25 June 2008

The Blog Rounds 15th Edition Call for Entries: Sex And The Clinics

It's my great pleasure and an absolute honor to host the 15th Edition of The Blog Rounds, a blogging event for the Filipino medical community organized by Dr. Remo of The Orthopedic Logbook. The topic I've chosen for this cycle is "Sex and The Clinics." No, it's not as plain as it suggests; I just wanted a snappy title. And I didn't choose it because I'm a perpetually tumescent 26 year-old man (haha). But I did excited when I saw that the previous blog rounds have not yet touched on gender issues in medicine. I remember when I was still in my fourth year of college, there was a lot of apprehension among my female classmates because of a perceived strictness in candidate selection for medical schools. This, along with several issues and curiosities I encountered during my 5 years in medicine, were all things I pondered on but could never really grasp. Until now, that I am asking you guys to write about it.

There are so many possible topics to talk about:

  1. I once heard that in the applicant interview for females, they ask if they have a boyfriend, presumably so they could weed out girls who might get pregnant and drop out of med school. Is this true? Do you think it's appropriate? Do you think it's unjust?

  2. It seems that some specialties turn out to be boys' clubs while others appear to be sororities. What do you think of "gender-neutral" specialties? What is the equalizing factor in these fields? Do you think some specialties are inherently for men while others are for women? Or do prevailing traditions among each batch of residents that graduate perpetuate the fallacy? Are you a doctor who is in the "minority?" How has the experience been?

  3. Do your patients expect their doctors (gynecologists, pediatricians, urologists, orthopedic surgeons) to be a particular gender? Have people encouraged/discouraged you from entering a particular specialty for this reason?

  4. Do you find that many male/female patients are uncomfortable with doctors of the opposite sex examining them? Do they ask for chaperones like they should? Or do some patients actually prefer the opposite sex?

  5. Do you think that men/women in the medical field are treated better/worse than the other sex? Do you sense preferential treatment or abuse? Is there a particular mentor/colleague who has exemplified equality for you?

  6. Are you a gay/lesbian doctor? Do you think that being out has changed the way patients or colleagues perceived you?

These are just hints; please don't limit yourselves to these topics. The only prerequisite is you talk about a general or specific gender issue in medicine. Heck, it could even be about that naughty video that your colleague's ex has spread (just kidding; don't do this, though I will say that it happened to a poor soul back in my school).
Guidelines below:

  1. Please link back to Dr. Remo's post on The Blog Rounds
    http://orthologbook.blogspot.com/2008/03/blog-rounds-submission-updates-and.html
    and to this announcement.

  2. E-mail me at manggy (sa) gmail (tuldok) com with your preferred name and the URL to your blog post by Monday, July 7, 2008 11:59PM Philippine Time. Please also indicate if you want to be included in the well-moderated mailing list (just for announcements) if you are not already.


I'm looking forward to your entries!

General guidelines for writing entries related to medicine:
So far in The Blog Rounds, everyone has been wise about patient confidentiality, so that's good. Remember that your entries are your own responsibility; no one is forcing you to write something you don't feel comfortable with. Always maintain a critical eye to the names and places you mention if the matter is a delicate one; hide them well and do not allow others to bait you into revealing them. Leave those commenters alone as they are making trouble. After finishing your piece, give it a run-through once (after any passion/ impulse has passed) and see what needs deleting. Make your entry an enjoyable one, but most importantly it must be enlightening.

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