partner's hand in front of people whose reactions I cannot predict. Straight people are blissfully unaware of the countless words/actions that casually reveal one's sexual orientation. LGBTQ people are painfully conscious of them.
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I outted myself on some of my secondary applications(basically the diversity and/or challenge questions, sometimes the location questions haha). If anyone is struggling how to approach the topic on the application I would be happy to share my opinion/ideas via PM.
Any other non-binary/genderqueers? I just got into med school and am so stressed about figuring out how to enforce pronouns in a hospital setting where I'm supposed to be sucking up to doctors, when most of them probably don't even know that non-binary people exist. I haven't changed my name yet, because I don't have any particular feelings about it at all, but it's a very traditionally feminine name, which I think will make people not take me seriously.
I've already decided to defer for a year, partly to try to figure this **** out. I know from experience how badly non-binary patients get treated by doctors (pathologization of a legitimate identity, misgendering, refusing access to medical or surgical treatments because we don't fit the binary trans narrative) and I'm struggling with signing up to be part of a peer group that would just as happily do that to me.
I've already decided to defer for a year, partly to try to figure this **** out. I know from experience how badly non-binary patients get treated by doctors (pathologization of a legitimate identity, misgendering, refusing access to medical or surgical treatments because we don't fit the binary trans narrative) and I'm struggling with signing up to be part of a peer group that would just as happily do that to me.
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What is a non-binary?
A non-binary person doesn't fit into the gender binary that says you must be either a man OR a woman, and that those categories are always separate and that there are no options that are neither man nor woman.
Google could also have answered this for you.
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I'm going to refrain from further comment. I will keep the Google suggestion in mind haha.
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I think you have more to worry about from your patients than your peer group, to be honest. I can't imagine dealing with a full day of 65+ year old medicare patients if I didn't pass as any particular gender (especially if you are trying to teach them new pronouns like zie). Younger med students seem to be more on point than I expected, but I'm also pretty binary-presenting. If you like, I can put you in touch with a student at SUNY-downstate who is very non-binary and has been navigating these issues in med school for a couple years. PM me and I'll ask if she's up for fielding questions.
I plan to discuss intersex and transgender activism/event planning/establishing on my AMCAS application. I think I know how to do so optimally. I would still like to hear any and all suggestions. Feel free to PM me or just reply right here. Thanks!
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I just say go for it. I guarantee you that many administrators will have no idea what you're talking about, but that doesn't make your cause any less worthy and gives you something interesting to talk about.
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I think this hits the nail on the head, especially for trans/queer/intersex folks. Highly educated doctors, especially those in our younger peer group, are likely pretty accepting and professional-though I'm sure not perfect. Patients, however, may be another story. In addition to coming from less tolerant environments, patients are sick, and being sick is inherently ****ty and scary. Doctors are destined to take crap, to some extent, by the very nature of their role as healthcare providers. As the bearers of bad news and instigators of painful or unpleasant tests/procedures/treatments/etc. they become convenient targets for people going through some difficult things. Being queer just adds an element of confusion for some patients and provides one more way for them to project their issues onto you. While I'm sure this can get tiring, I'm hoping that it's relatively easy to chalk up most insulting comments/behaviors to these factors. Also, I'd like to think that such incidents are fairly rare.
I'm just a humble applicant, though, so I could be dead wrong about what actually goes on in the hospital.
I hadn't thought much about how it'll affect dealing with patients, but that's a good insight. I figured I'd avoid the misgendering because they'd usually be addressing me as "Dr. Bhog", rather than by "mr/ms/mrs/miss/etc", but I hadn't thought about how my appearance might put older patients off. I imagine a lot of people have to deal with this type of thing though - racist patients, sexist patients, homophobic patients, etc exist, so I'll probably get my share of transphobic patients.
I'm most concerned about doing rotations in 3rd year/4th year. Being at the bottom of the food chain where one bad evaluation can ruin your chance of getting the residency you want, and having to "come out" over and over and over again every single time you change rotation in order to have someone use my pronoun correctly, plus probably having to explain the existence of non-binary people, just sounds exhausting. I'm using "they" right now and am not even considering other non-binary pronouns, despite the possibility that I might like them better, just because my chances of getting anyone to use them seem pretty low.
There's some pretty good trans stuff going on in the province where I'm going to school (I'm Canadian, btw) and I want to help out with trans health policy, and I just don't think that anyone will take a trans doctor seriously when it comes to doing trans health policy or working with trans patients. For example, another non-binary person I know recently had a lot of difficulty finding a psychiatrist who was allowed to sign off on their mastectomy because the patient had done a lot of trans activism and no doctor who had read any of their work/been to any of their seminars/was familiar in any way with them was considered "unbiased" enough to make a decision about their gender identity (which is problematic as hell in itself)
I'm most concerned about doing rotations in 3rd year/4th year. Being at the bottom of the food chain where one bad evaluation can ruin your chance of getting the residency you want, and having to "come out" over and over and over again every single time you change rotation in order to have someone use my pronoun correctly, plus probably having to explain the existence of non-binary people, just sounds exhausting. I'm using "they" right now and am not even considering other non-binary pronouns, despite the possibility that I might like them better, just because my chances of getting anyone to use them seem pretty low.
There's some pretty good trans stuff going on in the province where I'm going to school (I'm Canadian, btw) and I want to help out with trans health policy, and I just don't think that anyone will take a trans doctor seriously when it comes to doing trans health policy or working with trans patients. For example, another non-binary person I know recently had a lot of difficulty finding a psychiatrist who was allowed to sign off on their mastectomy because the patient had done a lot of trans activism and no doctor who had read any of their work/been to any of their seminars/was familiar in any way with them was considered "unbiased" enough to make a decision about their gender identity (which is problematic as hell in itself)
Found an interesting document online today: http://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/docume...idency/program_directors/Reprint289D_LGBT.pdf
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I hope this doesn't come off as a mean comment, but:
I've mentioned to multiple people that I could get them in touch with specific med student mentors that I thought match their scenario well, or have offered to have more conversations via PM or email...I don't know if I'm weird or unapproachable or what, but no one is following up or making the jump from forum post to PM.
This isn't just SDN either. I also have a friend who is a trans physician at UCSF who has referred multiple folks to me to talk to about admissions. One they have my number, they don't call. I've done work on finding LGBTQ med student mentors in different capacities this year (SDN, referral, through events at my university) and consistently the biggest problem has been getting people to show up & take advantage of the resources. I'm just wondering if anyone has some insight on what's stopping people?
I've mentioned to multiple people that I could get them in touch with specific med student mentors that I thought match their scenario well, or have offered to have more conversations via PM or email...I don't know if I'm weird or unapproachable or what, but no one is following up or making the jump from forum post to PM.
This isn't just SDN either. I also have a friend who is a trans physician at UCSF who has referred multiple folks to me to talk to about admissions. One they have my number, they don't call. I've done work on finding LGBTQ med student mentors in different capacities this year (SDN, referral, through events at my university) and consistently the biggest problem has been getting people to show up & take advantage of the resources. I'm just wondering if anyone has some insight on what's stopping people?
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It's very difficult to tell who is a good person to take advice from and who is a dud.
In addition, the hardest part about asking for advice is not knowing what questions to ask. And what questions would they ask you that they couldn't realistically find the answers to online? Remember, all we can do is provide anecdotal evidence. We're not a double blind study, and one person's experience is not universal.
Try hard not to take offense, and continue to put yourself out there as an adviser, particularly when you're more in a position of power. The biggest problem I've found is a lack of available advisers at higher levels; there are tons of medical students out there, and there are plenty that want to help advise younger students, but the number of attendings that have open doors is pretty low.
Potential interview/essay resource (if you're discussing trans health):
I wanted to share a document that I think would be very helpful in establishing a need for doctors to be educated in transgender health: http://fenwayfocus.org/wp-content/u...itute-MTPC-Project-VOICE-Report-July-2014.pdf I personally feel that this is an exciting topic in healthcare that many people on here might help to develop.
I wanted to share a document that I think would be very helpful in establishing a need for doctors to be educated in transgender health: http://fenwayfocus.org/wp-content/u...itute-MTPC-Project-VOICE-Report-July-2014.pdf I personally feel that this is an exciting topic in healthcare that many people on here might help to develop.
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How is the cycle going for everyone? Particularly those who were 'out' in their application.
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I was out in most of my secondaries (if it made sense to write an essay about it). So far sitting on 7 IIs and 4 rejections. I'm pretty psyched to say the least.
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One of my interviewers said to me: "So... you're homosexual?" I was not expecting this to be addressed in my interview. At least not so bluntly. Definitely made me pause for a second.
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And what happened next?!
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I brought it up in my secondaries when asked specifically about diversity. It has yet to come up in an interview though.
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I nodded my head to confirm. He then went on to ask me about how receptive my (very conservative) hometown has been to me. I just commented on how my identity has developed since high school and how I navigate the world now.
The crazier part!... This conversation led to him discussing innate biases. Some key quotes made by my interviewer:
"See, I'm overweight, but I prefer skinny people."
"I've realized I'm very biased against black people. If I see a black man in a suit walking down the street, I will still cross to the other side. I realize this is something I need to work on."
I KID YOU NOT.
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The last quote. PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE KIDDING OR THAT YOU WON'T BE GOING TO THAT MEDICAL SCHOOL.
But seriously, I would love it if other applicants can post stories about how their interviewers react when we start talking about anything related to LGBT.
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