Least conservative/traditional specialties?

[MrArmstrong]

Hello,

I have a nontraditional background - I worked in finance/IB and management consulting in LA/SF/Vegas (including: companies in entertainment, technology, gaming/gambling, porn, marijuana) before moving into medicine. I had an academic administrator recently express "disgust" that I helped these sorts of "immoral" companies. (I personally have NO problem with these industries & think sex work should be completely legalized and most drugs). Any who -- I have porn star friends, friends in all facets of entertainment/gaming/marijuana, etc.

With this said, I'm worried certain specialties will be too traditional/conservatives for myself, my viewpoints and background. Everyone is interested when I talk about working with Google & Apple... funny enough, a lot of people I know at Google worked in these *gasp* "immoral" industries.

Anyway, I'm no priest and don't expect medical professionals to be, but I'm now extremely worried about this path for myself personally if I'm going to be essentially discriminated against for not being a priest (didn't realize healthcare workers needed to be a clergy members, jeez).

- are there any specialties that would be better fits? (I love genetics and focused in my post-bac on genetics research/published, so maybe something more brainy-y/research oriented)
- should I just ditch healthcare? jk

Thanks!

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[MrArmstrong]

TLDR: are there any specialties/areas to consider for an ex-"sin" industry businessperson?

 

[Tenk]

Least conservative/traditional is the very definition of emergency medicine.

 

[wholeheartedly]

ID is pretty open to all kinds of ppl

 

[differentiating]

Hello,

I have a nontraditional background - I worked in finance/IB and management consulting in LA/SF/Vegas (including: companies in entertainment, technology, gaming/gambling, porn, marijuana) before moving into medicine. I had an academic administrator recently express "disgust" that I helped these sorts of "immoral" companies. (I personally have NO problem with these industries & think sex work should be completely legalized and most drugs). Any who -- I have porn star friends, friends in all facets of entertainment/gaming/marijuana, etc.

With this said, I'm worried certain specialties will be too traditional/conservatives for myself, my viewpoints and background. Everyone is interested when I talk about working with Google & Apple... funny enough, a lot of people I know at Google worked in these *gasp* "immoral" industries.

Anyway, I'm no priest and don't expect medical professionals to be, but I'm now extremely worried about this path for myself personally if I'm going to be essentially discriminated against for not being a priest (didn't realize healthcare workers needed to be a clergy members, jeez).

- are there any specialties that would be better fits? (I love genetics and focused in my post-bac on genetics research/published, so maybe something more brainy-y/research oriented)
- should I just ditch healthcare?

Thanks!

Adolescent medicine as a subspecialty is probably what I'd consider to be the least conservative specialty I've seen. Peds and IM in general also seem overall fairly chill. But I'm also biased by the fact that I've done all my medical training in the western US.

 

[Dr G Oogle]

I think this sort of Pearl clutching is not necessarily endemic to a specialty but to a specific department or institution. I’m in urogyn and do both OB and urology interviews and can tell you that your background wouldn’t work against you. Not sure what your job was exactly but any sort of nontraditional background brings an extra layer of innovation to medicine that just isn’t there if you go straight through ( I went straight through)

 

[deleted1079620]

I think OBGYN is a fairly progressive specialty.

 

[operaman]

Yeah I think no fields are closed to you. It might rub a few old timers the wrong way, but most will probably just find it interesting. Maybe leave out the “I know a lot of porn stars” thing from your answer to the ubiquitous “tell me about yourself” question. Really as long as you come across sane and relatively normal you should be able to talk openly about your background.

The concern for programs is more about identifying potentially problematic residents. Consulting for those fields doesn’t make me automatically assume you’re at higher risk of being trouble.

 

[Goro]

Hem/Onc. Dark senses of humor in those people

 

[deleted1139416]

I think OBGYN is a fairly progressive specialty.

OBGYN is already very anti-male. Not sure how responsive it would be to a male applicant who worked in a field that completely violates women. Not that I’m judging anyone, just speaking facts.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

i notice from these forums that anesthesiologists seem to be very conservative but maybe just sample bias

 

[Gilakend]

It's just a job man. Do whatever specialty you want and move to a city/practice where you like the people. It's not that deep.

 

[Niwrad]

It’s likely more regional than specialty specific

 

[LunaOri]

Psych seems to be accepting of less-conservative types.

 

[M&L]

i dont think pathology will care. Just from my experience in the specialty so far (M4 here, but have about 12 months of overall experience of full time rotations before and during med schools in path) - path is very welcoming to everyone who is different.

 

[deleted1079620]

OBGYN is already very anti-male. Not sure how responsive it would be to a male applicant who worked in a field that completely violates women. Not that I’m judging anyone, just speaking facts.

OP didn’t say they were male, and I’ve met more male OBGYNs on my rotations than I have female. In clinical rotations you might get more “no’s” from patients as a male student, but that doesn’t seem to deter many men from entering the specialty.

And I wasn’t commenting on OPs thoughts about sex workers…I was just listing a progressive specialty. Others with unconventional backgrounds may come after them and read this post too.

 

[ACSurgeon]

TLDR: are there any specialties/areas to consider for an ex-"sin" industry businessman? I refuse to hide my background/my past/myself FYI I'd rather just leave the field if it's that judgmental as I was already successful in business.

You don’t have to “hide” your past, but you don’t have to advertise it either. No one needs to know details of your past jobs. You can tell most people you did consulting for entertainment or gaming or other businesses and leave it at that. Most don’t care enough to want more details. If you’re offended that people don’t think your past is so awesome that they want to know more, that’s your problem not theirs.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

Hello,

I have a nontraditional background - I worked in finance/IB and management consulting in LA/SF/Vegas (including: companies in entertainment, technology, gaming/gambling, porn, marijuana) before moving into medicine. I had an academic administrator recently express "disgust" that I helped these sorts of "immoral" companies. (I personally have NO problem with these industries & think sex work should be completely legalized and most drugs). Any who -- I have porn star friends, friends in all facets of entertainment/gaming/marijuana, etc.

With this said, I'm worried certain specialties will be too traditional/conservatives for myself, my viewpoints and background. Everyone is interested when I talk about working with Google & Apple... funny enough, a lot of people I know at Google worked in these *gasp* "immoral" industries.

Anyway, I'm no priest and don't expect medical professionals to be, but I'm now extremely worried about this path for myself personally if I'm going to be essentially discriminated against for not being a priest (didn't realize healthcare workers needed to be a clergy members, jeez).

- are there any specialties that would be better fits? (I love genetics and focused in my post-bac on genetics research/published, so maybe something more brainy-y/research oriented)
- should I just ditch healthcare?

Thanks!

So your plan is to ditch healthcare because you don't want to work with those with conservative view points? Just go live in California, problem solved.

 

[Lexdiamondz]

It will likely be less a specialty issue and more a geographic issue.

Overall, specialties like psych, EM, anesthesia and peds tend to be less conservative, but I know my fair share of right-wing folks in the aforementioned specialties as well. They, like most people of their sociopolitical perspective, tend to reside in suburbs and states with like-minded folks.

That being said, there is still a time and place for everything. Basically no employer will appreciate a physician who has vocal opinions regarding sex-work and pornography, drug use and other "vices" at work no matter what their political leanings are. I work in a quintessentially liberal east-coast city and could easily see someone being put on HRs radar for being too vocal about aforementioned topics. NSFW is an acronym for a reason.

 

[RangerBob]

While those with conservative beliefs will care/focus more about the morality of the issue itself (pornography, gambling, marijuana/drug use), I think those with liberal beliefs tend to care/focus more on the exploitative potential against the workers in the industry (or the consumers themselves, particularly with gambling and recreational drugs).

The fact you worked on the business side seems like the worst of both worlds when it comes to perception. Someone with strong conservative moral beliefs will just read you app and see the connections to those industries and judge you for that. More liberal employers will see you were on the business side and might judge you (fairly or not) more strongly for being on the business of porn (for example) than for being an actual porn star.

Other than those business themselves, no one views working in those industries favorably anyway—at best you’ll get a neutral response. So leave them out. No one will judge you for working with the entertainment, gaming, or tech industries—so just list them and not the others.

 

[OraclePL]

I have yet to meet the attending who starts morning rounds by asking students how well they know Lisa Ann.

You could...keep some things to yourself. This really isn't a big deal. One person made a throwaway comment and you're thinking of ditching the whole career?

There are conservative people everywhere. When people ask you about your old jobs, you can speak in vague terms how you worked in finance or IB. Not necessary to volunteer information that could rub someone the wrong way.

 

[ACSurgeon]

I have yet to meet the attending who starts morning rounds by asking students how well they know Lisa Ann.

You could...keep some things to yourself. This really isn't a big deal. One person made a throwaway comment and you're thinking of ditching the whole career?

There are conservative people everywhere. When people ask you about your old jobs, you can speak in vague terms how you worked in finance or IB. Not necessary to volunteer information that could rub someone the wrong way.

How dare you. Everyone should be embraced for anything and everything

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

So your plan is to ditch healthcare because you don't want to work with those with conservative view points? Just go live in California, problem solved.

That's an ill-informed view of California. Millions and millions of conservatives in CA. And, one more thing, conservatives aren't the only folks that might be bothered your experience / views.

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

No employer is going to hire a physician who openly shares his/her views on porn, drug use, sex-work, etc. ---- regardless of the political views of those doing the hiring.

 

[Proudfather94]

Hello,

I have a nontraditional background - I worked in finance/IB and management consulting in LA/SF/Vegas (including: companies in entertainment, technology, gaming/gambling, porn, marijuana) before moving into medicine. I had an academic administrator recently express "disgust" that I helped these sorts of "immoral" companies. (I personally have NO problem with these industries & think sex work should be completely legalized and most drugs). Any who -- I have porn star friends, friends in all facets of entertainment/gaming/marijuana, etc.

With this said, I'm worried certain specialties will be too traditional/conservatives for myself, my viewpoints and background. Everyone is interested when I talk about working with Google & Apple... funny enough, a lot of people I know at Google worked in these *gasp* "immoral" industries.

Anyway, I'm no priest and don't expect medical professionals to be, but I'm now extremely worried about this path for myself personally if I'm going to be essentially discriminated against for not being a priest (didn't realize healthcare workers needed to be a clergy members, jeez).

- are there any specialties that would be better fits? (I love genetics and focused in my post-bac on genetics research/published, so maybe something more brainy-y/research oriented)
- should I just ditch healthcare?

Thanks!

To be honest, picking a specialty based on politics doesn't make much sense to me. You are going to have plenty of options on where you want to work no matter which one you pick. Pick the specialty you want and if you hate your coworkers get a new job.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Echo those who say the attitudes against your background are more likely to be location- and institution-specific than specialty-specific. That said, these are controversial topics and they don't need to be volunteered upfront necessarily. More than just conservatives might be bothered by various aspects of the details of some of this work.

 

[MrArmstrong]

OP didn’t say they were male, and I’ve met more male OBGYNs on my rotations than I have female. In clinical rotations you might get more “no’s” from patients as a male student, but that doesn’t seem to deter many men from entering the specialty.

And I wasn’t commenting on OPs thoughts about sex workers…I was just listing a progressive specialty. Others with unconventional backgrounds may come after them and read this post too.

Female here.

 

[sloop]

Psych seems to be accepting of less-conservative types.

Depends what type of psych and where. It also depends a lot on whether less-conservative is really just a political orientation or something more in terms of personality.

What I mean is that although psychiatrists are overall high openness individuals and political liberals, they also tend to be one of the most judgmental specialties in many ways. I have many psychiatrists comment on the cluster B traits of other doctors and hospital workers. If less conservative means walking around with pink hair, a nose ring, and political patches on your bag, many psychiatrists will definitely judge you for that. Forensic psychiatrists are particularly conservative compared to the field overall. Academic places in liberal cities may be less judgmental in some ways, but you might also be surprised by how this doesn’t always generalize to these types of situations. Many east coast cities that are considered liberal also have an underlying professional culture that tends to override the general sense of acceptance in these types of situations.

 

[Lost in Translation]

I think OBGYN is a fairly progressive specialty.

Yes and no. Yes in terms of empowering women’s care, no in terms of practice style (though that can differ from program to program).

 

[cj_cregg]

Hello,

I have a nontraditional background - I worked in finance/IB and management consulting in LA/SF/Vegas (including: companies in entertainment, technology, gaming/gambling, porn, marijuana) before moving into medicine. I had an academic administrator recently express "disgust" that I helped these sorts of "immoral" companies. (I personally have NO problem with these industries & think sex work should be completely legalized and most drugs). Any who -- I have porn star friends, friends in all facets of entertainment/gaming/marijuana, etc.

With this said, I'm worried certain specialties will be too traditional/conservatives for myself, my viewpoints and background. Everyone is interested when I talk about working with Google & Apple... funny enough, a lot of people I know at Google worked in these *gasp* "immoral" industries.

Anyway, I'm no priest and don't expect medical professionals to be, but I'm now extremely worried about this path for myself personally if I'm going to be essentially discriminated against for not being a priest (didn't realize healthcare workers needed to be a clergy members, jeez).

- are there any specialties that would be better fits? (I love genetics and focused in my post-bac on genetics research/published, so maybe something more brainy-y/research oriented)
- should I just ditch healthcare? jk

Thanks!

Agree with advice above - I think regardless of specialty you just have to find the right workplace. I don't see why the nitty gritty details of your previous career would need to come up in conversation with most of your colleagues anyway.

That said...I recognize that you probably talk about it differently IRL and are being a bit facetious here, but what might get you in trouble is not the work itself but the way you talk about it. I don't think the industries you listed are inherently immoral. But there's no denying that in their current form, they do cause direct harm to a lot of people even if its just a small percentage of the industry. There's a lot of real estate between "being a priest" and, say, supporting the sex work industry, which in its darkest corners, exploits and abuses a lot of marginalized and vulnerable people. I'm sure you're aware of that nuance as someone who's been closer to those types of businesses than most people in medicine have. I would just make sure you acknowledge that.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Just tell them that you worked for management consulting in San Francisco and leave it at that; "management consulting" sounds pretty respectable.

 

[luckybuck]

I think you should go for whatever specialty you want and not worry too much about it

 

[ChordaEpiphany]

Seems like a self-imposed issue. You can talk as much or as little about the type of work you did before. If it's directly related to porn, prostitution, or something far more immoral like trading equities for mega rich clients, I'd just brush over it or talk about the other aspects of the job. If anything, I think you'd have a lot more trouble in the liberal crowd than the conservative crowd, since working in IB and management consulting is undeniably a Faustian bargain these days.

Either way this won't be specialty-specific, just region-specific. If you're applying to a residency in rural Oklahoma, maybe don't put any OnlyFans links in your personal statement. Otherwise exercise normal human judgement and you'll be fine wherever.

 

[DannyCo]

Hello,

I have a nontraditional background - I worked in finance/IB and management consulting in LA/SF/Vegas (including: companies in entertainment, technology, gaming/gambling, porn, marijuana) before moving into medicine. I had an academic administrator recently express "disgust" that I helped these sorts of "immoral" companies. (I personally have NO problem with these industries & think sex work should be completely legalized and most drugs). Any who -- I have porn star friends, friends in all facets of entertainment/gaming/marijuana, etc.

With this said, I'm worried certain specialties will be too traditional/conservatives for myself, my viewpoints and background. Everyone is interested when I talk about working with Google & Apple... funny enough, a lot of people I know at Google worked in these *gasp* "immoral" industries.

Anyway, I'm no priest and don't expect medical professionals to be, but I'm now extremely worried about this path for myself personally if I'm going to be essentially discriminated against for not being a priest (didn't realize healthcare workers needed to be a clergy members, jeez).

- are there any specialties that would be better fits? (I love genetics and focused in my post-bac on genetics research/published, so maybe something more brainy-y/research oriented)
- should I just ditch healthcare? jk

Thanks!

Not sure how good is choosing place to work based on your views. Most likely you going to have various supervisors that might all be different. In the end, if I were you, I'd just go with whatever you WANT to do and ignore other factors.
You gotta learn to cope with your supervisors, noone is ever perfect. Myself, I used to run like 10 miles almost daily early on since it helped me get through(even took part in a few amateur running events organized by nearby running store Running Store | Online Running Shoes Store | Run United )

 

[LucidSplash]

I think this is a “know your audience” situation. The specifics of your previous client list can probably be left out of most conversations while still allowing you to engage in interesting and meaningful discussion of your background prior to Medicine.

 

[i-doctor]

Don’t worry about it too much. But you aren’t the first person to worry about such things. In fact, I’d argue that every gay med student/doctor in the 1970’s, 80’s, 90’s etc. pretty much worried about the same thing. Especially when people then viewed it as “immoral behavior”. Less so now of course. Welcome to our world.

 

[PathNeuroIMorFM]

I'm pretty shocked no one has posted this figure yet. Per the NYT in 2016. Take that as you will.

Link to the full paper here. But the TL;DR is younger doctors and doctors in lower paying specialties lean democrat. Older and higher paying lean repbulican.

 

[i-doctor]

I'm pretty shocked no one has posted this figure yet. Per the NYT in 2016. Take that as you will.

Link to the full paper here. But the TL;DR is younger doctors and doctors in lower paying specialties lean democrat. Older and higher paying lean repbulican.
View attachment 364922

Your graph is missing orthopedic surgeons. They’d be right at the top of this page.

 

[luckybuck]

Why is it, do you think, higher earning specialties tend to be more republican?

 

[PathNeuroIMorFM]

Your graph is missing orthopedic surgeons. They’d be right at the top of this page.

Yup. Ortho is in the next figure.

@luckybuck Taxes.