Does your school devote adequate time to sexual health and LGBT health?

[PhysioMD]

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[Psai]

What do you mean equality? Do LGBT people present differently when they have an MI or something?

 

[PhysioMD]

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[PhysioMD]

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[Wordead]

After reading that, I am still unclear as to what content you think is involved in LGBT specific health care. As in how is it different. You'd treat them the same way as any other patient, as far as I can see. Maybe transgendered patients would have some muddled areas.

Giggling professors are a bit of an outlier, as far as I can tell. And I haven't had any issues with attendings, residents, or myself asking questions about sex.

 

[GangaMaster]

Atleast half the med student population in all schools still giggle when someone says penis. Stop thinking we are some sort of super humans when in reality we are just like the next person but with more than average grades on a test.

During ICM you are taught to broach sexual questions and be comfortable about asking it because they are part of a complete history. You are not expected to know everything, you leave that specialists like counselors. social workers, psychiatrists when it comes to managing concerns, however if you are knowledgable about it then you are encouraged to aid your patient but thats why there are so many fields to help deal with these things. Jesus get over yourself and stop trying to add more **** to my curriculum.

 

[cbrons]

I'm curious because I strongly believe that a school program which mandates equality/fair treatment and coverage of all health care topics relating to all groups of people and is comfortable talking about what are still "Taboo" topics, ultimately demonstrates a higher level of open-mindedness and likely opportunity to pursue learning objectives and topics of interest/research in a wider variety of areas; and is also a just generally a more open environment to study in.

Anyway, that's my rant. Any feedback is appreciated

What would be an example of a "taboo" topic?

 

[PhysioMD]

 

[PhysioMD]

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[cbrons]

I think based on my descriptions above, sex in general is still a taboo topic for many health care professionals. People still are very uncomfortable discussing it with patients.

Doesn't really seem like an LGBT issue, seems more like a general issue. And I completely disagree that physicians in general are uncomfortable about it. Med students are different story - a lot of 3rd year med students are afraid to do a lot of things, its in fact a normal feeling associated with developing clinical competence. Also "taboo" means something that is socially prohibited or unacceptable, and a physician taking a sexual history is universally standardized in the curriculum of every MD school.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

At least half the med student population in all schools still giggle when someone says penis. Stop thinking we are some sort of super humans when in reality we are just like the next person but with more than average grades on a test.

I assume you've attended all schools during lectures to witness this?

 

[cbrons]

Atleast half the med student population in all schools still giggle when someone says penis. .

My class isn't quite this immature....

Also I know we had several mandatory seminars on LGBT issues.

 

[PhysioMD]

 

[cbrons]

I'm not trying to start a war here. I'm fully aware that people are entitled to their own personal views on a myriad of topics that span healthcare (abortion, LGBT, euthanasia), my question simply is if the word "LGBT" health at all come up in your curriculum? Or the term LGBT never comes up and the assumption is just that it falls with the rest of "sexuality" and doesn't need any specific mention. I'm just curious as to which (if any) schools actually bring it up separately in any way.

Speaking for my own school, it comes up quite a lot. There is an active LGBT medical students association and they do outreach/educational seminars (really on transgender-specific issues) in addition to what is offered by the school itself. But there isn't an entire unit in Behavioral Sciences (M1) or Psychiatry (M2) or any other class devoted to so-called "LGBT" health/issues if that is what you are looking for.

 

[arfc6]

We had one lecture on sexuality as it relates to illness, and one lecture on lgbt related health issues. Both were informative. I would be upset if they spent more time than those two lectures discussing it. I think a lot of the "Soft side" of medicine stuff that is taught gets ignored by the people that need to hear it, and everyone else agreed to begin with. Really all I care about now is the stuff that will be on step 1. I'm not saying everything else is bs, just that when you have lots to study it can feel like torture to have to listen to a patient presentation about hangnails, or whatever this weeks time drain happens to be.

 

[PhysioMD]

 

[HopefulReapp]

I think based on my descriptions above, sex in general is still a taboo topic for many health care professionals. People still are very uncomfortable discussing it with patients.

It's only an awkward conversation if you make it awkward. At the end of each one of my shifts I need to chart I&Os for my patients and I ask each one "So XYZ, how many times did you pee and poop last night?" Likewise, for incontinent patients I clean up men and women with poop and pee in crevices you didn't even know existed. Not all of these incontinent patients are unaware of their surroundings, but rather are just complete care. Like I said, the situation is only awkward if you make it awkward. I would imagine it is the same for whichever situation you can think up.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

I'm not trying to start a war here. I'm fully aware that people are entitled to their own personal views on a myriad of topics that span healthcare (abortion, LGBT, euthanasia), my question simply is if the word "LGBT" health at all come up in your curriculum? Or the term LGBT never comes up and the assumption is just that it falls with the rest of "sexuality" and doesn't need any specific mention. I'm just curious as to which (if any) schools actually bring it up separately in any way.

1. LGBTetc sexuality was specifically discussed during our med ed sex ed.
2. I found it equally as useless as the not-LGBT med ed sex ed.

 

[GangaMaster]

I assume you've attended all schools during lectures to witness this?

I am obviously a vampire as you are a time traveller.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

I am obviously a vampire as you are a time traveller.

Vampires can't be in 134 places at once, but they can sparkle...

 

[bakedbeans18]

What would be an example of a "taboo" topic?

Male to female transgendered patient develops breast cancer in the newly developed breasts from their hormone replacement therapy - subsequently are told to d/c HRT and undergo chemo. For someone who has undergone a gender reassignment, that's essentially saying 'stop being the gender you feel most comfortable as' aka 'stop being the person who you are.' I mean, that's just something I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[Priapism4tooLong]

When I read the thread topic I thought you meant, does your school provide adequate time for you to have sex? Haha

 

[cbrons]

Male to female transgendered patient develops breast cancer in the newly developed breasts from their hormone replacement therapy - subsequently are told to d/c HRT and undergo chemo. For someone who has undergone a gender reassignment, that's essentially saying 'stop being the gender you feel most comfortable as' aka 'stop being the person who you are.' I mean, that's just something I can think of off the top of my head.

Interesting scenario (not taboo though, not sure why you quoted me?) My reponse to this patient would be like probaby most everyone else - give them a choice of what they want to do. Id like to hear wht others might say to this hypothetical patient though.

 

[Tungsten5]

Interesting scenario (not taboo though, not sure why you quoted me?) My reponse to this patient would be like probaby most everyone else - give them a choice of what they want to do. Id like to hear wht others might say to this hypothetical patient though.

Do you want to die of cancer with soft skin or beat cancer with facial hair and restart HRT later?

Seems like straightforward question to me. Can't imagine too many will mind delaying the transition in general though

 

[bakedbeans18]

Do you want to die of cancer with soft skin or beat cancer with facial hair and restart HRT later?

Seems like straightforward question to me. Can't imagine too many will mind delaying the transition in general though

Caveat: HRT would be contraindicated because it had previously led to cancer. Patient would not be able to continue HRT.

 

[Tungsten5]

Caveat: HRT would be contraindicated because it had previously led to cancer. Patient would not be able to continue HRT.

It's not a satisfying choice, but it is an easy one for the majority of patients I'd think: best to live as a hormonal male than to die as a hormonal woman.

Certainly they'll never feel completely female but they're not totally barred from experiencing some form of it.

 

[DermViser]

I recently participated in an interprofessional survey where students from medical years 1 and 2 as well as students from other health professions anonymously asked questions about sex/sexuality/LGBT patients. Some of the questions were well though out and others were just atrocious (as in you could tell they were meant to joke and provoke in a way a 15 year old boy would joke for instance about STDs or same-sex partners).

Anyway, it got me wondering, specifically to sexual health and LGBT patients did your school spend enough time on these topics ? were they fairly and adequately covered or just quickly "brushed over" because of a "we have to mention this" sort of attitude? did the profs/school seem comfortable teaching these topics?

I'm curious because I strongly believe that a school program which mandates equality/fair treatment and coverage of all health care topics relating to all groups of people and is comfortable talking about what are still "Taboo" topics, ultimately demonstrates a higher level of open-mindedness and likely opportunity to pursue learning objectives and topics of interest/research in a wider variety of areas; and is also a just generally a more open environment to study in.

Anyway, that's my rant. Any feedback is appreciated

Ah, the typical millenial student. Always trying to change the medical school curriculum when it's already packed to capacity and difficult as it is. Please tell us oh learned one, what subject or topics should be displaced to teach medical students about these ethereal people whom you call LGBT? Quit trying to change the curriculum, just to accommodate your pet cause.

 

[DermViser]

I don't want to end up going to a school where people giggle when these topics are brought up; worse yet when the prof appears to be the one giggling. Trust me, I have a few years of experience in health care and MANY health care professionals are still uncomfortable asking patients about sexuality or discussing sexuality e.g. how sexuality might affect a chemotherapy patient or woman after a mastectomy. Patients want to know, they have questions, they want to feel comfortable asking "hey they cut off my breasts, I'm afraid my husband won't love me anymore, how will I ever have sex again"; what about the 20 year old SCI patient, I'm sure he wants to know how sex is going to work now that he is paralyzed from the waist down. Yet health care professionals still giggle when someone says "penis"; how do you think they would even respond to an LGBT patient in that situation. I could throw many real life examples at you. It's something that needs to be discussed and fairly covered by a school, and health care professionals need to be comfortable talking about sexuality.

Get used to it. Medical students and doctors are not super-human.

 

[dyspareunia]

Uhm obviously no. I mean equality as in the teaching of LGBT health. Does it receive any coverage in schools? I have a couple of friends going through medical school abroad right now, and one says yes, they received lectures which were "equal" in coverage to general sexual health and the profs had some training in the field and seemed interested to teach the topic; my other friend has said that it was simply "I need to also mention this" with a snicker and 10 minutes of coverage. I'm not sure if you know this but there are many places in the world and many people who still snicker at the idea of "equality" for the LGBT population.

Why should a minority population with no actual health differences get special recognition in a med school curriculum?

 

[username456789]

Ours got separate water fountains.

 

[Psai]

Equality/fair treatment is the same argument that creationists use to try to take away time from learning about evolution. I don't care about your agenda and I have enough to learn without unnecessary lectures that will make you feel better. You're going out of your way to separate yourself. No one's impressed by a victim mentality.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

Caveat: HRT would be contraindicated because it had previously led to cancer. Patient would not be able to continue HRT.

True, but as long as the male-to-female patient continued with a testosterone blocker (usually spironolactone which to my knowledge is OK in cancer) it would be no different than when a patient born a woman goes through menopause. Its not like stopping estrogen will all of a sudden make the transgendered female's breasts vanish and their skin go back to all rough and manly or whatever.

 

[touchpause13]

Are you guys seriously trying to say their are no specific LGBT medical issues? Are you just pretending trans people don't exist then? What about the increased risk of STIs in men who have sex with men?

 

[Arkangeloid]

I've never heard of LGBT people in medical school.

 

[Rendar5]

I've never heard of LGBT people in medical school.

lol, sure, there really are no gay or lesbian people in your class...

As for health issues, they are cultural, not medical, except when it comes to transgendered, which can at times be left to specialists. If they're going to teach medicine as it realates to cultures, sure there's room for LGBT health education. If they're not going to teach medicine as it relates to culture, then there won't be room for LGBT either. HIV is HIV whether it's in a gay guy or not. guys will get UTI's from unprotected anal sex whether it's a woman or a man. the health is the same. That said, if you get a doctor who gets caught up in the sexuality and not the patient, they're doing them a disservice, and this can't be taught. Most doctors I know can talk about sexuality with patients just fine, some can't. And I don't think classroom education fixes that so much as an open mind.

 

[Psai]

Are you guys seriously trying to say their are no specific LGBT medical issues? Are you just pretending trans people don't exist then? What about the increased risk of STIs in men who have sex with men?

What about it?

 

[PhysioMD]

 

[PhysioMD]

 

[PhysioMD]

 

[DermViser]

Equality/fair treatment is the same argument that creationists use to try to take away time from learning about evolution. I don't care about your agenda and I have enough to learn without unnecessary lectures that will make you feel better. You're going out of your way to separate yourself. No one's impressed by a victim mentality.

You have to realize many of these people have used the victim mentality to get INTO college and then medical school. It serves as their hook to make up for other deficiencies. Thus, it becomes a bad habit to break later.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Just when you think medical students are mature enough to talk about this, you get some sensitive types who still think LGBT is some agenda ready to infiltrate your brain cells and turn you gay.

 

[PhysioMD]

 

[DermViser]

I think this pretty much sums up your feelings about this topic. I don't consider sexuality as "****" in my curriculum, but to each their own I guess.

If you want to learn even more about sexuality and feel that the curriculum doesn't give enough lecture time, then get yourself a porno. No need to make it an official part of the curriculum and burden EVERYONE ELSE with it.

 

[PhysioMD]

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[colbgw02]

You should hire the lobbyists from the Ashkenazi Jewish folks. They know how to handle getting uncommon diseases into a medical school curriculum.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

did you make some argument somewhere above because I can't seem to find it?

Just pointing out the obvious straw man with my favorite straw man jpg

 

[PhysioMD]

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[DermViser]

Are you guys seriously trying to say their are no specific LGBT medical issues? Are you just pretending trans people don't exist then? What about the increased risk of STIs in men who have sex with men?

Yes, bc herpetic vesicles in men who have sex with men look totally different morphologically vs. men who have sex with women (grouped vesicles on a rainbow base vs. grouped vesicles on an erythematous base).

 

[DermViser]

After reading that, I am still unclear as to what content you think is involved in LGBT specific health care. As in how is it different. You'd treat them the same way as any other patient, as far as I can see. Maybe transgendered patients would have some muddled areas.

Most likely certain sexual practices only practiced by the LGBT community.

 

[PhysioMD]