Adult film work past when applying to medical school

[tanya9019]

When I was in college and sporadically after I acted in some adult films because I needed the money, but I stopped once I got my current job in research. It is tasteful, professionally produced, and (goes without saying) all above-board and completely legal. The adult film industry is incredibly toxic, but I was very lucky to work with a director who was the epitome of professional and respected the actors' comfort and boundaries. Now I am doing a DIY postbac and planning my med school application but I don't know if I should write about it as part of my diversity essays or leave it off. If it makes any difference, if an adcom were to Google my name they will be able to find this on the first page of results- I don't want to come across as hiding it as I am not ashamed of this work, sex work is a job like any other, but at the same time I am unsure whether I should draw attention to it by mentioning it proactively

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[NobodyDPM]

Since that job was not medically related, like your research gig, I would leave it off any application. Your previous non-medical work has nothing to do with your hopes of becoming a physician, and is, frankly, no one else's business.

And it has nothing to do "hiding" or not being ashamed. It just wouldn't and shouldn't come up in any conversation pertaining to your wanting to be a physician. Especially, as in this case, it was not something illegal. Illegal matters do have to be disclosed, as it generally actually asks that on the app.

As someone who was on a medical admission board at a major East Coast medical school, that should absolutely never come up. If your academics are up to par and you get an interview, that should not be asked about you, either, even if somehow, someone does do a Google search and you pop up.

Best of luck!

 

[tanya9019]

Since that job was not medically related, like your research gig, I would leave it off any application. Your previous non-medical work has nothing to do with your hopes of becoming a physician, and is, frankly, no one else's business.

And it has nothing to do "hiding" or not being ashamed. It just wouldn't and shouldn't come up in any conversation pertaining to your wanting to be a physician. Especially, as in this case, it was not something illegal. Illegal matters do have to be disclosed, as it generally actually asks that on the app.

As someone who was on a medical admission board at a major East Coast medical school, that should absolutely never come up. If your academics are up to par and you get an interview, that should not be asked about you, either, even if somehow, someone does do a Google search and you pop up.

Best of luck!

Thanks! I think it is somewhat related though because this experience and the people I met and talked to through adult film acting really shaped my desire to go into medicine and pursue LGBT health and sexual health for women in underserved communities, particularly sex workers and victims of abuse, a field I wouldn't have gotten interested in otherwise. Or maybe it's worth writing an essay about this and only submitting it to schools that are likely to be receptive? What schools, if any, might be?

 

[Crayola227]

Stop trying to use this to help you. It won't. I'm sorry if you find that reality disturbing.

 

[Crayola227]

Schools don't only care about what is legal and what isn't. Most schools (and licensing boards) talk about "moral turpitude" which is just as old fashioned as it sounds.

You even hint you did this for money. It doesn't look good for a future doctor to do certain things for money.

Furthermore, you as an applicant should be diverse enough or altruistic enough or etc to be able to pick and choose what you discuss. I tell this to applicants that want to talk about their ADHD or history of suffering domestic violence. You should be able to articulate who you are and why you want to do medicine without having to mention these things in detail in your app.

I have a colorful past myself, but I was able to put forward a foot that is professional. I would say as a general rule, that if say an RN on a unit you work in, reading your Personal Statement or diversity essay, isn't likely for them to come away *more* impressed by your *professionalism*, it doesn't belong.

 

[YCAGA]

Now I am doing a DIY postbac and planning my med school application but I don't know if I should write about it as part of my diversity essays or leave it off.

We have reached a point as a society where it is a coin flip if someone is 1) so hilariously out of touch with what is considered normal behavior (not to be confused with Twitter/Tumblr/Tiktok liberalism normal behavior) or 2) a not very original troll

Or in other words, in 2011 this would be an obvious troll post but now we have to debate whether or not a person can be this naive.

 

[allseasons]

We have reached a point as a society where it is a coin flip if someone is 1) so hilariously out of touch with what is considered normal behavior (not to be confused with Twitter/Tumblr/Tiktok liberalism normal behavior) or 2) a not very original troll

Or in other words, in 2011 this would be an obvious troll post but now we have to debate whether or not a person can be this naive.

same lol, I saw this post and started cracking up. My immediate thought would have been to legally change my name before applying for med school, not use it for my diversity essay!!

 

[NobodyDPM]

Thanks! I think it is somewhat related though because this experience and the people I met and talked to through adult film acting really shaped my desire to go into medicine and pursue LGBT health and sexual health for women in underserved communities, particularly sex workers and victims of abuse, a field I wouldn't have gotten interested in otherwise. Or maybe it's worth writing an essay about this and only submitting it to schools that are likely to be receptive? What schools, if any, might be?

No. You're asking for advice. Leave this out of your application altogether. That's my ultimate advice.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

i know that some (I would guess 5+) Adcom members have googled me because I get notifications on LinkedIn (unless it was a LinkedIn search). Not sure how common this is or if my situation was somewhat unique. Also my estimate could be low since some people privately search LinkedIn.

 

[Crayola227]

Seems kinda nuts that this would be under their legal name and pop up on Google. Makes me lean troll post.

There's still too much stigma around sex work to ever do it under your real name and not expect issues in conservative circles. And just about any employer or school may show you an unexpected conservative streak when it comes to this kind of thing.

 

[YCAGA]

Seems kinda nuts that this would be under their legal name and pop up on Google. Makes me lean troll post.

There's still too much stigma around sex work to ever do it under your real name and not expect issues in conservative circles. And just about any employer or school may show you an unexpected conservative streak when it comes to this kind of thing.

Smells like a troll cave in here for sure. A few people at my previous undergrad and grad school were outed as "stars", and they definitely did not perform under their real names lol

 

[deleted1119853]

Melissa Febos’ experience working as a dominatrix in a medical- themed dungeon launched her academic career. She includes it on her CV. YMMV.

 

[YCAGA]

Melissa Febos’ experience working as a dominatrix in a medical- themed dungeon launched her academic career. She includes it on her CV. YMMV.

Unless I am misunderstanding, (according to Wikipedia), she appears to be a writer? The culture of medicine and the culture of university English departments are...very different. Of course a lot of "Medtwitter" (from the little I have seen it is made up of academic attendings, residents, and med students posturing for jobs/promotions/residency spots) is quite liberal but in terms of mainstream medicine and things like being a dominatrix...yeah no. That is "cool" as a college English professor, that is not really cool as a physician, and for good reason.

 

[deleted1119853]

Unless I am misunderstanding, (according to Wikipedia), she appears to be a writer? The culture of medicine and the culture of university English departments are...very different. Of course a lot of "Medtwitter" (from the little I have seen it is made up of academic attendings, residents, and med students posturing for jobs/promotions/residency spots) is quite liberal but in terms of mainstream medicine and things like being a dominatrix...yeah no. That is "cool" as a college English professor, that is not really cool as a physician, and for good reason.

Hence, the disclaimer, YMMV.

 

[_TheStruggl3_]

Among some OBGYN, sex work is not empowering and adds to the problem of sexual violence. Thus, it may not be viewed favorably depending on your audience. But if you choose to disclose it, I'd be curious on your updates of how it was received.

 

[tanya9019]

Seems kinda nuts that this would be under their legal name and pop up on Google. Makes me lean troll post.

There's still too much stigma around sex work to ever do it under your real name and not expect issues in conservative circles. And just about any employer or school may show you an unexpected conservative streak when it comes to this kind of thing.

Smells like a troll cave in here for sure. A few people at my previous undergrad and grad school were outed as "stars", and they definitely did not perform under their real names lol

Was not expecting the SW-phobia -- anonymity in the adult-film industry is not airtight like patient-doctor confidentiality, I am credited under a pseudonym of course but you can find us if you search our real names

 

[YCAGA]

Was not expecting the SW-phobia

Sticking "phobia" after something does not instantly discredit whoever disagrees with you, especially when discussing choices and not things we are born with like race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, etc. ____-phobia is a more valid argument in those cases.

Also, there are very legitimate problems with SW, even legal SW. My (at least internal) question for an applicant who put SW on their app would be how do you expect us to trust you to make rational decisions if you fell for the propaganda that SW is "empowering"? Sure, some people might feel empowered by doing it but I do not want to professionally associate with someone that willingly participated in an industry that systematically abuses women (and men) and then tries to use their experience as a badge of honor.

Supporting sex workers when they are our patients and being non-judgmental is a completely different story, before anyone tries to make that comparison.

 

[allseasons]

Was not expecting the SW-phobia -- anonymity in the adult-film industry is not airtight like patient-doctor confidentiality, I am credited under a pseudonym of course but you can find us if you search our real names

so uh just curious, since you're proud and open, mind sharing some links? I'm in the market for some new videos...
DM's are open

 

[tanya9019]

Schools don't only care about what is legal and what isn't. Most schools (and licensing boards) talk about "moral turpitude" which is just as old fashioned as it sounds.

You even hint you did this for money. It doesn't look good for a future doctor to do certain things for money.

Furthermore, you as an applicant should be diverse enough or altruistic enough or etc to be able to pick and choose what you discuss. I tell this to applicants that want to talk about their ADHD or history of suffering domestic violence. You should be able to articulate who you are and why you want to do medicine without having to mention these things in detail in your app.

I have a colorful past myself, but I was able to put forward a foot that is professional. I would say as a general rule, that if say an RN on a unit you work in, reading your Personal Statement or diversity essay, isn't likely for them to come away *more* impressed by your *professionalism*, it doesn't belong.

Yes, I did this for money, but it wasn't just to have disposable income -- I come from a low-income background and at the time I didn't have many other choices, it was literally either this or not having money to eat. I don't regret doing it. I know people who have done much worse for money, I count myself lucky in that regard that I did not have to compromise myself.

I think you make good points and I appreciate your honest and respectful response, unlike some others. My original thought was to not mention it by default and maybe mention it as part of a broader narrative about why I'm interested in sexual health at schools I know are receptive, but it sounds like it would be better to leave it off altogether

 

[YCAGA]

so uh just curious, since you're proud and open, mind sharing some links? I'm in the market for some new videos...
DM's are open

This thread had a good run lol

 

[treeclimbingmonkey]

.

 

[allseasons]

This thread had a good run lol

I'm boutta be the return of pm_t*ts. Links for good luck.

 

[YCAGA]

it was literally either this or not having money to eat.

aaaaand we are back to questionable decision making. Since you have already explained that your decision was completely voluntary and no abuse occurred (which I am thankful for), we know that the "it was either this or not eating" line is total bologna.

This is not medical advice but I sincerely recommend therapy if you have internally justified your decision this way. The choice of SW or starvation is demonstrably false and sounds like a coping mechanism.

 

[treeclimbingmonkey]

X

 

[tanya9019]

Sticking "phobia" after something does not instantly discredit whoever disagrees with you, especially when discussing choices and not things we are born with like race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, etc. ____-phobia is a more valid argument in those cases.

Also, there are very legitimate problems with SW, even legal SW. My (at least internal) question for an applicant who put SW on their app would be how do you expect us to trust you to make rational decisions if you fell for the propaganda that SW is "empowering"? Sure, some people might feel empowered by doing it but I do not want to professionally associate with someone that willingly participated in an industry that systematically abuses women (and men) and then tries to use their experience as a badge of honor.

Supporting sex workers when they are our patients and being non-judgmental is a completely different story, before anyone tries to make that comparison.

It sounds like you are the one who are trolling. You are literally trying to 'splain to me, a (former) sex worker, why there are problems with the current SW industry. You think I don't know that? I was fortunate to work in an environment that was professional, which is far from a universal experience, but I cannot control the wider problems of the industry. I'm sorry if my choice to be able to eat offends you, we can't all have our parents pay for college and also give us an allowance.

BTW I also never said that SW is "empowering" -- I think it shouldn't be stigmatized and shouldn't cause people to be excluded from receiving healthcare or career opportunities (especially as many SWs do sex work due to a lack of other options), but from your responses it is clear you're not on the same page about that. It is also not uncommon btw and I am sick of the misconception that it is-- there are most likely people in your circles who have done sex work at some point in their lives, they might be your classmates or friends or even mentors

 

[Crayola227]

Melissa Febos’ experience working as a dominatrix in a medical- themed dungeon launched her academic career. She includes it on her CV. YMMV.

The mix of sex work or even just play and medicine is sure not to go over well AT ALL with medical schools, boards, or healthcare employers, because it borders on playing at something absolutely verboten ethically for physicians.

You don't always get to have your cake and eat it too in medicine.

Even the appearance that you are sexualizing anything about whatever you do with a medical bent to it, can bring up questions about professional boundaries.

If you do "play" pelvic exams on a medical exam table, how can you expect patients that somehow become aware of this conduct of yours outside clinic, to know that when you glove up and perform a DRE on them, that this is appropriate? Be prepared for accusations of sexual misconduct.

ETA: again, this might fly for someone who's main work is writing. But it's very dangerous ground for someone wanting a healthcare career to mix sex and fetish medical "play."

 

[Crayola227]

Was not expecting the SW-phobia -- anonymity in the adult-film industry is not airtight like patient-doctor confidentiality, I am credited under a pseudonym of course but you can find us if you search our real names

Seriously you didn't expect it? Well consider this your crash course in just how conservative certain professions still are.

It was 10 years ago that I remember discussions on SDN about how someone being outted as a stripper or posing nude for Playboy could end a career before it starts, or even after it starts. Meaning some people got kicked out of med school after being accepted when it came out.

Times have changed enough that there are a few tales now I believe of people doing these things and getting in....but they are rare.

But when you have about 500 rejected applicants for every acceptance, why would you want to lead with this in a conservative field? Not only do you want to not lead with it, you can theoretically exert so little control over where geographically your career takes you, that things of this nature should remain the deepest of secrets because of the potential to destroy your career at multiple levels as you go.

You realize there are huge swaths of the country where in medicine a woman wearing a gorram pantsuit is "controversial" and frowned on? As are stretched ears, piercings beyond ear for women, unnaturally colored hair, any visible tattoos, ANY facial hair for men?

I wouldn't even work for Hooters and then not keep a tight lid on that and apply to med school.

 

[deleted771945]

It sounds like you are the one who are trolling. You are literally trying to 'splain to me, a (former) sex worker, why there are problems with the current SW industry. You think I don't know that? I was fortunate to work in an environment that was professional, which is far from a universal experience, but I cannot control the wider problems of the industry. I'm sorry if my choice to be able to eat offends you, we can't all have our parents pay for college and also give us an allowance.

BTW I also never said that SW is "empowering" -- I think it shouldn't be stigmatized and shouldn't cause people to be excluded from receiving healthcare or career opportunities (especially as many SWs do sex work due to a lack of other options), but from your responses it is clear you're not on the same page about that. It is also not uncommon btw and I am sick of the misconception that it is-- there are most likely people in your circles who have done sex work at some point in their lives, they might be your classmates or friends or even mentors

Conservatism is a powerful force in the world of medicine. Personally, I think it's absolute brain rot. But that person is right on this. Best to not mention SW in your app/interviews.

 

[tanya9019]

I agree with this actually. There are options other than this kind of work. You could have applied for a job? Why adult work as compared to a normal 9-5 job? Did you have family and friend support? You may have qualified for food stamps? Like there were other options, the decision was questionable, although I am glad to see that you are ok and doing well mentally right now.

I grew up poor and in a deprived area, my parents have no capacity to support me and in fact often needed money from me. Most of my friends grew up in a similar situation. I did get a job--I signed an employment contract, showed up to my workplace and produced a legal and widely consumed product, for which I received compensation. Sorry if it bursts anyone's fantasy but working on a professionally-run adult film set is actually pretty mundane, it's not that different from any other workplace. It's not some illicit or "sensuous" experience-- anyone who has worked on one can tell you you quickly just see the human body as a body and you just have to get the scene done.

As for why not a different job--the area I was living in was economically depressed and there was pretty fierce competition for the few jobs there were. There was no chance I was going to be able to sustainably work 9-5 (if I even got shifts, let alone if they would work around my class schedule) at $7.25 an hour at Walmart while still going to school and studying full-time, and anyway I had no car to commute possibly over an hour each way. I considered the options and this was the only one that made sense in terms of geography, income, time commitment, and a slew of other factors

 

[doomer_md]

As for why not a different job--the area I was living in was economically depressed and there was pretty fierce competition for the few jobs there were. There was no chance I was going to be able to sustainably work 9-5 (if I even got shifts, let alone if they would work around my class schedule) at $7.25 an hour at Walmart while still going to school and studying full-time, and anyway I had no car to commute possibly over an hour each way. I considered the options and this was the only one that made sense in terms of geography, income, time commitment, and a slew of other factors

And you’re still not seeing how the industry is exploitive?

 

[Crayola227]

Yes, I did this for money, but it wasn't just to have disposable income -- I come from a low-income background and at the time I didn't have many other choices, it was literally either this or not having money to eat. I don't regret doing it. I know people who have done much worse for money, I count myself lucky in that regard that I did not have to compromise myself.

I think you make good points and I appreciate your honest and respectful response, unlike some others. My original thought was to not mention it by default and maybe mention it as part of a broader narrative about why I'm interested in sexual health at schools I know are receptive, but it sounds like it would be better to leave it off altogether

I mentioned having a colorful past. I can appreciate that you're saying you did this out of necessity and not for disposable income. It won't matter to most in medicine. And the counterpoint is that there is always someone applying "better than you." Someone who survived a genocide in Africa and then came here and was homeless and then grew most of their own food out of empty milk jugs and made money collecting soda cans, all while volunteering at the soup kitchen they ate at and getting a 4.0 at Harvard in theoretical physics. And by all reports never had to do anything similar to survive. The person judging you harshly will hold that example against you to justify dunking on your app.

I often come off as the biggest most conservative jerk about how physicians think when I advise students, because I can see the gulf that exists between the average physician and the healthcare industry and "mere mortals." I don't fall for some of the PC or woke BS they espouse but don't really believe in. I've seen the discrimination against healthcare professionals trying to get medical accommodations, like for their depression or their CHEMO. The profession doesn't really give a hot damn about you.

I want the culture to change in some ways, but it is what it is. Gotta play the game and get in the people that used to be auto-reject to see that change.

Also, no matter your personal views, you have to be able to project a professional facade that could make the most conservative person on the planet feel comfortable around you. Physicians have to be able to come off milquetoast and vanilla enough for all.

In some ways the profession has to maintain itself as conservative appearing as the oldest most conservative most religious element in this country. That can hold some of the progress back.

Remember how Clinton didn't inhale? It's like that. There's a whole generation of voters he needed to represent that were scandalized enough to even hear that he was at a party where he could smell weed and didn't call the cops on everyone.

Once you really understand it's not about any single one of us and who we actually are, but it's about having an acceptable front for say an Amish mother of 8 who has never seen a naked man, then it might make a little more sense.

It's not a social justice warrior movement where we should expect patients to have to tolerate us and our diversity, because our mission isn't to try to change any prejudice they have. Our mission is to *adjust ourselves* to overcome barriers to creating a therapeutic alliance and getting them treated.

In a way, patients need to be able to project what they find comforting as far as the image of an upstanding trustworthy physician onto us. This gets into not having them call us by our first names, wearing professional dress, even avoiding cursing. I don't discuss my personal politics or what I think about cannabis or sex work or any number of things with them.

I have some personal story somewhere where I talk about checking my mailbox outside my house in my regular bra. Totally legal to do, but something I completely quit doing in med school, especially living near the school where lots of people I might see later, might see me.

Becoming a physician has a lot more in common with joining the priesthood than it does becoming an activist (not that it doesn't have those elements too).

 

[peaceloveandmedicine]

I pray you find success on your med school journey. As replies on this thread have shown, there are still many in the medical community that look down upon sex work and sex workers. For the sake of giving yourself the best shot to explain yourself in the future, leave it out of your essays. Be prepared to adequately address it and defend it in interviews.
People would rather see you scrape pennies at minimum wage job while in school than see you take ownership of your sexuality and live comfortably.

Please remember the world is becoming a more tolerant and open minded space. Hopefully one day people like you can apply to med school without these problems

 

[Goro]

When I was in college and sporadically after I acted in some adult films because I needed the money, but I stopped once I got my current job in research. It is tasteful, professionally produced, and (goes without saying) all above-board and completely legal. The adult film industry is incredibly toxic, but I was very lucky to work with a director who was the epitome of professional and respected the actors' comfort and boundaries. Now I am doing a DIY postbac and planning my med school application but I don't know if I should write about it as part of my diversity essays or leave it off. If it makes any difference, if an adcom were to Google my name they will be able to find this on the first page of results- I don't want to come across as hiding it as I am not ashamed of this work, sex work is a job like any other, but at the same time I am unsure whether I should draw attention to it by mentioning it proactively

There is no need to mention this. There are better things you have to add to a Class.

After all, discretion is the better part of :

a) fruit bats
b) hunger
c) mangos
d) touchdowns
e) umbrellas

 

[tanya9019]

And you’re still not seeing how the industry is exploitive?

I said in my very first post that the industry was exploitive. But the workers in it are not the ones making high-level decisions about the industry, so stigmatizing those who have worked in it is the very definition of victim-blaming, especially as many participate due to a lack of viable alternatives. I want an ethical, destigmatized sex work industry run primarily by the workers within it more than anyone else, but that's not the industry we have right now. And to be honest the attitude that sex workers are doing something bad, or are somehow morally deficient, or judgment-impaired, or made bad choices and deserve whatever happens to them/should have that held against them if they try to switch careers is one of the biggest barrier towards that goal.

By the way, I could just as well argue that the medical industry in this country is exploitative, but you wouldn't blame doctors for that, even though the average doctor probably had more career options than the average sex worker--and I am even trying to become one. Because I recognize that an indictment of an industry is not necessarily an indictment of the individuals just trying to make a living in it

 

[FutureInternist]

Don’t do it…..

 

[treeclimbingmonkey]

I would also recommend not to mention this. I am sure there are other ways in which you are a qualified medical school applicant. This might detract from your overall profile--- and I am sure it doesn't define you in any way as a medical school applicant.

 

[doomer_md]

I said in my very first post that the industry was exploitive. But the workers in it are not the ones making high-level decisions about the industry, so stigmatizing those who have worked in it is the very definition of victim-blaming, especially as many participate due to a lack of viable alternatives. I want an ethical, destigmatized sex work industry run primarily by the workers within it more than anyone else, but that's not the industry we have right now. And to be honest the attitude that sex workers are doing something bad, or are somehow morally deficient, or judgment-impaired, or made bad choices and deserve whatever happens to them/should have that held against them if they try to switch careers is one of the biggest barrier towards that goal.

By the way, I could just as well argue that the medical industry in this country is exploitative, but you wouldn't blame doctors for that, even though the average doctor probably had more career options than the average sex worker--and I am even trying to become one. Because I recognize that an indictment of an industry is not necessarily an indictment of the individuals just trying to make a living in it

Won’t ever happen. Being a physician requires years upon years of education and effort. Being a sex worker requires you to be 18. Until that changes there will always be stigma.

 

[allseasons]

There is no need to mention this. There are better things you have to add to a Class.

After all, discretion is the better part of :

a) fruit bats
b) hunger
c) mangos
d) touchdowns
e) umbrellas

If someone omitted this from their app, and the school fount out post-A could the A be rescinded? what about post-matriculation.

 

[YCAGA]

I'm sorry if my choice to be able to eat offends you, we can't all have our parents pay for college and also give us an allowance.

Straw man/straight up lies. We have already established that sex work was not the only solution to your financial insecurity. I cover this more below, but if SW is "just another job" then I am not sure why you are justifying it as your only alternative to starvation.

I also am not offended. I took out federal loans to pay for all 3 of my degrees, which only required me to have not declared bankruptcy and have no drug charges while receiving loans. So a pretty minor set of privileges. No rich parents or unique geography needed.

It is also not uncommon btw and I am sick of the misconception that it is-- there are most likely people in your circles who have done sex work at some point in their lives, they might be your classmates or friends or even mentors

No one, myself included, has said that someone who did SW and is "outed" should be stripped of their medical license or kicked out of medical school. I have no doubt that at least some of my acquaintances have done SW, but they also have not presented their SW as something that makes them a better [insert their profession here]. Your original question and the theme of this thread has been in the context of "should I include SW as a [positive] part of my application?" Only things that paint you in a positive light should be included in your application, other than required discrete questions like criminal history, so even if you did not explicitly say it, the only reason to consider including SW is if you want it to make you look like a better future doctor. I made that obnoxiously large and bold because you and a few other seems to be missing this distinction. We are not debating whether or not former or current sex workers should be physicians. We are debating whether you should include it on a medical school app in 2022-ish.

I did get a job--I signed an employment contract, showed up to my workplace and produced a legal and widely consumed product, for which I received compensation. Sorry if it bursts anyone's fantasy but working on a professionally-run adult film set is actually pretty mundane, it's not that different from any other workplace. It's not some illicit or "sensuous" experience-- anyone who has worked on one can tell you you quickly just see the human body as a body and you just have to get the scene done.

So is SW another very mundane job or is it something you want to include on your diversity essay? This is the cognitive dissonance that I am talking about. Like @Crayola227 very astutely said, you cannot have your cake and eat it too.

As replies on this thread have shown, there are still many in the medical community that look down upon sex work and sex workers.

Please remember the world is becoming a more tolerant and open minded space. Hopefully one day people like you can apply to med school without these problems

Unless I missed it, no one has said OP should not apply. Applying as a former SW and applying as a former SW where they want to make their former job a part of the doctor-to-be that they are selling to adcoms are two very different things.

 

[DarkHorizon]

Seems like OP is trolling but I’ll bite. Well I can’t really tell you whether you should include it or not. However, as a male physician, if my employer or my patients find out that I have pornographic videos up on the internet, I’ll be fired immediately. Whether you like it or not, that’s the reality. People get fired for far less, under the term “unprofessionalism”. If your videos are out there willingly participating in pornographic videos for your patients and coworkers to see, that’s a huge distraction and “unprofessional”. Also, not to mention the major lapse in judgment and questionable decision making. As I said, careers in medicine end for far less. I would do anything you can to not bring it up.

 

[doomer_md]

I could have sworn a couple of years ago everyone was absolutely livid about the way women were objectified in media. How sex work has become the bastion of empowerment is just baffling.

 

[deleted1119853]

Y’all, I wasn’t serious. I thought this was Vox’s new project.

OP, this is TMI. I was initially frustrated by having to exclude a good portion of my story from my app, but I ended up with a cohesive narrative that is true and compelling. You can express your values without this.

 

[tanya9019]

Straw man/straight up lies. We have already established that sex work was not the only solution to your financial insecurity.

I also am not offended. I took out federal loans to pay for all 3 of my degrees, which only required me to have not declared bankruptcy and have no drug charges while receiving loans. So a pretty minor set of privileges. No rich parents or unique geography needed.

Re other options/loans: guess what? I maxed out my federal loans. $45,000 (total), spread over 4 years. I also got some financial aid from my school, but it was limited as it was a state school. It turns out that tuition + rent + food/living expenses costs more than $11,000 per year. Maybe you didn't know that because you had parents who could cosign private loans--my parents had no interest in cosigning anything, and it was moot as not a single bank would have accepted them as cosigners with their credit history.

I cover this more below, but if SW is "just another job" then I am not sure why you are justifying it as your only alternative to starvation.

So is SW another very mundane job or is it something you want to include on your diversity essay? This is the cognitive dissonance that I am talking about. Like @Crayola227 very astutely said, you cannot have your cake and eat it too.

Given you say you are a medical student, you seem to have an astonishingly poor grasp of nuance. Let me put this in short sentences for you. For most people, working is an alternative to starvation. I had a job. It was perhaps an unusual job, but a totally valid one, and the only one available that ultimately allowed me to avoid starvation and homelessness while also finishing my degree. The day to day was mundane, but the industry as a whole is exploitative--which, by the way, is not unique to sex work, but is true of most industries staffed by workers from a lower-class or vulnerable background, including big-box retail, fast food, meatpacking, etc.

If you asked me, would I have done it if my parents had paid my way through college, I would probably say no. If you asked me, do I think I did something "wrong" or "bad", I would also say no. I think anyone should be free to choose to do sex work or not without being subjected to violence or abuse, and without people thinking less of them as people. But did having that experience and meeting people I would not have met otherwise have an impact on who I am today and why I am passionate about sexual health? Absolutely and profoundly. Will it make me a better doctor? I would also say yes, given that it has given me an empathy for sex workers that you have proved eludes people in the medical profession who haven't been in that situation.

I would like to politely ask you to stop commenting on this thread, as it is clear you are not commenting in good faith, and I question why you even feel so strongly as to still be here beating this dead horse, since I have already acknowledged (on the basis of more constructive and less judgmental opinions) that it would be safer to leave this off as not everyone is understanding. It is clear that you simply have a visceral prejudice against sex workers, which I don't believe I will be able to talk you out of.

 

[allseasons]

I'm not really going to comment on whether the prejudice against sex workers is justified or not, but I can tell you that 90%+ of adcoms would likely immediately reject you if it's on your application. The remaining 10% would think about it and then reject you. I also strongly advise you change your name legally before applications. Of course decision is yours, but the consequence will also be yours. This is true regardless of your situation unless you were literally trafficked, which your posts indicate weren't the case.

 

[tanya9019]

I could have sworn a couple of years ago everyone was absolutely livid about the way women were objectified in media. How sex work has become the bastion of empowerment is just baffling.

Two words: consent and power. If a woman chooses to do sex work (consent), that is her choice. If an industry exploits her (power), that is not her fault.

Same with media: we blame producers and studio execs (who are overwhelmingly men) for objectification of women, not the 20-something actresses who fill those roles because they need a job. Even in a perfect non-exploitative media industry, some actresses would want to use sexuality in their art, and they should be free to do so

 

[tanya9019]

I'm not really going to comment on whether the prejudice against sex workers is justified or not, but I can tell you that 90%+ of adcoms would likely immediately reject you if it's on your application. The remaining 10% would think about it and then reject you. I also strongly advise you change your name legally before applications. Of course decision is yours, but the consequence will also be yours. This is true regardless of your situation unless you were literally trafficked, which your posts indicate weren't the case.

Thanks, but I don't think I'll change my name. I acknowledge not every aspect of my identity needs to be on a medical school application, but I'm also not going to try to pretend to be someone I'm not.

If someone omitted this from their app, and the school fount out post-A could the A be rescinded? what about post-matriculation.

I am also interested in this question

 

[Goro]

I said in my very first post that the industry was exploitive. But the workers in it are not the ones making high-level decisions about the industry, so stigmatizing those who have worked in it is the very definition of victim-blaming, especially as many participate due to a lack of viable alternatives. I want an ethical, destigmatized sex work industry run primarily by the workers within it more than anyone else, but that's not the industry we have right now. And to be honest the attitude that sex workers are doing something bad, or are somehow morally deficient, or judgment-impaired, or made bad choices and deserve whatever happens to them/should have that held against them if they try to switch careers is one of the biggest barrier towards that goal.

By the way, I could just as well argue that the medical industry in this country is exploitative, but you wouldn't blame doctors for that, even though the average doctor probably had more career options than the average sex worker--and I am even trying to become one. Because I recognize that an indictment of an industry is not necessarily an indictment of the individuals just trying to make a living in it

Let it go. You know what to do.

 

[Goro]

If someone omitted this from their app, and the school fount out post-A could the A be rescinded? what about post-matriculation.

No and no. Well, maybe at Loma Linda or LUCOM.

 

[YCAGA]

given that it has given me an empathy for sex workers that you have proved eludes people in the medical profession who haven't been in that situation.

It wouldn't be SDN if realistic criticism of a bad idea didn't get morphed into "you will be a bad doctor." I would have no problem having you as a colleague, and especially no problem as a patient, given your previous employment. I, as well as 99.9% of adcoms in the world, would question your judgment if you put SW on AMCAS.

Best of luck with your app 👍

 

[Temporal_weapon]

This is really interesting to me, as a transgender applicant.

A lot of people who decide to "transition" in conservative areas find themselves increasingly cast out of any hopes of having a normal life. You'll see instances where respected public service workers, (I think a funeral director was a recent example) decide to transition and are ostracized to a degree where they lose their financial security, marriage, etc.

In regards to transitioning, it's not so clean cut as a bad judgment call, either. I've had lifelong friends claim they'd support me "every step of the way", and a significant portion of my hometown friends are no longer in contact with me. Conversations were had over the years. I'm sure transitioning isn't as radical and impulsive as the media likes to make it seem. No Diana Ross song plays when you do it.

Anywho, I can't speak on behalf of my whole community, being transmasc, I hope I'm not "speaking over" or ascribing intent to anyone, but I know there's significant overlap between transfemmes and SW and its not always an explicit choice. I think the chances of someone being transfemme, with a background of SW and premed is pretty low. But the overlap between SW and the LGBTQ population, especially the LGBTQ population in conservative areas, is pretty high. It may be more of a recurring conversation as time goes on.

I can definitely respect the nuance around this topic. It still beats me as to why you'd want to put that on a med school app, though.