Really interested in orthopedic surgery but...

[deleted823905]

Last semester I got the chance to shadow an orthopedic surgeon and thought it was really awesome. But I feel discouraged from ever trying to pursue it because of the stereotypes around orthopedic surgery. For example, it's a male-dominated field and a lot people say you have to be kinda macho, athletic, and loud/charismatic.

I'm basically the opposite of this stereotype. I'm a 5 foot tall, 99 lb Asian girl, I have no interest in sports (besides casual running), no I don't lift, and I have a chronic baby face (I'm 20 but, I'm not exaggerating, most people think I'm 12 or 13). I'm also generally a quiet person and I have somewhat of a childlike voice, so strangers tend to think I'm meek and mild even though I'm pretty competitive, stubborn, and confident.

I wonder if people will disrespect me or not take me seriously, which makes me shy away from ortho even though it seems really cool and something I want to learn more about. Am I wrong? Do you think any of this will significantly negatively affect me if I decide to pursue ortho one day?

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[WedgeDawg]

No one will care. See if this still makes a difference in 5-8 years when you are applying to match.

 

[marcelo12]

1) You might keep yourself from getting there if you have all these negative assumptions in your head

2) The vast majority of students will decide a specialty during medical school. Shadowing is great but I don't know any premeds who have shadowed and learned about every specialty

 

[deleted823905]

There's an AMA thread going on in the Allopathic forum hosted by a female ortho trauma attending that addresses all these questions.

Edit: Here's the link https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/ortho-attending-ama.1235916/

Thanks for the recommendation, I checked it out and it was great!

 

[deleted823905]

1) You might keep yourself from getting there if you have all these negative assumptions in your head

2) The vast majority of students will decide a specialty during medical school. Shadowing is great but I don't know any premeds who have shadowed and learned about every specialty

1) Tbh I would consider the gender gap to be more of a legitimate concern than just a "negative assumption." Of course I also understand the attitude of "it's the individual's responsibility to rise above adversity," though I don't necessarily completely agree with it (at least not when it comes to systematic prejudice). But that's another conversation!

2) This is solid age-old wisdom, though I never did say that I decided on ortho as a specialty nor claim that I know everything about it. Was just saying that I'm interested in it but somewhat discouraged from realistically being successful in it.

 

[marcelo12]

1) Tbh I would consider the gender gap to be more of a legitimate concern than just a "negative assumption." Of course I also understand the attitude of "it's the individual's responsibility to rise above adversity," though I don't necessarily completely agree with it (at least not when it comes to systematic prejudice). But that's another conversation!

2) This is solid age-old wisdom, though I never did say that I decided on ortho as a specialty nor claim that I know everything about it. Was just saying that I'm interested in it but somewhat discouraged from realistically being successful in it.

I agree! The gender gap is real and medicine is affected just like every other industry. I am also an URM and I don't know what I would be doing with my life if my parents didn't constantly tell me to rise above the bs.
And I think that being discouraged about a specialty is fine but you might be doing that for the wrong reasons. Sorry if I just assumed you fell in love with it instead of just considering it.

 

[OathTaker]

Last semester I got the chance to shadow an orthopedic surgeon and thought it was really awesome. But I feel discouraged from ever trying to pursue it because of the stereotypes around orthopedic surgery. For example, it's a male-dominated field and a lot people say you have to be kinda macho, athletic, and loud/charismatic.

I'm basically the opposite of this stereotype. I'm a 5 foot tall, 99 lb Asian girl, I have no interest in sports (besides casual running), no I don't lift, and I have a chronic baby face (I'm 20 but, I'm not exaggerating, most people think I'm 12 or 13). I'm also generally a quiet person and I have somewhat of a childlike voice, so strangers tend to think I'm meek and mild even though I'm pretty competitive, stubborn, and confident.

I wonder if people will disrespect me or not take me seriously, which makes me shy away from ortho even though it seems really cool and something I want to learn more about. Am I wrong? Do you think any of this will significantly negatively affect me if I decide to pursue ortho one day?

Orthopedics is a big specialty. Your sports medicine specialist may be perceived as being better if he looks like a jock himself, but think about another subspecialty of orthopedics - hand surgery. It is small delicate surgery that a big burly jock could be perceived as being unable to perform as well as a serious, small, precise, patient Asian. Lots of stereotypes in my response which shows that you have stereotyped orthopedics. Ortho can vary between the big and bulky to the small and delicate.

 

[theseeker4]

Last semester I got the chance to shadow an orthopedic surgeon and thought it was really awesome. But I feel discouraged from ever trying to pursue it because of the stereotypes around orthopedic surgery. For example, it's a male-dominated field and a lot people say you have to be kinda macho, athletic, and loud/charismatic.

I'm basically the opposite of this stereotype. I'm a 5 foot tall, 99 lb Asian girl, I have no interest in sports (besides casual running), no I don't lift, and I have a chronic baby face (I'm 20 but, I'm not exaggerating, most people think I'm 12 or 13). I'm also generally a quiet person and I have somewhat of a childlike voice, so strangers tend to think I'm meek and mild even though I'm pretty competitive, stubborn, and confident.

I wonder if people will disrespect me or not take me seriously, which makes me shy away from ortho even though it seems really cool and something I want to learn more about. Am I wrong? Do you think any of this will significantly negatively affect me if I decide to pursue ortho one day?

Actually, I will disagree with some of the above and will say, yes, you will be disrespected and not taken seriously at times. The fact is, this will probably occur to some extent regardless of your specialty. It happens to men too, simply because of the nature of medical training, but unfortunately, it still happens to women more. Ask some female residents if they were ever assumed to be a nurse simply because of their gender, and i doubt you will find any who say "no." This will be even more common in a field like Ortho, unfortunately, despite the advances that have occurred.

What you have to ask yourself is, are you going to let that keep you out of the field? If you really are stubborn, confident, and competitive, the answer is no, you wont let it keep you out of a field you otherwise would love to pursue. I would go ahead and pursue it if you really want to be an orthopedic surgeon, knowing you might be put down, but I promise you will face that no matter what specialty you pick. Just use your confidence and stubbornness to counteract the negative stereotypes you are faced with, and develop your skills so you can prove wrong those who assume you can't do the job. It is entirely up to you to determine whether you can be successful in this or any other field, and if you let stereotypes held by yourself or others deter you, you have already given up.

 

[Dr.Kat]

1) Tbh I would consider the gender gap to be more of a legitimate concern than just a "negative assumption." Of course I also understand the attitude of "it's the individual's responsibility to rise above adversity," though I don't necessarily completely agree with it (at least not when it comes to systematic prejudice). But that's another conversation!

I disagree. It is all up to the individual to "rise above adversity". No one cares what you look like. Do well in med school and Step 1 and you'll be fine. Having a chip on your shoulder will only hold you back. i.e. the chip is already making you feel less than and that you can't conquer something and you're not even in med school yet!

 

[Goro]

https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/ortho-attending-ama.1235916/page-2

Go to post #69.

Last semester I got the chance to shadow an orthopedic surgeon and thought it was really awesome. But I feel discouraged from ever trying to pursue it because of the stereotypes around orthopedic surgery. For example, it's a male-dominated field and a lot people say you have to be kinda macho, athletic, and loud/charismatic.

I'm basically the opposite of this stereotype. I'm a 5 foot tall, 99 lb Asian girl, I have no interest in sports (besides casual running), no I don't lift, and I have a chronic baby face (I'm 20 but, I'm not exaggerating, most people think I'm 12 or 13). I'm also generally a quiet person and I have somewhat of a childlike voice, so strangers tend to think I'm meek and mild even though I'm pretty competitive, stubborn, and confident.

I wonder if people will disrespect me or not take me seriously, which makes me shy away from ortho even though it seems really cool and something I want to learn more about. Am I wrong? Do you think any of this will significantly negatively affect me if I decide to pursue ortho one day?

 

[marcelo12]

I disagree. It is all up to the individual to "rise above adversity". No one cares what you look like. Do well in med school and Step 1 and you'll be fine. Having a chip on your shoulder will only hold you back. i.e. the chip is already making you feel less than and that you can't conquer something and you're not even in med school yet!

So what's your personal experience like? Have you met patients, professors and physicians who care about what you look like? I have, and it ranges from assumtions to pure disdain and disrespect. I'm fine with that actually, that's the world we live in. Most people don't care, but it's very naive and lazy to tell people that their experiences are not real. I agree that we all "rise above", but the challenges aren't always the same for all of us.

 

[Dr.Kat]

So what's your personal experience like? Have you met patients, professors and physicians who care about what you look like? I have, and it ranges from assumtions to pure disdain and disrespect. I'm fine with that actually, that's the world we live in. Most people don't care, but it's very naive and lazy to tell people that their experiences are not real. I agree that we all "rise above", but the challenges aren't always the same for all of us.

I didn't tell her that her experience isn't real. All I'm saying is, don't have a chip on your shoulder about it. Sure, ppl care what you look like and judge you based on that, but if you let your knowledge and expertise show through, your appearance quickly diminishes.

 

[marcelo12]

I didn't tell her that her experience isn't real. All I'm saying is, don't have a chip on your shoulder about it. Sure, ppl care what you look like and judge you based on that, but if you let your knowledge and expertise show through, your appearance quickly diminishes.

Yes it definitely diminishes when you know your stuff. However it will never go away in certain parts of the country, at least not in our lifetime. But I have nothing against people who use that as extra motivation. As long as the person isn't bitter and angry about things, I do believe in drawing energy from these experiences to go the extra mile.

 

[vellez]

When you get to med school, your discouragement will revolve around the insane scores/ECs you need to have. Then you realize sports med isn't all that bad.

 

[Dr.Kat]

Yes it definitely diminishes when you know your stuff. However it will never go away in certain parts of the country, at least not in our lifetime. But I have nothing against people who use that as extra motivation. As long as the person isn't bitter and angry about things, I do believe in drawing energy from these experiences to go the extra mile.

yeah exactly! I agree with you! you asked me what my experience is? I'm half-URM and female and when ppl try to tell me I've only been admitted to med school because of that, I do an internal LOL and keep on trucking! Doesn't affect me, I'll let them think that and be bitter while I work my way to the top!