Does Race/Gender really matter to you when it comes to the family doctor?

[bma1983]

I personally would feel more comfortable with a woman doctor, especially when I have to have my balls examined. With a male doctor, if he's hot, I would get excited.

Race is not an issue for me.

 

[johnt_2005]

No, it doesn't really matter to me what race/gender my doctor is. I hate going to the doctor so I repress the whole experience anyway. So all in all it doesn't really matter.

 

[Pegasus69]

None of that matters to me, race, gender, etc. Age does seem to be an issue for me though. I don't want someone who looks like Doogie Howser, not do I want him to look like the Doc from Gunsmoke. I prefer someone who is in their mid 30'2 to early 50's. I figure that is a good compromise for being up with the lastest developements while having some experience under thier belt. Whenever I move and have to find a new primary care doc, i will get the input of friends and co-workers and will usually try to schedule a 15minute appointment with those that I want to check out. I need to know that I am comfortable around them and also see how well they are able to interact with me. I do admit that I like to find a general practioner who is either gay, or gay friendly. I find it easier to talk to them about the gay male issues that we sometimes have. But, I have found that my surgeon for the cancer is all of 32 and is excellent, very knowledgeable, personable and was able to control my sister who is a bitch to deal with in a crisis or tense situations. The fact that he is hotter than hell does not hurt one bit either. I did tell him that I was gay, and that I had not been tested for HIV in awhile but did not believe that it was a threat. He actually brought me in one of the instant tests and said that this was for my benefit and that any result would not go into my file unless I was comfortable with it. It was negative.......

 

[yuechan]

There may be a language barrier. Obviously, it would a bit odd for someone to see a doctor in a language that they are not comfortable speaking with the chance of misinterpretting directions and the whole visit.

 

[tbonez]

My doctor is a dyke and I think she rocks.

Personally I don't care about the gender thing...Mind you she has never given my a prostate exam. I'm thinking it might hurt.

 

[MadeUpName27]

Absolutely Not!
Neither does National Origin, Religion, Political Affiliation, Sexual Orientation, Height, Weight, Hair Color, etc...

Skill Matters.
Training Matters.
Experience Matters.
Caring Matters.

Everything else is unimportant...

 

[wentworth]

To me, no it doesn't. If I go to a Doctor and I see that he/she obviously knows what s/he's talking about and doing, and what he/she advices me on what to do to make myself feel better, and I get good results out of it. I don't care.


Question pops up because, today I went to the Doctors office and the Doctor so happened to be Asian. In the waiting room, of about ten people, I'd say that only one other person in that room wasn't Asian besides me.

I just don't see why it matters.

It could have been a word-of-mouth thing. That is particularly important in some Asian communities.
There could also have been a language issue for them as well.

 

[NineOfClubs]

My last two doctors have been female, and I don't think I'd like a male doctor after my experiences with both of these fine women.

I just feel that women "care" more and might be less motivated by the money. (Certainly, the male doctor I dated for a year seemed to only be in it for the cash, he really didn't seem caring in the least.)

 

[mexamor]

i prefer a woman for my urologist, i feel more comfortable and safe

 

[spooger]

I've worked in healthcare for 35+ years, and I know MANY very ethnic physicians (read as non WASP) who are FABULOUS doctors and equally marvelous people, and their patients will follow them into fire.

That's what matters.....the rest is fluff and bias...

just MHO of course

 

[drhladnjak]

It of course doesn't really matter in the end from a technical standpoint, but some people feel more comfortable around a doctor of a certain gender or ethnic background.

I was talking to a friend a while back about how my doctor is gay and he seemed to think that was highly unnecessary. However, I've found it to be helpful in a lot of ways. My doctor seems to be more aware of health issues facing gay men because he's gay and because he has a sizeable gay clientelle. For example, he recommended a hep b antibody test to make sure that the vaccine I got for it actually took hold. Normally, they only do that for people working in health care (who really need to be successfully vaccinated--there may even be legal requirements), but he felt it was important for me to make sure too since the chance of encountering hep b apparently is very high (much higher than HIV for example).

So I think there is something to be said about a doctor becoming more knowledgable about certain health issues because he or she is part of the group in question.

 

[jwest]

neither race nor gender matter one bit

 

[Meaningless_Poetry]

No. Maybe if they talked in broken or poor English I'd be a little bit skeptical, primarily because I'm used to viewing conversational/communication skills as an indication of intelligence, but it wouldn't be a race thing so much as a social-interraction thing. Other than that I can't really say I care.

 

[Lostlover]

Older, experienced, balding, gray hair are all good when it comes to doctors. Don't want a young guy diagnosing me.

 

[cocktales]

..........another female Gay doctor for me too!

We just love our "family Doc" and she is also a friend and NOT Just our physician and we can talk to her about "anything" and she's NOT one bit offended or give us any grief; but gives us praise for our long relationship........her's is also a long one of over 20 years!

One thing is, once you find a doc that you feel comfortable with, notwithstanding race, color, (and all the other line you see concerning race, gender, etc)...............IT just does NOT really matter, it's the faith, trust relationship you have with what ever she/he/it does to make you feel better!

I think having a great doctor is akin to having good sex!

I know, I know, I am wierd; but you gotta love me don'tcha?

 

[Oden_grey]

I'm sort of sexist when it comes to doctors... I would rather a male because I would feel more comfortable being examined by someone who will least likely have a sexual interest in me (chances of a male doctor being gay 10%, chances of a female doctor being straight 90%). I don't like being touched very much in general so it is very important that I'm comfortable in the doctors office otherwise I tense up.

However, my current doctor is an Indian female (though she took some getting used to) and she rocks, but if I have to change doctors in the future I would go for a male one.

 

[dynk]

Almost all my newest doctors are female. I no longer go to the older, gray and aging doctors as they are all tired of working and looking forward to retirement. Many have not kept up with the newer treatments.

 

[just_mills]

I dont have an issue with who/what the doctor is/looks like aslong as they're genuine, know what theyre doing, and truly try their best to help their patients

 

[douseiai]

I am white... My doctor is hispanic... i don't care what race/age/gender my doctor is... the only prerequisite is that...
1) you can amuse me while your touching my balls... i mean with pleasant conversation
2) you speak well enough that i can hear and understand you clearly
3) you should do whatever you are doing right... don't go "ooops" when your feelin my balls... i dont want to think what the fuck "oops" could mean with your hand on my balls... the only oops in that instant should be from me if i randomly get hard
4) nice enough so that my shyness doesn't show through
thats it... unfortunatly my current doctor isn't so sociable but hey he does his job well enough and after 8 visits since we got him i am finally comfortable talking to him...

 

[pausanias_usa]

I've had doctors of both sexes, but feel more comfortable with a male one. Race is not an issue, but as others have said, qualifications are! A few doctors I saw in Central America were totally clueless, but that might have been because few locals would get the weird things that us "furriners" would develop (a specialist told me I had "ant bites," and when I had it checked in the States, it turned out to be a common skin infection that most Central Americans had immunity against). A bit of cream and it was gone. . . .