Experience of being gay, lesbian or bisexual at an Australian medical school: a qualitative study

Abstract

Six undergraduate students were interviewed in a qualitative study about their experiences as gay, lesbian or bisexual students studying Medicine. Informants, who were identified by snowball sampling, spoke about their experiences both freely and in response to a series of prompt questions derived from previous research. The transcribed interviews were subjected to framework analysis, whereby the researcher identified themes, concepts and key issues. Twelve main themes resulted from the analysis. The focal theme was secrecy, along with discrimination, fear, isolation, conservatism, exclusion and gossip. Other themes included academic performance, the curriculum, a lack of support, and career. One positive theme emerged from the data, that of acceptance of self and from others. The findings are consistent with those of other qualitative and quantitative studies. The lack of respect and acceptance perceived by gay, lesbian and bisexual students is a situation that should be addressed by individual medical schools and by the profession as a whole. Lip service to cultural inclusiveness must translate into practice.

Acknowledgements

The project was financed by an ANZAME Special Grant and a University of Adelaide Faculty of Health Sciences Special Grant. The Human Ethics Committee of the University of Adelaide granted approval for this project. Research was conducted after a discussion with Professor John Bligh, who indicated that more studies are needed in the area of sexuality and medical education. Some of the data pertaining to this paper have been presented in poster format in 2000 at the Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research (ASPR) Annual Scientific Meeting, Adelaide, South Australia, and in 2001 at the ASME Annual Scientific Meeting, Dublin, Ireland. Thanks are due to David Jacquier, who made critical comments on the manuscript. Finally, the author acknowledges the students who shared their private and sometimes very painful thoughts and experiences. The author is grateful for their trust.

Notes

Anna Chur‐Hansen is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide in South Australia. She applies both qualitative and quantitative methods in her research, which focuses on medical education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Correspondence should be addressed to: Anna Chur‐Hansen: Department of Psychiatry at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5505, South Australia; e‐mail [email protected]

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anna Chur‐Hansen

Anna Chur‐Hansen is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide in South Australia. She applies both qualitative and quantitative methods in her research, which focuses on medical education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Correspondence should be addressed to: Anna Chur‐Hansen: Department of Psychiatry at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5505, South Australia; e‐mail [email protected]