Odd questions from a transgender premed

[galaxyuser]

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Hi all,
As the title says, I am premed currently applying in this cycle, seeking answers from med students.
I may be getting too ahead of myself for posting my concerns for when I get to med school (fingers crossed I get in the first try), but here are pressing concerns I wonder about at night before I go to bed.

Background- female-to-male transgender, only socially transitioned, have not taken any legal/medical steps due to family reasons. I don't see transition as a viable option for a while. I have been stealth all my college life. Voice and mannerism are male-enough, and being short and slim have been more forgiving as an Asian.

My plan is to be stealth in med school as well, and with that.. my questions are:

1) Generally, at what point in med school do people start having to use common locker-rooms? I'm guessing people change in and out of scrubs. Is it possible to show up dressed in scrubs so I don't have to change with others? If not, is wearing an undershirt inside scrubs allowed?

2) With med school being professional, how much should I worry/stress about looking really young? Most would see me as a teenager. Thus far in my life, having no facial hair was also not too questioned as an Asian.

Sorry if these questions are not appropriate here, and thank you if anyone could provide insight into the locker-room issue!

 

[Tangerine123]

1. I guess it's different in every hospital, but this was my experience. No common locker-rooms, we were separated. It used to be only in surgical rotations that you had to change. Now it's probably not possible to show dressed up already in scrubs due to corona. Undershirt allowed. You will have to change again before/after a surgery.

2. Irrelevant. You might get a comment every now and then. The youngest person that graduated in my class was 22 and patients sometimes did mention that she was "too young". Just shrug it off.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

1) changing situation might depend on school. For us, anatomy was the only thing in preclinical you needed to change for (occasional other things needed scrubs, but you could usually just show up wearing them and leave in them. anatomy scrubs get gross so most people change at school). There was no specific locker room so most people just changed in bathrooms or wherever they felt comfortable.

I'm on a rotation now where I need to change in/out of scrubs at the hospital. There's gendered locker rooms here, but no one would notice if I went and changed somewhere more private instead. I can't really think of a time when you would be forced to change in front of other people and not able to step into a bathroom or somewhere more private.

Something you may want to think about, if you aren't planning to be out to anyone at school at all, is your comfort with classmates practicing physical exams on you. we would never do a sensitive exam on a classmate, but we did a lot of basic exam practice (heart, lung, abdomen, etc) that could potentially make you feel uncomfortable. If you're applying DO, I believe some schools have students practice OMT on each other.

2) looking young can be a pain if people don't take you seriously, but otherwise i wouldn't stress about it.

 

[IsleyOfTheNorth]

Something you may want to think about, if you aren't planning to be out to anyone at school at all, is your comfort with classmates practicing physical exams on you. we would never do a sensitive exam on a classmate, but we did a lot of basic exam practice (heart, lung, abdomen, etc) that could potentially make you feel uncomfortable. If you're applying DO, I believe some schools have students practice OMT on each other.

Definitely plan for this. If a classmate does an ultrasound on your abdomen and finds a uterus instead of a prostate, that could be an awkward moment. We had some Muslim women who were able to opt out of being scanned, so maybe look into something along those lines.

 

[Cornfed101]

If you're applying DO, I believe some schools have students practice OMT on each other.

Some? I don’t know of any DO schools that don’t have you practice on each other. Even with Covid we have OMM lab once a week

 

[galaxyuser]

1. I guess it's different in every hospital, but this was my experience. No common locker-rooms, we were separated. It used to be only in surgical rotations that you had to change. Now it's probably not possible to show dressed up already in scrubs due to corona. Undershirt allowed. You will have to change again before/after a surgery.

2. Irrelevant. You might get a comment every now and then. The youngest person that graduated in my class was 22 and patients sometimes did mention that she was "too young". Just shrug it off.

Thank you so much for your input. I got one concern off of me now 🙂

 

[galaxyuser]

1) changing situation might depend on school. For us, anatomy was the only thing in preclinical you needed to change for (occasional other things needed scrubs, but you could usually just show up wearing them and leave in them. anatomy scrubs get gross so most people change at school). There was no specific locker room so most people just changed in bathrooms or wherever they felt comfortable.

I'm on a rotation now where I need to change in/out of scrubs at the hospital. There's gendered locker rooms here, but no one would notice if I went and changed somewhere more private instead. I can't really think of a time when you would be forced to change in front of other people and not able to step into a bathroom or somewhere more private.

Something you may want to think about, if you aren't planning to be out to anyone at school at all, is your comfort with classmates practicing physical exams on you. we would never do a sensitive exam on a classmate, but we did a lot of basic exam practice (heart, lung, abdomen, etc) that could potentially make you feel uncomfortable. If you're applying DO, I believe some schools have students practice OMT on each other.

2) looking young can be a pain if people don't take you seriously, but otherwise i wouldn't stress about it.

Thank you so much for your input, really appreciate it!

I was almost regretting asking odd questions here, but I'm glad I did.. now that's a problem I had not really thought about.
I'm applying all MD's, but I can see this situation being quite uncomfortable

 

[galaxyuser]

Definitely plan for this. If a classmate does an ultrasound on your abdomen and finds a uterus instead of a prostate, that could be an awkward moment. We had some Muslim women who were able to opt out of being scanned, so maybe look into something along those lines.

Sounds like my worst nightmare right there. In a perfect world, I would like to be transparent and honest, but I will have to start thinking of some excuses...

Thank you for your input! It helped me see where I'm headed next.. 🙂

 

[galaxyuser]

Some? I don’t know of any DO schools that don’t have you practice on each other. Even with Covid we have OMM lab once a week

In my situation, is it better that I applied all MD's? (Sorry, I should've been clear about this in my original post)

 

[Cornfed101]

In my situation, is it better that I applied all MD's? (Sorry, I should've been clear about this in my original post)

Im not at an MD school so I can’t speak for any/all of them, but we have done physical exams (derm, for example) that require you to have your shirt off and be examined by fellow classmates. Can any of the rest of you comment on that? That seems like it would be pretty universal.

 

[Osteosaur]

We had a common locker room to change for anatomy. One hospital I was at had a locker room for surgery. But you don't need to totally strip down for scrubs. Could you potentially just wear an undershirt and boxers if that makes you more comfortable?

If you don't want to strip down to a physical exam class, I've only ever had to have my shirt off once, maybe contact your student office and explain the situation?

I look young myself. Male and smallish and have been mistaken for a child. Sometimes you really can't do anything about it but have a professional demeanor. Be glad you look younger than you are and not older than you are. It has not impacted anyone's evaluation from me and I had good comments on bedside manner/professionalism from one rotation.

 

[deleted889094]

Pretty sure the transgender student in my class just used a unisex bathroom to change for anatomy lab. I wouldn't worry about it. Once you get in, just talk to the diversity/inclusion office and I'm sure they'll work with you.

 

[galaxyuser]

Im not at an MD school so I can’t speak for any/all of them, but we have done physical exams (derm, for example) that require you to have your shirt off and be examined by fellow classmates. Can any of the rest of you comment on that? That seems like it would be pretty universal.

Thank you for your input!
As an outsider, I could only imagine as far as changing in and out of scrubs. Had not thought of the possibility of having to be shirtless for a physical exam class..!

We had a common locker room to change for anatomy. One hospital I was at had a locker room for surgery. But you don't need to totally strip down for scrubs. Could you potentially just wear an undershirt and boxers if that makes you more comfortable?

If you don't want to strip down to a physical exam class, I've only ever had to have my shirt off once, maybe contact your student office and explain the situation?

I look young myself. Male and smallish and have been mistaken for a child. Sometimes you really can't do anything about it but have a professional demeanor. Be glad you look younger than you are and not older than you are. It has not impacted anyone's evaluation from me and I had good comments on bedside manner/professionalism from one rotation.

Thanks for the input!
From everyone else on this thread, it seems like changing really won't be an issue, especially since undergarments are allowed 🙂.
Sounds like it will be my responsibility to communicate well with the student office once I get there (fingers crossed). I would be more comfortable being shirtless in front of others after surgical transition, but there will still be the ultrasound that can't be cheated.

Pretty sure the transgender student in my class just used a unisex bathroom to change for anatomy lab. I wouldn't worry about it. Once you get in, just talk to the diversity/inclusion office and I'm sure they'll work with you.

Thank you!
I'm positive that there will be support and people who are willing to work with my needs, though my goal of remaining stealth may not be realistic with my career choice.

 

[Osteosaur]

I'm at an osteopathic school and I have only, ever, had to take off my shirt once to identify 'bony landmarks'.

Otherwise we mostly just press on eachother's backs and abdomens through t-shirts.

You are not, where I am, at least as a medical student expected to simply allow every inch of your body to be fair game for examination by your peers for learning purposes. Nor should it be that way.

 

[Cornfed101]

I'm at an osteopathic school and I have only, ever, had to take off my shirt once to identify 'bony landmarks'.

Otherwise we mostly just press on eachother's backs and abdomens through t-shirts.

You are not, where I am, at least as a medical student expected to simply allow every inch of your body to be fair game for examination by your peers for learning purposes. Nor should it be that way.

hmm I guess it’s not as normal as I thought! We are without shirts (for guys) and in sports bras (for girls) at least one lab a week.

 

[ciestar]

Im not at an MD school so I can’t speak for any/all of them, but we have done physical exams (derm, for example) that require you to have your shirt off and be examined by fellow classmates. Can any of the rest of you comment on that? That seems like it would be pretty universal.

Not once was i ever examined by any of my classmates... except ENT.

For anatomy i wasnt shy about changing in front of people. Now in residency, i wear shorts and an undershirt under my scrubs so it doesnt even matter lol

 

[Cornfed101]

Not once was i ever examined by any of my classmates... except ENT.

this is kinda wild to me... did you not learn any physical exam skills until 3rd year?

 

[JoaoMoutinho]

this is kinda wild to me... did you not learn any physical exam skills until 3rd year?

I'm not who you're asking but whatever. When we've done ultrasound practice and shirts were required to be off we've either done it on SPs or on students who volunteered. Any physical exam skills that require clothes to be taken off to learn them we've just done on SPs. We do have a longitudinal clinic starting 1st year where we get to practice stuff as well though.

 

[ciestar]

this is kinda wild to me... did you not learn any physical exam skills until 3rd year?

SPs. (Even pelvic/testicular exams)

 

[Cornfed101]

SPs. (Even pelvic/testicular exams)

oh yeah we aren’t gonna do pelvic and breast exams on fellow students. At least they draw the line there

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

Some? I don’t know of any DO schools that don’t have you practice on each other. Even with Covid we have OMM lab once a week

I'm not at a DO school so didn't want to assume!

Im not at an MD school so I can’t speak for any/all of them, but we have done physical exams (derm, for example) that require you to have your shirt off and be examined by fellow classmates. Can any of the rest of you comment on that? That seems like it would be pretty universal.

We've never ever been expected to remove clothing, that's only SPs. But we definitely practiced vital signs and basic exam skills (with clothing) on each other, and that can involve things like stethoscopes on chests that could be uncomfortable even with clothing on. This was generally in more casual (but scheduled) practice sessions, so it's not like you're getting graded on it or in front of the class or anything, but may be a little tricky to avoid. In my experience people were always respectful of others bodies in these sessions, but that doesn't mean it will be comfortable for everyone.

OP, If you end up at a school that does this and you're comfortable sharing your story with a couple classmates and/or faculty, it may be possible to get accommodations or to pair up only with people you trust for these kind of sessions to avoid awkwardness. Absolutely up to you how much you want to share though.

 

[mvenus929]

We didn't do pelvic ultrasounds, and finding a uterus or prostate seems like it would be relatively difficult (in a non-pregnant person) without full access that should not be expected in a med student. We did do liver and kidney, which was voluntary, but only required us to pull our shirts up to our ribs. I can't remember if they even attempted to find an appendix. As a woman, I never had to take off my shirt (I'm super self-conscious about my body, so would have felt very uncomfortable shirtless and in a sports bra).

We did have some exams where we expected some skin-to-skin contact (let me put the stethoscope under your shirt so I can more appropriately listen to your heart/lungs), which might be more challenging if you wear a binder, but you could very still likely get around them. The MSK exams, we just had to wear loose fitting clothing that allowed access to our joints.

For changing, surgery is going to be your biggest issue, as they often have scrubs in sex-specific locker rooms, but there are areas in those locker rooms that you can change in privately and no one will think poorly of you.

There is an LGBTQ forum on SDN that has some other trans students/residents/attendings on it, so they may be able to give you more specific information. I'm not sure if they're all out, or if some of them are stealth as well. Regardless, I hope you find a school that makes you comfortable with being who you are even if you are stealth.

As far as the age thing, I'm now 33 and have people ask me if I'm old enough to be a doctor. It's been less in the past 3 years than in medical school or residency, but there are those of us who look super young and that's just how it is. Don't worry so much about that.

 

[Fidelio17]

At an MD school, retaining your privacy in regards to your body & any physical exam/scanning practice shouldn't be an issue. I have asked to be excused from being used for surface anatomy & physical exam practice (on the rare occasions that it was expected of everyone in the class), & I've never been asked why or given any pushback for it. The response has always been, "You don't have to if you don't want to, let's put you in a group of 3 so that no one has to practice on you."

 

[Cornfed101]

At an MD school, retaining your privacy in regards to your body & any physical exam/scanning practice shouldn't be an issue. I have asked to be excused from being used for surface anatomy & physical exam practice (on the rare occasions that it was expected of everyone in the class), & I've never been asked why or given any pushback for it. The response has always been, "You don't have to if you don't want to, let's put you in a group of 3 so that no one has to practice on you."

I think this is the best advice OP, if you ask for accommodations at any school I don’t think it will be an issue

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

oh yeah we aren’t gonna do pelvic and breast exams on fellow students. At least they draw the line there

Yeah we did everything on each other except breast and pelvic/rectal. We did those on SPs.

 

[ready2go2]

Hi all,
As the title says, I am premed currently applying in this cycle, seeking answers from med students.
I may be getting too ahead of myself for posting my concerns for when I get to med school (fingers crossed I get in the first try), but here are pressing concerns I wonder about at night before I go to bed.

Background- female-to-male transgender, only socially transitioned, have not taken any legal/medical steps due to family reasons. I don't see transition as a viable option for a while. I have been stealth all my college life. Voice and mannerism are male-enough, and being short and slim have been more forgiving as an Asian.

My plan is to be stealth in med school as well, and with that.. my questions are:

1) Generally, at what point in med school do people start having to use common locker-rooms? I'm guessing people change in and out of scrubs. Is it possible to show up dressed in scrubs so I don't have to change with others? If not, is wearing an undershirt inside scrubs allowed?

2) With med school being professional, how much should I worry/stress about looking really young? Most would see me as a teenager. Thus far in my life, having no facial hair was also not too questioned as an Asian.

Sorry if these questions are not appropriate here, and thank you if anyone could provide insight into the locker-room issue!

1) 3rd year. In first year anatomy there were gender specific locker-rooms but in 3rd/4th year there was just 1 big locker room. At my institution it is not possible to show up dressed in scrubs (on a surgical rotation) as the hospital scrubs are suppose to be "clean" therefore can only be worn in the hospital, not on the street. You can instead change in the bathroom if you uncomfortable changing in front of people. Yes of course an undershirt is allowed, as long as the material is not peaking outside of your scrubs

2) There are a lot of young looking people in med school. I wouldn't worry about it. Can it be a disadvantage in general? Yes. But that is true for any and every field. People who look young are often seen as inexperienced or not knowledgable. Its not a personal slight against you!

 

[thumbz]

I'm a third year attending who still can't grow facial hair and still routinely get carded at bars and the classic "you're younger than my (great)grand-children! As an asian you may actually find people are more forgiving as they'll expect you to look younger and have less facial hair. So from that point of view you should also be ok.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

In first year anatomy there were gender specific locker-rooms

We changed all together (co-ed) in the anatomy lab by the door lol.

 

[Cornfed101]

We changed all together (co-ed) in the anatomy lab by the door lol.

I just picture this when I think of your med school, with the sound of a bugle in the background

 

[galaxyuser]

Oh wow,, I'm so thankful for the contributors on this thread. It is a warm surprise to get home to, and I will bookmark and treasurer this thread until my (hopeful) matriculation 😀

I got to know several school's situations today and I feel mentally prepared and protected for whatever is to come, although the consensus I get out of this is that I shouldn't lose sleep on my 2 specific concerns.

Loved the advice from @fidelio to alert professors and a few others to help me avoid uncomfortable situations.

@mvenus929 I am quite new to sdn, but will definitely check out the LGBTQ resources here, thank you for directing me.

As for looking young, I guess that really was a trivial thought. Here's to getting carded for another decade or two.. 🙂

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I just picture this when I think of your med school, with the sound of a bugle in the background

View attachment 320294

Lmao my school is nothing like boot camp. I’d take the worst day in med school over the best day in boot camp any day.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Oh wow,, I'm so thankful for the contributors on this thread. It is a warm surprise to get home to, and I will bookmark and treasurer this thread until my (hopeful) matriculation 😀

I got to know several school's situations today and I feel mentally prepared and protected for whatever is to come, although the consensus I get out of this is that I shouldn't lose sleep on my 2 specific concerns.

Loved the advice from @fidelio to alert professors and a few others to help me avoid uncomfortable situations.

@mvenus929 I am quite new to sdn, but will definitely check out the LGBTQ resources here, thank you for directing me.

As for looking young, I guess that really was a trivial thought. Here's to getting carded for another decade or two.. 🙂

Yeah I think at most schools, you will have little to no issues.

 

[IMG69]

There's a transgender student in the year below me and he got put in the very situation everyone is talking about, they asked him to be the patient for students to do a cardioresp exam on but he refused to take his shirt off etc and ended up getting kicked out of that group and then the whole class started speculating.

In short tell your clinical skills lead so they can inform the demonstrators and help prevent the above from happening to you.

 

[galaxyuser]

There's a transgender student in the year below me and he got put in the very situation everyone is talking about, they asked him to be the patient for us to do a cardioresp exam on but he refused to take his shirt off etc and ended up getting kicked out of that group and then the whole class started speculating.

In short tell your clinical skills lead so they can inform the demonstrators and help prevent the above from happening to you.

Oh no...and here I thought the locker room issue would be the end of my stealth.
As much as it feels awkward to initiate these conversations, I definitely will, when the time comes!

 

[Goro]

1) Generally, at what point in med school do people start having to use common locker-rooms? I'm guessing people change in and out of scrubs. Is it possible to show up dressed in scrubs so I don't have to change with others? If not, is wearing an undershirt inside scrubs allowed?

2) With med school being professional, how much should I worry/stress about looking really young? Most would see me as a teenager. Thus far in my life, having no facial hair was also not too questioned as an Asian.

1) We have some unisex bathrooms that are meant for issues like these when they arrive.

2) From an admissions standpoint, looking young won't hurt. Acting immature will.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

There's a transgender student in the year below me and he got put in the very situation everyone is talking about, they asked him to be the patient for students to do a cardioresp exam on but he refused to take his shirt off etc and ended up getting kicked out of that group and then the whole class started speculating.

In short tell your clinical skills lead so they can inform the demonstrators and help prevent the above from happening to you.

YIKES. this is bad regardless of who it is - there are a lot of people who might not want to take their shirt off in front of classmates for various reasons. It may make practicing harder for others, but you deal with that by just asking someone else to volunteer, not kicking the uncomfortable person out. For us anytime they had one student as a demo patient for the whole class/large group, they've asked for volunteers, not just randomly selected someone. Our practice with classmates was always done in pairs/trios, not large groups.

Also, gross that the class made a big deal out of it. poor kid.

 

[Osteosaur]

There's a transgender student in the year below me and he got put in the very situation everyone is talking about, they asked him to be the patient for students to do a cardioresp exam on but he refused to take his shirt off etc and ended up getting kicked out of that group and then the whole class started speculating.

In short tell your clinical skills lead so they can inform the demonstrators and help prevent the above from happening to you.

YIKES. this is bad regardless of who it is - there are a lot of people who might not want to take their shirt off in front of classmates for various reasons. It may make practicing harder for others, but you deal with that by just asking someone else to volunteer, not kicking the uncomfortable person out. For us anytime they had one student as a demo patient for the whole class/large group, they've asked for volunteers, not just randomly selected someone. Our practice with classmates was always done in pairs/trios, not large groups.

Also, gross that the class made a big deal out of it. poor kid.

Really curious what school this is...

 

[radsisrad]

Im not at an MD school so I can’t speak for any/all of them, but we have done physical exams (derm, for example) that require you to have your shirt off and be examined by fellow classmates. Can any of the rest of you comment on that? That seems like it would be pretty universal.

That sounds ridiculous.

We were never forced to be the subjects of physical exams by other med students, and for this to be the case in any school is completely inappropriate.

 

[Cornfed101]

That sounds ridiculous.

We were never forced to be the subjects of physical exams by other med students, and for this to be the case in any school is completely inappropriate.

honestly nobody thought twice about it because we thought it was just part of med school!

 

[IMG69]

Really curious what school this is...

If you're worried about people being uncomfortable just know its a requirement for us to do a rectal exam in second year.

UK school not sure what's so unbelievable about this? Generally male students will be used as simulated patients for the cardio resp exams and female students may be used for ortho exams, neuro etc. How do you guys learn if not on each other? If you don't want to be the simulated patient you can just say no, unfortunately the transgender student was the only male in that group that day due to illness (groups are generally 50-50 M/F) which caused the issue.

This is basically why i'm telling you to inform the staff about this, you may be unlucky enough to have the above happen.

 

[hmockingbird]

I think for locker rooms you could always go into a stall. I’m pretty sure our anatomy locker room was unisex and I always wore something under my scrubs. For surgery/OB rotations they are stricter about what you can wear under scrubs bc you’re in the OR. Generally the rule is that it can’t show outside of the scrubs.

For exams at most schools I think you do practice on each other (not the sensitive exams). I would probably suggest talking to someone in the deans office if you are worried. At my school we never had to take our shirts off but did have to roll them up for the abdominal exam, I think that was it. We also had to practice VERY basic procedures on each other (I think just blood draws and SubQ shots). But I had some minorly awkward experiences with all of this that I think could’ve been avoided by talking to someone and getting an official accommodation or even just being more prepared about what was coming. (In my case I’ve had a lot of medical issues and I have unique, “interesting” anatomy... you can imagine how that works with less sensitive preceptors lol. I’m also a bad person to practice procedures on for that reason.)

 

[ciestar]

If you're worried about people being uncomfortable just know its a requirement for us to do a rectal exam in second year.

UK school not sure what's so unbelievable about this? Generally male students will be used as simulated patients for the cardio resp exams and female students may be used for ortho exams, neuro etc. How do you guys learn if not on each other? If you don't want to be the simulated patient you can just say no, unfortunately the transgender student was the only male in that group that day due to illness (groups are generally 50-50 M/F) which caused the issue.

This is basically why i'm telling you to inform the staff about this, you may be unlucky enough to have the above happen.

Wait you practice rectals on each other?

My schools pays standardized patients to come in and teach this stuff. Also fourth year med students teach these skills and then I had them practice on me. Nobody was forced and I was not asked to take any of my clothes off.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

If you're worried about people being uncomfortable just know its a requirement for us to do a rectal exam in second year.

UK school not sure what's so unbelievable about this? Generally male students will be used as simulated patients for the cardio resp exams and female students may be used for ortho exams, neuro etc. How do you guys learn if not on each other? If you don't want to be the simulated patient you can just say no, unfortunately the transgender student was the only male in that group that day due to illness (groups are generally 50-50 M/F) which caused the issue.

This is basically why i'm telling you to inform the staff about this, you may be unlucky enough to have the above happen.

You do rectals on each other?

We do a rectal in second year too, but they are on specially trained SPs. Also it is kind of weird that you’re required to have a male student for the cardio/pulmonary exam. At my school, we just asked for a volunteer from our group and half the time it was a woman and half the time it was a man.

 

[IMG69]

No we're required to do a rectal on a real patient. Sorry should've made that more clear.

We have dummies for all 'sensitive' exams. We're not 'required' to have a male student for the exam but not many girls want several guys (especially) and girls testing for thrills and heaves or palpating the apex if you know what I mean. I'm not sure what the big deal is usually in a group with 3 guys 1 has no problem removing their shirt for a cardio exam?? In my group it was always myself or my friend because the other guy wasn't comfortable.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

No we're required to do a rectal on a real patient.

We have dummies for all 'sensitive' exams. We're not 'required' to have a male student for the exam but not many girls want several guys and girls testing for thrills and heaves on them if you know what I mean. I'm not sure what the big deal is usually in a group with 3 guys 1 has no problem removing their shirt for a cardio exam?? In my group it was always myself or my friend because the other guy wasn't comfortable.

The way you described it was that the men are the ones to do it, and since the only man there that day was the trans student, it caused a problem. At my school, they ask for volunteers. I’m the only guy in my group. If I didn’t feel like volunteering, one of the girls would just volunteer.

Maybe it’s because we’re military or because we all changed in front of each other the entire year for anatomy, but the women at my school have zero problem volunteering for that stuff. We’re all professionals.

 

[IMG69]

Well that's great but just like in the UK i'm sure a high proportion of female students in the US wouldn't feel comfortable with their class mates hands all over their chest.

 

[Cornfed101]

Well that's great but just like in the UK i'm sure a high proportion of female students in the US wouldn't feel comfortable with their class mates hands all over their chest.

*laughs an uncomfortable laugh from my DO school where we have already had labs palpating sacrum, pubis, and ribs on both sexes*

Well on the plus side I won’t have any problem being comfortable touching patients.

 

[galaxyuser]

honestly nobody thought twice about it because we thought it was just part of med school!

Yup, and when I'm trying to be a stealth trans, I'd be in a more passive mindset thinking that it is just the way it is, as to not draw attention to my situation.

For exams at most schools I think you do practice on each other (not the sensitive exams). I would probably suggest talking to someone in the deans office if you are worried. At my school we never had to take our shirts off but did have to roll them up for the abdominal exam, I think that was it. We also had to practice VERY basic procedures on each other (I think just blood draws and SubQ shots). But I had some minorly awkward experiences with all of this that I think could’ve been avoided by talking to someone and getting an official accommodation or even just being more prepared about what was coming. (In my case I’ve had a lot of medical issues and I have unique, “interesting” anatomy... you can imagine how that works with less sensitive preceptors lol. I’m also a bad person to practice procedures on for that reason.)

Basic exams sound do-able, but the stethoscope part is also included in the basics.. right? 🙁

I'm not sure what the big deal is usually in a group with 3 guys 1 has no problem removing their shirt for a cardio exam?? In my group it was always myself or my friend because the other guy wasn't comfortable.

Grouping up in trio or more with guys could be my safest plan 🙂

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Well that's great but just like in the UK i'm sure a high proportion of female students in the US wouldn't feel comfortable with their class mates hands all over their chest.

Not sure what you guys are doing over there, but unless you’re doing breast exams on each other there’s no reason to be groping all over a female patient’s chest. I checked for PMI and heave on my female teammate and somehow managed to not feel her up.

 

[ciestar]

Yup, and when I'm trying to be a stealth trans, I'd be in a more passive mindset thinking that it is just the way it is, as to not draw attention to my situation.



Basic exams sound do-able, but the stethoscope part is also included in the basics.. right? 🙁



Grouping up in trio or more with guys could be my safest plan 🙂

Yes, auscultation is part of a basic exam. Large breasted women are asked to pull on their bra strap to lift the breast up to listen to the mitral area.