Why do so many GLBT people go into healthcare?

Being a health professions major myself (and trans) I notice these things. I guess I still have remnants of "gaydar" since I lived in that lesbian lifestyle for so long.

But anyway, I notice a lot of GLBT people become nurses, laboratory workers, EMT's, nursing assistants, ect.

I wonder why that is? Do you think it's the desire to help people, or to care for people or what?

GLBT individuals have to guard so much of themselves that they usually avoid social interactions with other people. Instead, they take all of their energy and expend it to study and self health to improve their life. This need to be healthy leads to proper diet, working out, and eventually finding out how to maintain their health which leads to a career in medicine. Working in medicine, a GLBT person can basically call their own hours, choose a variety of fields of medicine to practice, make a good living, and be out of school in no time (RN's, LPN's, RT's, and EMT's are done in 2 years). And hospitals are big places; it is easy to get lost in the vast pool of people providing medical care that most people who work in different departments do not even know each other. That keeps down on gossip and disdain for one's sexuality. Going back to social interactions- while I was in college, I worked as an RN in the ER on the weekends and went to school during the week, when I got to work we were so busy that I humped it all the time. There was no time to interact with fellow medical professionals and therefore I easily maneuvered through the personal questions as I always found ways to make myself busy and kept away from other colleagues during downtime.

GLBT people want to be accepted and respected. Medicine provides both avenues so the patients and colleagues can respect them and family and acquainances can accept them as they are viewed as healers.

Furthermore, when someone is not well, they don't care who the person providing medical care is sleeping with as long as they are professional and friendly. Most patient just want to be alleviated of their pain or sickness, no matter who is sticking them with a needle.

In addition, gender roles can be skewed more easily in medicine than in other professional fields. Take for example, nursing used to be a field exclusive to women but now men make up 35% of the profession. And the influx of men (gay or otherwise) into the profession has made significant improvements in medicine as they can handle unstable male patients with greater ease than women and help transfer or move bariactric patients because men tend to be stronger than women. From a sociological perspective, men are considered more authorative than women and patients tend to not lose their cool as quickly with a male nurse as with a female nurse. I have seen it so many times, especially with psyche patients.

And finally, it is a good field in which to make money. MD's fresh out of residency programs can find a position making $300,000.00 yearly or more depending on their specialty. Plastics is the fastest growing field right now as cosmetic surgery is the "it thing" to do right now for patients. And the money is even better there because insurances do not pay for cosmetic surgeries (like breast augmentation not related to a medical condition like cancer or tumors, etc.) leaving the patients to pay for the procedures out of pocket and the revenue possibilites are much greater because they do not rely on a negotiated rate that the insurance companies force upon doctors and medical facilities.

yes, I do! Report It

A natural compassion for helping people

I think you are right about the desire to help people. I'm only speculating here, but I believe that the majority of LGBT people care immensely about others because of the hurt they have felt from non-inclusive individuals. I've also heard that the average GLBT has a higher IQ than the average person (I don't have any actual statistics on this so I could be misinformed). The healthcare field, as a whole, takes a whole lot intelligence. So I can see a connection there as well. And, as is always a possibility, it could be merely coincidental.

I think GLBT are in all professions but perhaps you just notice them more because these are the professions that you deal with, we are in banking, insurance, construction, law and all others.

As another user mentioned, LGBT are present in all fields. I think most of us feel the extra pressure to show that we are good enough. After facing all the rejection from society and what not, there is a drive to do even better. But that's just my take on it.

Just to add a bit of contrast to the answers. I personally have always admired those in health care. I know myself that it is not something I would be good at.
I don't think it is because I lack compassion, I just don't think it is my calling.
Cheers to the health care professionals!!

i think personally becasue those are the only feilds that we are not discriminated.. we work side by side sick people and help bring them to better health.. why would the way we look make any differnce to them ? as long as we get them better..unlike corporate jobs and some office jobs... feminem men are kinda shy'd away from and butchy woman they want to be more feminem..from what I know..

Interesting question, I originally wanted to go into it myself, however I was forced/persuaded into engineering.

I have a passing thought,since I know a lesbian couple from the local university hospital.It's a friendly environment and much more educated about the glbt.then the obvious,helping other humans.

They like to go where they feel accepted....and the healthcare industry is very accepting of gay people.