More med students identifying as LGBT
CHICAGO — More LGBT people are enrolling in medical schools though exact numbers are unknown, the AP reports in an article published by the Daily Herald.
Last fall fall, Harvard’s entering class of medical students was 15 percent LGBT, a milestone that is no accident.
The Association of American Medical Colleges’ primary application used by U.S. schools began offering prospective students the option of specifying gender identity and preferred pronouns in 2018. Harvard’s school-specific application allows applicants to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer. A response is not required, but the option “sends a message that you’re wanted,” said Jessica Halem, the medical school’s LGBTQ outreach director, the AP reports.
“We know that doctors need to look like and be a part of the communities they serve,” Halem told the AP.
Harvard has an active LGBTQ student group on campus, faculty members who ask students if they prefer being called her, him or they, and coursework addressing LGBT medical care. Halem said that includes what screening tests are needed for women who have sex with transgender men, the hormone treatments to prescribe for transgender patients and what it means when someone identifies as pansexual, the AP reports.
Published at Fri, 06 Mar 2020 21:19:56 +0000