surgery and gay people

[Cartman80]

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I've heard specializing in surgery can be kind of like joining a frat, which is cool I think. But how tolerant are most surgical groups of gays? I'm not flamingly gay, and I'm not looking to throw it in people's faces. I just want to know if it's something that's going to work against me in choosing this specialty.

I'm not here to start arguments or anything, just want some honest opinions.

Thanks

 

[hndrx1a]

I wouldn't worry about that sort of stuff- people will always encounter others that disagree with their lifestyles/beliefs, etc...go into what you like & let others worry about their own hangups. 😎

 

[DrDre']

I think the above is good advice overall. Choose what you love.

HOWEVER, stack the odds in your favor and pick a residency in a city or region reputed for its tolerance and liberal nature not its conservative nature.


UVM
UIowa

UW-madison
UW-Seattle
OSHU
Then any major city in West, Midwest or East is safe.

Not trying to dis other areas. Just going on areas I have lived in or heard "good" things about.

Love your screen name, Cartman


BEEFCAKE!!!!

 

[njbmd]

I've heard specializing in surgery can be kind of like joining a frat, which is cool I think. But how tolerant are most surgical groups of gays? I'm not flamingly gay, and I'm not looking to throw it in people's faces. I just want to know if it's something that's going to work against me in choosing this specialty.

I'm not here to start arguments or anything, just want some honest opinions.

Thanks

Hi there,
You sexual orientation and lifestyle will not enter into your practice in any manner. If you can do the job, you can live any way that you want. What you do at home is your business.

Yes, there are people in surgery, medicine and other specialties that believe that blacks, gays, lesbians and other people who are different should not be allowed on this earth but they are a minority. If you have the grades and the ability, I would not worry too much about practice. There are plenty of good surgeons who are gay.

njbmd 🙂

 

[pre-doc]

Hi Cartman80,

I am a first-year resident in a Chicago Surgical residency. There are several doctors in either our residency program or neighboring programs that are gay. The issue is never a problem - which is the way it should be. I have lived in chicago my entire life and these issues tend not to be problems. I would agree with the aforementioned advice as it doesn't hurt to look into programs that are more liberal. but, as you go through the interview process, you tend to get a feel for this. hope this helps somewhat - good luck.

 

[Celiac Plexus]

I am a resident at a somewhat "old-school" conservative surgery program.

We have one resident who is gay. This resident is well-liked and respected by the residents. This resident is very smart, and overall is respected by the attendings as well. One or two attendings have made some off-color jokes at the resident's expense (then again these guys make fun of all of the residents), however all-in-all the resident's sexual orientation is not an issue at all.

I think that I speak for the entire resident cadre when I say that we all like this resident quite a bit. And, if anyone ever attacked this resident for being gay, we would have BIG problems with that, and we would not tolerate it.

Bottom line, if you are a cool person and work hard, you will be fine.

 

[Cartman80]

Thanks a lot for all your responses. They were really encouraging. It's good to hear that sexual orientation doesn't play a big role in a lot of programs.

Thanks again

 

[no-see-um]

Just concentrate on being a good surgeon.

 

[thenavysurgeon]

There were a few gay folks in my Gen surg training program. All talented, wonderful people, fun to hang out with, and now have wonderful jobs all over the country. Don't let your sexual orientation deter you in anyway. If you're a good surgeon, that's all that matters. I agree with the advice about coastal programs...at least get yourself into a tolerant environment. San Diego, Seattle, DC, LA and SF are all obvious choices, and kick-ass training programs.

 

[Foxxy Cleopatra]

From a female surgery resident experience:

I'm at a fairly hard-ass, tough-guy program and we have a few openly gay and rumored-to-be gay attendings and residents. I've worked pretty closely with one of the openly gay guys and he was awesome- generally well-thought of and seems to do just fine. I've also rotated with a few (one of which was female) who are rumored to be gay and they were great to work with as well. Now, none of these people would be the sort to come on to a colleague, they work hard, & have good personalities so they seem to be pretty well-accepted.

I'm sure there may be an occasional remark regardless of where you go and that you may find more gays in a large, more liberal city; however, this would be true regardless of your career choice.

If you love surgery, work hard, and are easy to get along with you'll probably do just fine.