Male Ob/Gyn

[THP]

I am a second year med student and considering Ob/Gyn. I was curious if men have a difficult time during training in a field dominated by women (so I assume) in the way a female might have problems in orthopedic surgery. Also, how do patients generally respond to male Ob docs?

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[tiredmom]

I can't say much about it being more difficult to train, since I'm female, but I've heard/seen the male residents at my school without any difficulties. Many female residents talked about looking for a program with a good balance of males (at least 1 per class) to decrease the "sorority" feel to it.
As for seeing a male Ob/gyn - I have always seen a male without any thought about it. He's great! I don't think there's a problem with finding patients, unless maybe you are in an area with a large population that is culturally opposed to opposite sex providers. It's important as a male to be caring and sensitive, there are more than a few of the "old guard" left who really seem to hate women. Good luck to you.

 

[Messerschmitts]

I'm a recently accepted premed (thank you SLU!) who's interested in OB/GYN sometime down the line, but I'm also concerned about acceptance of males into the field. I've heard a male med student complain that during his OB/GYN rotations, his female classmates gained more exposure/experience in a day than he gets to see in a month. He said once the nurse went into the exam room with the patient and asked if she would mind being observed by a med student. The student overheard the following conversation: "Yes, it is a male student. No no, no need to explain ma'am, we'll get someone else". The nurse came out and shook her head at the student; apparently this is a common result.

Is there any future in the long run for males in OB/GYN, or is this a field that doesn't really want males (so much as it "tolerates" a few) that will eventually become an exclusive arrangement of women caring for women? I wouldn't say there would be anything necessarily detrimental for the patients in such an arrangement, but it would be unfortunate for me (and other guys like me interested in OB/GYN). It's difficult to argue against the patients' right to choice of provider gender, if it increases her comfort and sense of dignity. If given a choice (all other things being equal) I would imagine that virtually all women would choose a female OB/GYN. Am I being "selfish" then for wanting to pursue OB/GYN, just because I would be interested in it, and secretly hoping the patient just wouldn't mind due to limited choice?

 

[Carbo/Taxol]

I am a male MS4 applying for Ob/Gyn residence...here is my experience...
In general, female patients (particularly the younger generation) tend to gravitate towards female physicians. However!, over the last 2 years on L&D, the benign Gyn service, and the Gyn Oncology service I have only had a handful of patients request to see a female med student/physician instead of me. This largely depends on your motivation, your interest, and your programs motivation to back you up and help get you involved. I have had nurses in the past (particularly during 3rd year) that have not allowed me to see "their" patients because I was male. I try to stay away from these nurses, but if all else fails tell your superiors and they will certainly remedy the matter. Also, nurses tend to get you more involved when they know that you are truly interested (which has been the case during my 4th year electives where I have worked with nurses that didn't let me do anything as a 3rd year). Just make it known early that this is something you want to do. I have also had patients that have requested to see female providers. Although we try to accomodate their requests, if no female providers are available...guess what?...they are going to get me or a male resident whether they like it or not or they could just wait a few hours until a female becomes available. You have to remember that you are training at a teaching hospital. Patients are aware of this...and they usually have to sign a form to this effect...and know that they will likely see both male and female med students and residents.

I remember the task I feared most during 3rd year was performing a sterile-speculum exam (SSE). I felt that I was all thumbs, couldn't find the cervix, and was truly hurting my patients. Although, SSE is more uncomfortable than I will ever understand the key is be confident and realize that you have a job to do. If you walk in the room shaking and scared sh*tless the patient's perception of the discomfort will be magnified and both you and her will leave feeling horrible.

With regards to the field of Ob/Gyn there is most definitely a place for a male. I have heard and experienced on the interview trail first-hand that the Y chromosome contains unspeakable powers and getting you into an excellent Ob/Gyn program. Furthermore, there are subspecialty fields (such as Gyn Oncology) that are male-dominated (although, like everything else, there is a shift towards equilibrium). So do not worry. You should not feel guilty about being a male Ob/Gyn...just remember you are not alone, a few decades ago almost all Ob/Gyn's were male. You will be a desirable residency applicant and you will find a job after residency regardless of what others may say.

Sorry for the dissertation....
PM me if you have any thoughts or questions
Good luck with everything.

 

[saiyagirl]

i gotta say, i think the male residents at the program where i am (i am a med student) are amazing.

i think the men that go into obgyn nowadays tend to be a lot, lot better/nicer/interested than their former counterparts...perhaps they have to be in the current enviornment. and many of them are far more empathetic with patients than their current female counterparts (who not always, but somtimes have a "i deal with it, so why can't you deal with it?" attitude).

there are always exceptions, but i've been very impressed by the male obgyns, and i'd choose a male obgyn for myself (yes, i am female) any day.

 

[G2P0112]

i gotta say, i think the male residents at the program where i am (i am a med student) are amazing.

i think the men that go into obgyn nowadays tend to be a lot, lot better/nicer/interested than their former counterparts...perhaps they have to be in the current enviornment. and many of them are far more empathetic with patients than their current female counterparts (who not always, but somtimes have a "i deal with it, so why can't you deal with it?" attitude).

there are always exceptions, but i've been very impressed by the male obgyns, and i'd choose a male obgyn for myself (yes, i am female) any day.

I chose a male OB/Gyn when I was pregnant and he is one of the main reasons I have chosen to go into the field myself.

 

[DoIn06]

I'm MSIV - going into Ob/Gyn (if all goes ok with these dreaded interviews), and I have a 3 month old - AND I had a male Ob/Gyn. His partner (a female) ended up being on call when I delivered though. So I had both male and female care during my pregnancy and can see no difference between the two. That's why were all called Doctor - not 'Doc' and 'Doc-ette'.

There are many patients out there who will choose a female ObG since they think they are more empathetic (and probably some are). Certainly those established female ObG's are more busy since there were fewer females training 20 years ago. But nowadays, since there are 70% females going into the field, I think there is plenty of room for men. There will be patients who would prefer a male doctor too.

See you on the floors men!

DoIn06

 

[mustangsally65]

I agree that there is a place for men in OB/GYN. I think it's refreshing to see both males and females, provide they are both empathetic and treat you with respect etc. Some men have a passion for this field, and patient's stereotypes shouldn't keep them from observing/going into the field.

I've had several gynecological problems in my life, and have been to both males and females. I don't have a preference myself, because the doctors I've been to have all been great, with the exception of one fairly old man which was not a good experience. When I have my yearly physical at my family doc's office, if she has med students I have no problem with letting them observe or even do parts of the exam like breast exam or pelvic/pap, because I know that I will be in their shoes in a few years (I"m still pre-med).

A few bad apples have spoiled the whole bunch in OB/GYN, especially because some people still believe that the only reason a man would go into the specialty is to see naked women all day. It's funny, because my mom told me once that she used to think female OB/GYNs were homosexual, because she grew up in the fifties and early sixties, when almost all doctors were male, and I guess she had the opposite perception until she went to a female OB in the late 80's.

Anyway, it's refreshing to see that men still do want to go into this specialty, because it seems that when most people I know talk about OB/GYN, all they have to say is something negative, like malpractice is too expensive, or the hours are awful, or residency is really tough. All of that stuff doesn't matter if OB/GYN is what you love.

Don't ever change, guys.

 

[Messerschmitts]

Thanks for all the encouraging talk, ladies! I will definitely (continue to) explore my interest in the field when I start med school in the summer. Does sound like there are some obstacles for men, but probably not as bad as some make it out to be.

 

[tiredmom]

On the topic of male students having difficulty getting in to see things - I've noticed that the male students that were up front and made an effort to go to the patient at the beginning of the shift, introduce themselves, and be really positive and professional, had no trouble at all being banned from the room. Certain cultures - many muslim families, some hispanic families, had objections to opposite sex providers, but really most patients were completely fine with it. Good luck to you.

 

[Oats]

If given a choice (all other things being equal) I would imagine that virtually all women would choose a female OB/GYN.

Not true. My OB/GYN is male and I wouldn't have it any other way. I would only agree to being seen by a female as a last resort (no disrespect intended ladies ).