Gay-friendly medical/surgical specialties?

[MsKrispyKreme]

LMAO Your one word answer was so simple, but for some reason made me laugh so hard. Maybe my brain is fried from studying for step 2. Or maybe it's just the use of the outdated term...the word proctology always makes me laugh.

Colorectal surgery just doesn't have the same *ring* to it, does it?

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eghL7ORV1lg[/YOUTUBE]

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[sirus_virus]

What are gay friendly medical specialties besides psychiatry?

I hear surgery is very conservative in culture, but that is just hearsay.

Are they mostly confined to big, gay-mecca-ish liberal cities like SF, NYC, Boston, and Seattle?

I am guessing the specialties that do the most digital rectal exams.

 

[OnDemond]

Hurricane - I understand your points. But please try to understand what it's like to be part of a residency. You spend more time with your fellow residents than you will spend with your SO. On some off-site rotations, you will have to live in shared housing with your fellow residents - where they'll be able to overhear your phone conversations with your SO. Heck, you'll have parties and BBQs where you'll be invited to bring your SO along! Unlike when you're a med student (where you're only on service for a max of 6 weeks), you see these people for YEARS. They get to be a part of your family too. Now, if you're not comfortable with these fellow residents knowing that you're gay, you may be in for a very uncomfortable 3-7 years.

I would tend to agree with Hurricane's initial response and add that as has been pointed out (and to which Hurricane alluded) that you CAN let your close colleagues know that your gay as long as you don't make a big deal out of it. If you approach the matter dicretely your colleagues will be sensitive about it, and those who aren't are those who you wouldn't want to associate with anyway. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Even if at the beginning they might act awkwardly around you, after a short time they will get to know your personal side and the fact that your gay will really not matter. As a matter of fact, if you have good friends and are stuck in a awkward situation with others, your friends will bail you out. This topic is really nothing to stress about.

{begin rant} I think we all have to take a step back and realize that as humans we all look for acceptence. Here in the states, providing everyone with acceptence can be more challenging than in homogenous countries (practically every other country) because we have such a diversity of ethnicities and backgrounds. However it just takes a bit more effort and is ultimately rewarding, especially when we realize that, left to our own devices, we can succeed using our talents no matter from what background we come from. Of course everyone has their own hurdles to overcome, but realize that it can be done and having animosity towards those who you feel are depriving you of your goals does not advance you further.
The reason I'm writing this is because I've seen certain people who are different than the majority (a.k.a. minorities) choose to emphasize their difference in order to evoke sympathies from others to get where they want, and it bothers me. For example, if I fail at something I can do the following:1) blame it on antisemitism and cry to the world how I'm being discriminated against or 2) look within and determine how I can work harder in order to succeed next time. Of course there are cases of discrimination even in the U.S., but that's not the majority of cases and yes, there are bad people in each society. I see so many people who, despite their "minority" status, succeed in so many areas. {end rant}

That's my daily rant...

 

[smq123]

If you approach the matter dicretely your colleagues will be sensitive about it, and those who aren't are those who you wouldn't want to associate with anyway.

Do you know how big the average residency class is?

Between 3-8 people. If even a few of those people aren't sensitive about it, that's a big chunk of your class that you won't be able to associate with.

And you're not on service with ALL of them at the same time. Let's say, out of a class of 6, you're on service with only 2 of them....but they happen to be the 2 who are least comfortable with the fact that you're gay (even if you don't "flaunt it").

My point is - I understand why the OP is worried. I don't think that dismissing his fears by saying, "Oh, just give people the benefit of the doubt" is very fair OR sensitive.

Perhaps the OP has already HAD bad experiences with people reacting negatively to the fact that he is dating another man? And he just wants to make sure that it won't be a problem in his future career? Just telling him that it will probably be fine, and that "most people don't have a problem with gays who don't FLAUNT it" is probably not very helpful or comforting.

 

[OnDemond]

Do you know how big the average residency class is?

Between 3-8 people. If even a few of those people aren't sensitive about it, that's a big chunk of your class that you won't be able to associate with.

And you're not on service with ALL of them at the same time. Let's say, out of a class of 6, you're on service with only 2 of them....but they happen to be the 2 who are least comfortable with the fact that you're gay (even if you don't "flaunt it").

My point is - I understand why the OP is worried. I don't think that dismissing his fears by saying, "Oh, just give people the benefit of the doubt" is very fair OR sensitive.

Perhaps the OP has already HAD bad experiences with people reacting negatively to the fact that he is dating another man? And he just wants to make sure that it won't be a problem in his future career? Just telling him that it will probably be fine, and that "most people don't have a problem with gays who don't FLAUNT it" is probably not very helpful or comforting.

Yeah, I guess I can be on the optimistic side sometimes...
BTW, I tried clicking on your fightingdocs link and it has expired or something.

 

[smq123]

Yeah, I guess I can be on the optimistic side sometimes...

Not always a bad thing, but I DO understand where the OP is coming from, sadly.

BTW, I tried clicking on your fightingdocs link and it has expired or something.

<sigh> Leave it to attendings to let their domain expire. Just like herding cats, I tell you....

Thanks for the heads-up. It WAS a good website put together by physicians about the malpractice crisis in Pennsylvania....and now it just lists random jujitsu websites.

 

[turkeyjerky]

Do you know how big the average residency class is?

Between 3-8 people. If even a few of those people aren't sensitive about it, that's a big chunk of your class that you won't be able to associate with.

And you're not on service with ALL of them at the same time. Let's say, out of a class of 6, you're on service with only 2 of them....but they happen to be the 2 who are least comfortable with the fact that you're gay (even if you don't "flaunt it").

My point is - I understand why the OP is worried. I don't think that dismissing his fears by saying, "Oh, just give people the benefit of the doubt" is very fair OR sensitive.

Perhaps the OP has already HAD bad experiences with people reacting negatively to the fact that he is dating another man? And he just wants to make sure that it won't be a problem in his future career? Just telling him that it will probably be fine, and that "most people don't have a problem with gays who don't FLAUNT it" is probably not very helpful or comforting.

You've made great arguments for the necessity of carefully choosing a residency program, however, the OP was asking about gay-friendly specialties. The notion of an entire field of medicine or surgery being either friendly or unfriendly to homosexuals is patently ridiculous. That is why there's been such a negative response from so many posters.

(Also, there's the (quite legitimate) opinion that the OP should strive to become a physician who happens to be gay, rather than becoming a gay physician. There's hostility to the latter because all patients--gay, straight or wavy--deserve physicians who care for them professionally.)

 

[Random Anesthesiologist]

Infectious Disease.

 

[gabe575]

Get into any specialty you want to and become the best at it. So good that everyone in the medical community knows about it and be as gay as you want.

When someone tries you for being homosexual. Rub in their faces how good you are.

 

[bcat85]

proctology

Nursing.