Pornstar in medicine

[veronicad]

Hi,

I'm a second year medical student at a wonderful school. However, prior to entering medical school I was involved in the adult film industry. Though it's legal to be in porn in my state, I wonder if I've permanently and irrevocably ruined my chances of ever being licensed after matriculation.

Does anyone know anything about this? Have I forever damaged (or killed) my career?

This is a very sincere and serious question, and I'd appreciate serious answers.

Thank you.

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[Cali2]

Simple, if what you were involved in was legal, then if you want to be taken seriously, then never tell anyone you work with, ever.

 

[duckie99]

Assuming this is real... then yeah I think you have really screwed yourself but only if it is easy to figure out who you were. I believe most pornstars use different names. But we have all head the stories of the pornstar teachers who were fired soley because of that reason. Though the teacher was not doing anything illegal there is no way the students or parents could take her seriously. So if a group, hospital, residency program etc find out you were in porn in the past in any way likely you'll be fired because they do not want negative publicity. The only way to avoid this is if you work in a sole private practice so you will have no one to answer to.

 

[Serotonergic]

I think it's ridiculous how people who have done porn get treated so badly. People are stupid.

 

[A7X]

Bobbi Starr? I recall she wanted to enter gynecology after her career was over.

 

[HopeTo99]

Some random options:

1) Change your appearance (i.e. if you're a pale causation, get a tan. if you wore your hair up in your films, start wearing it down. if you're a short, straight-haired blonde, fall in love with the idea of being a long, curly-haired brunette. if you have any unique and obvious marks [peculiar birthmark on cheek, etc], have it removed. if you have jacked teeth, have them fixed. if you are ultra-neurotic and wanna feel like a secret agent [or fugitive] get a nose job.)

A simple example of how some of these "make-over" steps can pretty much render one as unrecognizable compared to their former appearance (obviously you likely aren't a 50-something year old that looks like she is stuck in the 90's):

2) If your films are on an established pay website, contact them and see if/how you can get them removed. If you find yourself on the more popular "tube" sites, spend several hours searching their databases, saving the hyperlinks and flag/report the videos. Might not get any accommodations, but doesn't hurt to try.

3) If you are unfortunate enough to have used your real name, change your name.

Lol. Cracked me up.

 

[HopeTo99]

So what difference does it make if someone was in the porn industry or watches porn? All the same to me. They shouldn't be so hard on the OP.

 

[DocHawk117]

1. haha I have to laugh a little at this thread, no offense, seriously. it is just bizarre to me that someone entering into a field as professional and reputable as medicine once made the choice to be a pornstar. i guess most of us know we want to be docs from a young age, therefore would never do something considered so socially "unprofessional", or at least we would keep the films private 🙂 But, maybe you are matriculating at an older age and had no clue you wanted to be a doctor when you decided to enter your previous career.

2. Absolutely NO ONE should find out about this. There is a PhD at my school who was in an adult magazine once (which is arguably not as risque' as porn) and she taught us ONE lecture. That's it. And it was extremely controversial for us as students. No one remembers anything she said because no one took it seriously. The guys were drooling at first, and then we all got sidetracked trying to google her pics, and then we were all pissed off (or a good portion of us were) that our school, which is also highly reputable, would hire someone who had once had no concern for professionalism, when professionalism NEEDS to be a part of our daily life. Most likely, people will not take you seriously, not respect you, and probably judge you quite a bit.

3. What if we had never known her past? Probably would have never been an issue. She's probably a very intelligent, nice person.

4. Now, is this right? No, probably not, but it's how it goes.

My Point: a career in porn is not necessarily something your classmates/colleagues/professors/future job should EVER EVER EVER find out about.

 

[SpecterGT260]

1. haha I have to laugh a little at this thread, no offense, seriously. it is just bizarre to me that someone entering into a field as professional and reputable as medicine once made the choice to be a pornstar. i guess most of us know we want to be docs from a young age, therefore would never do something considered so socially "unprofessional", or at least we would keep the films private 🙂 But, maybe you are matriculating at an older age and had no clue you wanted to be a doctor when you decided to enter your previous career.

2. Absolutely NO ONE should find out about this. There is a PhD at my school who was in an adult magazine once (which is arguably not as risque' as porn) and she taught us ONE lecture. That's it. And it was extremely controversial for us as students. No one remembers anything she said because no one took it seriously. The guys were drooling at first, and then we all got sidetracked trying to google her pics, and then we were all pissed off (or a good portion of us were) that our school, which is also highly reputable, would hire someone who had once had no concern for professionalism, when professionalism NEEDS to be a part of our daily life. Most likely, people will not take you seriously, not respect you, and probably judge you quite a bit.

3. What if we had never known her past? Probably would have never been an issue. She's probably a very intelligent, nice person.

4. Now, is this right? No, probably not, but it's how it goes.

My Point: a career in porn is not necessarily something your classmates/colleagues/professors/future job should EVER EVER EVER find out about.

I think you'd be surprised what medical students get involved in. I would bet if you looked hard enough you'd find some scandal around your own classmates. I know in my class I've been surprised a couple of times

 

[DocHawk117]

I think you'd be surprised what medical students get involved in. I would bet if you looked hard enough you'd find some scandal around your own classmates. I know in my class I've been surprised a couple of times

scandalousss. more details please (just kidding... ?)

 

[Phantom88]

being a porn star does not make someone inherently unprofessional, in the same way being a doctor does not make someone inherently professional

 

[username456789]

being a porn star does not make someone inherently unprofessional, in the same way being a doctor does not make someone inherently professional

Agreed. The poster above who was lambasting a PhD lecturer for "unprofessionalism" is being pretty unfair (not to mention particularly judgmental).

 

[DocHawk117]

being a porn star does not make someone inherently unprofessional, in the same way being a doctor does not make someone inherently professional

Personally, I agree with both of these statements. I still think that she will be stereotyped as I mentioned above and should try to keep her past private.

 

[Kron]

You will be stereotyped for sure. Just keep it on the downlow and do the best you can in what you do. In the end people will respect you if you do your job well. Doesn't matter where you came from, as long as you get good results and "market" that side of yourself you'll be good to go. Those that still won't take you seriously are not worth your time & energy anyway.

 

[drizzt3117]

I know someone currently at a medical school that used to be a porn star. I suspect this poster isn't them, bc I think they're a m3 now, but so far it's been kept under wraps from an admin perspective.

 

[veronicad]

Thank you to everyone who responded thoughtfully. I truly do appreciate your time, effort, and compassion.

Luckily, I did work under a stage name. However, I did quite well for myself. I suppose it's time to dye my hair and buy some colored contacts...

And to everyone who asked for photos, I would, except that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid - my identity getting spread around the medical community.

 

[veronicad]

I imagine that's my biggest hurdle...facing moral censure rather than actual administrative ramifications. It's an interesting dichotomy that we're taught so thoroughly to be completely non-judgmental to all of our patients' sexual orientations and behaviors (no matter how far outside of the "norm") yet porn is so often looked upon with shock and dismay. I've faced this in the non-medical community, and (as someone else posted) I can't really expect any leniency from a very conservative group.

I guess I'm not going to be the one to shepherd the medical profession into a new era of sexual liberation.

You will be stereotyped for sure.

 

[SpecterGT260]

being a porn star does not make someone inherently unprofessional, in the same way being a doctor does not make someone inherently professional

no... this is wrong. Professionalism has to do with conduct. It is a wholly subjective idea in which your actions both before and during your practice impact the way your colleagues and patients see you. Being a porn star, by definition, is unprofessional in the sense of the way it is used in this context.

Now, if we wanted to talk oldest professions......

 

[SpecterGT260]

Lmao! I heard porn stars get paid $1000 - $5000 a day.

and they typically only work a few "days" a month. You would be paid per job, and since the average porn star doesn't have 9000 videos each, I would assume this 1-5k/gig deal isnt terribly lucrative. It's ok, you made the right choice in pursuing medicine 😉

 

[SpecterGT260]

Thank you to everyone who responded thoughtfully. I truly do appreciate your time, effort, and compassion.

Luckily, I did work under a stage name. However, I did quite well for myself. I suppose it's time to dye my hair and buy some colored contacts...

And to everyone who asked for photos, I would, except that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid - my identity getting spread around the medical community.

if you were even remotely successful you can bet that about every guy in your class already recognized you.

that is assuming this is at all real......

 

[KnuxNole]

Assuming this is real... then yeah I think you have really screwed yourself but only if it is easy to figure out who you were. I believe most pornstars use different names. But we have all head the stories of the pornstar teachers who were fired soley because of that reason. Though the teacher was not doing anything illegal there is no way the students or parents could take her seriously. So if a group, hospital, residency program etc find out you were in porn in the past in any way likely you'll be fired because they do not want negative publicity. The only way to avoid this is if you work in a sole private practice so you will have no one to answer to.

That's what I find disappointing about certain people of society, they aren't bright enough or too conservative to actually accept certain things. If I had a doc who did porn in the past, I wouldn't care, same with working with a colleague who did porn.

 

[MSTPlease]

if you were even remotely successful you can bet that about every guy in your class already recognized you.

not necessarily. Might have just thought to themselves "man, that girl really looks like that pornstar X" because they probably unconsciously (or even consciously) don't believe a porn star would be smart enough to actually be in the class.

 

[KnuxNole]

1. haha I have to laugh a little at this thread, no offense, seriously. it is just bizarre to me that someone entering into a field as professional and reputable as medicine once made the choice to be a pornstar. i guess most of us know we want to be docs from a young age, therefore would never do something considered so socially "unprofessional", or at least we would keep the films private 🙂 But, maybe you are matriculating at an older age and had no clue you wanted to be a doctor when you decided to enter your previous career.

2. Absolutely NO ONE should find out about this. There is a PhD at my school who was in an adult magazine once (which is arguably not as risque' as porn) and she taught us ONE lecture. That's it. And it was extremely controversial for us as students. No one remembers anything she said because no one took it seriously. The guys were drooling at first, and then we all got sidetracked trying to google her pics, and then we were all pissed off (or a good portion of us were) that our school, which is also highly reputable, would hire someone who had once had no concern for professionalism, when professionalism NEEDS to be a part of our daily life. Most likely, people will not take you seriously, not respect you, and probably judge you quite a bit.

3. What if we had never known her past? Probably would have never been an issue. She's probably a very intelligent, nice person.

4. Now, is this right? No, probably not, but it's how it goes.

My Point: a career in porn is not necessarily something your classmates/colleagues/professors/future job should EVER EVER EVER find out about.

hmm....i dunno. It's not as high as you think. Its more common for those who wanted to be doctors at a young age to change/rethink. And people aren't thinking "Oh man, every decision I make must be professional!!!", especially as a college kid. Usually the med students who scream professional about everything seem to be the most irritating :/

And why do people think pornstars are dumb...some places, they are part-time college kids who do it for money/loan payment. It's like when Dustin Zito from the Real World got so much crap from doing porn, which kinda made me cringe about how insanely judgmental people can get...

 

[SpecterGT260]

hmm....i dunno. It's not as high as you think. Its more common for those who wanted to be doctors at a young age to change/rethink. And people aren't thinking "Oh man, every decision I make must be professional!!!", especially as a college kid. Usually the med students who scream professional about everything seem to be the most irritating :/

And why do people think pornstars are dumb...some places, they are part-time college kids who do it for money/loan payment. It's like when Dustin Zito from the Real World got so much crap from doing porn, which kinda made me cringe about how insanely judgmental people can get...

There is a difference between being a porn star and accepting a few hundred bucks to let some guy videotape you giving a handy. The "stars" are typically signed and I am not aware of a single one of them doing anything except eventually becoming too old but holding on to "the dream" anyways. The OP's title was likely a little exaggerated.

 

[pseudosquam]

When did you become such an expert on the porn profession? lol.

Btw. You made me think about something - do porn stars make less or more than a well establish stripper?

OP: given the choice why didn't you become a stripper?

There is a difference between being a porn star and accepting a few hundred bucks to let some guy videotape you giving a handy. The "stars" are typically signed and I am not aware of a single one of them doing anything except eventually becoming too old but holding on to "the dream" anyways. The OP's title was likely a little exaggerated.

 

[SpecterGT260]

When did you become such an expert on the porn profession? lol.

Btw. You made me think about something - do porn stars make less or more than a well establish stripper?

OP: given the choice why didn't you become a stripper?

🙄 using a little common sense and not being completely blind to the goings-on in the world around me.

they tend to make more than a stripper will - many move from stripping to nude modeling to porn.

 

[deleted103644]

I don't find this surprising at all.

I'm sure there are a couple of students in most medical schools who made money at some point by stripping, porn, or even turning a few tricks.

Of the three, porn is probably the most risky for future career prospects (assuming the individual isn't caught doing the latter).

You should assume that you will be discovered since facial recognition will be built into many search engines in the near future (Google and Facebook are already toying with it). You should assume any images accessible on the Internet will eventually be tied to you.

 

[jthan]

there is professionalism in the adult entertainment industry too

1. haha I have to laugh a little at this thread, no offense, seriously. it is just bizarre to me that someone entering into a field as professional and reputable as medicine once made the choice to be a pornstar. i guess most of us know we want to be docs from a young age, therefore would never do something considered so socially "unprofessional", or at least we would keep the films private 🙂 But, maybe you are matriculating at an older age and had no clue you wanted to be a doctor when you decided to enter your previous career.

2. Absolutely NO ONE should find out about this. There is a PhD at my school who was in an adult magazine once (which is arguably not as risque' as porn) and she taught us ONE lecture. That's it. And it was extremely controversial for us as students. No one remembers anything she said because no one took it seriously. The guys were drooling at first, and then we all got sidetracked trying to google her pics, and then we were all pissed off (or a good portion of us were) that our school, which is also highly reputable, would hire someone who had once had no concern for professionalism, when professionalism NEEDS to be a part of our daily life. Most likely, people will not take you seriously, not respect you, and probably judge you quite a bit.

3. What if we had never known her past? Probably would have never been an issue. She's probably a very intelligent, nice person.

4. Now, is this right? No, probably not, but it's how it goes.

My Point: a career in porn is not necessarily something your classmates/colleagues/professors/future job should EVER EVER EVER find out about.

 

[veronicad]

Correct you are, sir. I worked as a stripper for a year before getting into porn, and I made the move due to a combination of more money and better hours. Pretty much why anyone voluntarily changes jobs.

they tend to make more than a stripper will - many move from stripping to nude modeling to porn.

 

[alamo4]

Someone asked about something similar a while ago, and I found several stories about people's past lives causing problems in later careers. Good luck!

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but it might be analogous; people in education lose their jobs all the time for nudity or other 'activities':

http://voices.yahoo.com/teacher-tera-myers-porn-star-past-haunts-her-again-8029528.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,456345,00.html

http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=culture&sc2=features&sc3=&id=125303

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/04/stacie_halas_fired_porn_teacher.php

http://davidatlanta.com/2011/12/wtf-kevin-hogan-school-teacher-fired-after-porn-past-revealed/

http://austinist.com/2006/06/13/sch...tin_high_art_teacher_for_nude_photographs.php

Nurses:

http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19990810porn4.asp

Maybe consider pathology or radiology? j/k 😉

 

[circulus vitios]

2. Absolutely NO ONE should find out about this. There is a PhD at my school who was in an adult magazine once (which is arguably not as risque' as porn) and she taught us ONE lecture. That's it. And it was extremely controversial for us as students. No one remembers anything she said because no one took it seriously. The guys were drooling at first, and then we all got sidetracked trying to google her pics, and then we were all pissed off (or a good portion of us were) that our school, which is also highly reputable, would hire someone who had once had no concern for professionalism, when professionalism NEEDS to be a part of our daily life. Most likely, people will not take you seriously, not respect you, and probably judge you quite a bit.

You guys sound like an insufferable bunch.

 

[deleted103644]

You guys sound like an insufferable bunch.

For better or worse, what he said is true.

It's not that he was objecting to someone doing porn per se, just noting that it has often been a career ended when people discover someone's porn past.

It will be a serious problem for the OP. I may not care that she did porn, but someone will.

 

[DocHawk117]

ahhh. This makes sense - for some reason when I think of physicians, medical students, or residents I assume the male gender. I forget that there are women in this profession.

I can imagine them getting really hot under their scarfs about something like a lecturer having a seductive past. They tend to be vindictive like that.

yeah any actual comment i have to this would probably get me banned.

i am a female, and i don't care what OP did in the past, or the PhD that lectured us. They both probably made more money that I ever did before med school 🙂 I just think it is better if it remains "in the past" because whether anyone likes it or not, it does affect reputation, and she asked for advice and opinions of whether this would affect her. Regardless of what anyone's personal opinion is, people don't hire someone based on personal opinion alone. They want to hire someone who will appeal to all of the general masses, be respected, trusted, and successful at working with patients and colleagues. Hopefully, OP and PhD will be all of these things, but a lot of patients/colleagues would feel uncomfortable seeing/working with a pornstar. This is basically non-debatable. Reference Izzy in Grey's Anatomy, and she was just a lingerie model. (YES! I love that I just got to throw that reference out there... believe it or not I answered 3 test questions last year solely from watching grey's 👍)

 

[SpecterGT260]

ahhh. This makes sense - for some reason when I think of physicians, medical students, or residents I assume the male gender. I forget that there are women in this profession.

I can imagine them getting really hot under their scarfs about something like a lecturer having a seductive past. They tend to be vindictive like that.

That's a little..... eh....


I tend to assume people on the internet (forums) are male. But that's usually true I think

 

[Kron]

I guess I'm not going to be the one to shepherd the medical profession into a new era of sexual liberation.

You could try but it's obviously an uphill battle. When it comes to sexual liberation I think there are easier nuts to crack (so to speak) than the medical community.

 

[MossPoh]

Depending on the roles played, one may be able to spin it as a leadership position on ERAS.

Seriously though, unless it was multiple unaccounted for years, I'd just do my best to keep it under wraps. Medicine tends to be a conservative field, so while many wouldn't care there are always those people that would care way too much. There have been long debates about tats and piercings, so I can't imagine how anything to do with adult entertainment would play out. Well, I can imagine and it wouldn't be pretty.

Certain specialties would probably fly off the handle about it a lot faster than others. Pediatrics may be a little precarious since people seem to think it will magically rub off and their kids will run off to some shady house in the valley with shag carpeting to make it big, but other fields may be more accepting (if it were to come out).

 

[SpecterGT260]

Depending on the roles played, one may be able to spin it as a leadership position on ERAS.

🤣

 

[veronicad]

Aside from the requisite handful of awkward comments, I'm thoroughly impressed with the open-mindedness of people on SDN. Though most current professors, directors, staff, etc that we work with and learn from may have a more conservative mindset that wouldn't be able to accept my past, it seems as though most people here take it in stride. If my school administration was comprised of SDN folks I'd be golden.

Thank you all 😍

I may not care that she did porn, but someone will.

 

[deleted103644]

Aside from the requisite handful of awkward comments, I'm thoroughly impressed with the open-mindedness of people on SDN. Though most current professors, directors, staff, etc that we work with and learn from may have a more conservative mindset that wouldn't be able to accept my past, it seems as though most people here take it in stride. If my school administration was comprised of SDN folks I'd be golden.

Thank you all 😍

Btw, OP, in response to your initial question - no, it won't affect licensure at all.

You may have future employment issues (just like the examples of teachers, etc), but it shouldn't interfere with your future employment as a physician any more than it would any service profession.

 

[Substance]

Think about the orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut: the richest, most powerful men in the world were still too conservative to show their faces. When they punished Tom Cruise's character at this orgy, they did so by making him remove his mask in front of everyone.

Medicine is like that.

Lots of your colleagues are probably into some risque stuff, or have been in the past. Yet, if our porn-star friend here had her past exposed, you can bet every one of these people would point their fingers and shame her.

 

[Renaissance Man]

Think about the orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut: the richest, most powerful men in the world were still too conservative to show their faces. When they punished Tom Cruise's character at this orgy, they did so by making him remove his mask in front of everyone.

Medicine is like that.

Lots of your colleagues are probably into some risque stuff, or have been in the past. Yet, if our porn-star friend here had her past exposed, you can bet every one of these people would point their fingers and shame her.

Nice analogy, would've never thought about it like that but you are probably spot on.

 

[Dartmouth2005]

Hi,

I'm a second year medical student at a wonderful school. However, prior to entering medical school I was involved in the adult film industry. Though it's legal to be in porn in my state, I wonder if I've permanently and irrevocably ruined my chances of ever being licensed after matriculation.

Does anyone know anything about this? Have I forever damaged (or killed) my career?

This is a very sincere and serious question, and I'd appreciate serious answers.

Thank you.

It shouldn't come up in a question on a licensing app. They only care about whether you were ever disciplined by a professional agency, convicted of a crime, or are unable to mentally or physically be a doctor. In your case, you prolly can answer no. Thus, there likely will be no red flags.

As to ERAS, I don't know what they ask.

And I would STFU about it. Don't tell anyone (even your best med school friends).

 

[mjl1717]

It shouldn't come up in a question on a licensing app. They only care about whether you were ever disciplined by a professional agency, convicted of a crime, or are unable to mentally or physically be a doctor. In your case, you prolly can answer no. Thus, there likely will be no red flags.

As to ERAS, I don't know what they ask.

And I would STFU about it. Don't tell anyone (even your best med school friends).

True! I would not tell anybody!!!

 

[fahimaz7]

We have a neurosurgery resident that was in playboy during college. Everyone knows and no one cares.

 

[veronicad]

That's an incredibly sobering and vivid analogy.

Think about the orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut: the richest, most powerful men in the world were still too conservative to show their faces. When they punished Tom Cruise's character at this orgy, they did so by making him remove his mask in front of everyone.

Medicine is like that.

Lots of your colleagues are probably into some risque stuff, or have been in the past. Yet, if our porn-star friend here had her past exposed, you can bet every one of these people would point their fingers and shame her.

 

[deleted103644]

That's an incredibly sobering and vivid analogy.

I don't think everyone would ostracize you, the problem is it only takes a few to cause issues in your career.

You should not share this with anyone (and should ask sites to take down your material if possible).

And if your username here is linked to your real name or your porn persona, delete this thread quickly before Google saves it for posterity.

You should proceed with the assumption that your secret will eventually get out, but it is in your best interest to minimize the chance of that happening.

What specialties do you find interesting?

I would definitely avoid pediatrics (judgmental parents), probably OB for the same reason.

Men will probably be less judgmental than women, so urology might actually be okay even if your secret was uncovered.

Anything where patients aren't really actively choosing you as their physician shouldn't be too much of an issue aside from possible judgmental colleagues.

And cosmetic stuff your past might even help (with patients, still possible judgmental colleagues).

 

[Oxer45]

We're all missing the most important question? Are you male or female? If you are a male, no worries. No one ever looks at the guy in porno. Other than Ron Jermy, can anyone here even name any male porn stars?

If you are a female, then Oh boy!!. you should get a makeover, and "nerd it up a little." To the point people will say "that cant be her! she's so innocent looking."

 

[drinwaiting3]

Well, I am a med student at a top ten med school and we had an incident where the husband (a med school prof) posted a ton of very NSFW pics and vids of his wife (also a med school prof) in a certain Internet forum. Needless to say, these postings migrated all over the internet and his wife (and he) were eventually identified. To date there has been no fallout for either in their respective departments. So, even in cases like this, med schools may decide to overlook such things. Just a counterpoint to the majority of postings here.

 

[Anicetus]

Well, I am a med student at a top ten med school and we had an incident where the husband (a med school prof) posted a ton of very NSFW pics and vids of his wife (also a med school prof) in a certain Internet forum. Needless to say, these postings migrated all over the internet and his wife (and he) were eventually identified. To date there has been no fallout for either in their respective departments. So, even in cases like this, med schools may decide to overlook such things. Just a counterpoint to the majority of postings here.

Were you just browsing threads from 2012 one fine Saturday morning?

 

[Seattle Mariners Fan]

Highly doubt it would impact you in a legal sense, and 99% sure softer stuff wouldn't impact you at all.

I dated an adult actress in college. Mom was a bit upset when she found out. Dad was oddly quiet.

That said I would not advertise it. Soft blowback and all.