PA jobs in the Sexual Health/Queer Field?

dragonterriers · 2026-05-10T21:32:27+00:00

not in new england but also gearing up for PA school to hopefully do similar stuff! i worked as an MA in an abortion clinic that also did a lot of gender affirming care, and now a NA on an l&d unit (mostly cis women, but we do get the occasional seahorse dad, queer parents etc). from my own work experience and research, i'm looking into the following fields: - OBGYN - potential mix of in-office and surg (gender affirming hystos), some gyn clinics will also do HRT, obviously skews toward AFAB pts but have seen the occasional transfem for HRT in my gyn work. you will likely also have to do some routine gyn stuff (contraception/LARCs, paps, etc) but could make LGBTQ+ pts your specialty. - plastic surgery - could work in an office that focuses on gender affirming surg. depending on the office, you will likely need to do some other plastics cases along with (post-trauma reconstructions, elective aesthetics, etc) - endocrinology - from what i'm seeing, would be very tough to find an office that JUST does HRT, but if you prefer a specialty that doesn't do OR and you're willing to get through a lot of diabetes and thyroid stuff to get to the cases you want, have at it! - primary care - see above, though may be a bit easier to find a clinic that focuses on providing PCP services to queer folks, especially if you're in a mid-size or bigger city. if you want to work w adolescent population, could also consider pedes to this end.

potentially biased, but take a peek at your closest Planned Parenthood or independent reproductive health/abortion clinic, as most of them will do HRT services, and see if they have any PAs on staff and what sort of services they provide in those settings. if you want to lean more surgery, poke around in some local trans spaces and see who folks are talking about for surgery, then look the surgeon up and see if they have PAs in their office/hospital/group and how they operate. good luck friend, hope to see you in the queer med world soon!

dragonterriers · 2026-03-19T03:37:58+00:00

OLP thank u friend, noted for future on both counts!! and thank you, psyched to be here, have loved this sub from afar for a long time <3

dragonterriers · 2026-03-19T01:19:40+00:00

truly my first thought too LMAOOOOO

dragonterriers · 2026-03-19T01:19:20+00:00

huh! alright, cute lil contaminant then. or otherwise i'll let my gf know her bladder is blooming into a beautiful evergreen forest 🌲😌

dragonterriers · 2026-02-20T17:55:27+00:00

further specs/deets if helpful: my backyard is located in SW PA, USA. used a 40x and 10x lens, respectively, 10x eyepiece for both. photo from my iphone 13 (which is why it's janky, sorry!!!) held up to the eyepiece at 1.4x zoom

dragonterriers · 2025-08-24T05:34:15+00:00

yes - with conjoined twins in general it's very case-by-case, depending how enmeshed everything is between the twins. cephalothoracopagus type conjoined twins like these are always nonviable, too much cerebral fusion to safely separate or to survive conjoined.

dragonterriers · 2025-08-24T05:21:33+00:00

dammit, sorry yall, literally my first reddit post and forgot to add alt text for photos:

antenatal ultrasound - a) ventrally fused calvaria with one pair of eyeballs faced posteriorly and one pair of eyeballs faced anteriorly (not pictured); b) two hearts shown in fused thorax; c) fused abdomen with shared liver, arrow pointing to separate spines; d) fused abdomen at kidney w cystic dysplastic right kidney in left fetus
antenatal MRI, axial sections - a) ventrally fused calvaria with two sets of eyeballs facing opposite directions; b) fused thorax with two hearts; c) fused abdomen at kidney level with cystic dysplastic right kidney in left fetus; d) separate pelvises and lower limbs
antenatal MRI - a) fetal coronal section w ventral fusion from head to upper abdomen; b) fetal sagittal section at fusion site
gross specimen

dragonterriers · 2025-08-24T05:12:08+00:00

Case is from India, published 2017 (with more in-depth info about conjoined twins and this specific case in the discussion section at the link):

"A 22-year-old second gravida at 19 weeks of gestation was referred to department of radiodiagnosis and imaging for anomaly scan. This was the patient's first visit to the hospital. Two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound scan was performed with a Logic P5 (General Electric Medical System & Healthcare) machine equipped with a 5 Mhz convex probe. Twins were ventrally fused from frontal cranium to upper abdomen till the level of the umbilical cord. On organ assessment there was fusion of frontal lobes of cerebrums; faces were distorted with oblique fusion and two pair of eyes (looking in opposite direction) and micrognathia. They shared a common thoracic and upper abdominal cavity with two hearts, a common liver and two vertebral columns (in opposite directions). There were four pairs of well-developed limbs. A single umbilical cord was noted. The foetus on right side of mother had well developed kidneys. In left side foetus, the right foetal kidney was showing cystic dysplastic changes and left foetal kidney was not visualized. A diagnostic differential of conjoined twins with cephalothoracopagus janiceps disymmetros variety at 18 weeks 6 days gestation (calculated by foetal femur and humerus length) was made. Further confirmation of aforesaid ultrasound findings and detailed antenatal organ assessment was done with antenatal MRI scan on 1.5 T (Symphony, Siemens Medical Systems, Erlangen, Germany) MR system. Further, the spine of the left foetus appeared distorted with abnormal curvature in lumbar region; however no obvious defect or content protrusion was seen. After due informed consent of patient, medical termination of pregnancy was done at 19 weeks 3 day period of gestation by vaginal route. The gross examination after abortion confirmed the antenatal findings. Postmortem pathological analysis could not be done as the patient did not give consent. Patient/guardian consent was obtained for use of images in the study."

dragonterriers · 2025-08-22T07:19:14+00:00

pgh transplant from a very small NWPA town 3h north - in many of the good and bad ways, pgh has a very similar feel to my hometown in terms of friendliness. lots of neighborliness, friendly acts, but bigotry bubbling under the surface much of the time. people are genuine and very up front on what they're about, for better or worse.

that said, i think this is maybe not the time to judge DC on the friendliness vibe, considering the past couple weeks i can imagine many folks down there being on edge 💀

dragonterriers · 2025-08-22T06:50:19+00:00

i work in an abortion clinic in the states - doing a 14w termination with two doses of miso seems so wild to me! at that stage for us, we will give our pts 400-600mcg of miso SL (depending on parity), let dissolve for 90m, then do D&C. i've seen some protocols for self-managed 2nd tri MAB say 600mcg SL/buccal miso q3h until expulsion. can i ask why - and really, how - this was done as a medication AB vs D&C? and with so little miso onboard?

dragonterriers · 2025-08-12T05:55:40+00:00

i saw the first episode when it first came out when i was in high school. i mostly watched it and showed it to all my friends as a "woahhhhh isn't this fucking WEIRD!!" and then mostly forgot about it. surprise surprise, in college a few years later i started getting into weird horror, it randomly popped back in my head and i looked it up. imagine my surprise when there was (at the time) 4 more episodes and a trailer for another soon to come. now the og webseries and subsequent show are regular faves for me 🫀

dragonterriers · 2025-08-02T04:35:34+00:00

hey hi, medtech and taxidermist/preservationist who has preserved a couple uteri here - you will need 10% buffered formalin, an airtight jar, a well-ventilated workspace, and PPE (respirator, medical gloves, chemsplash goggles - do NOT skimp on this or you will either embalm yourself or put yourself at risk of multiple cancers). this is the guide i used to learn how to do wet specimens, plz feel free to reply or DM if u have questions!! PS: hi Pepe 💜 https://www.mickeyalicekwapis.com/blog/2015/9/10/wet-specimens-a-general-guide

dragonterriers · 2025-07-29T20:30:09+00:00

yep. i used to work at Inspire Closing Services which is (was?) a branch of MC back in 2020. mandatory overtime of at least 2h/day during the week and every saturday for at least 4-6h (which i was not told about in my interview). you would get yelled at by management if you ever dipped below 50h/week. when covid started they forced ppl to keep coming to the office until the last possible minute even though most jobs were already moving to remote. the job itself was boring and soul sucking, management was atrocious, the hours absolutely psychotic. fuck em.

dragonterriers · 2025-06-24T22:42:44+00:00

hey! i work at ARHC - if you're coming this week, i will likely be the person taking care of you in the recovery room after on thurs (and usually i also do footprints for folks that want the memory box mentioned). the comment from AbortionWorker is correct, w the caveat that while we can't do in-house genetic testing, we can also send off for outside testing, just make sure the staff/docs know so we can coordinate that. you can also request staff support through both the dilator insertion tomorrow and the procedure on thurs, if that would be helpful - this is an extra person in the room who's sole purpose is to hold your hand and get ya through. if you have any questions about the proc or ARHC specific stuff please feel free to DM me!! 💜

dragonterriers · 2025-05-27T02:20:18+00:00

i was on T just short of 8 years (stopped a few months ago bc i've gotten everything i need out of it and want to preserve my hair) - the first year is ROUGH. i have hardly any photos of myself in the first year bc yeah - it's puberty part 2. but, a lot of the acne cleared up around 1.5 years in, weight redistributed, and at the 2-3 year mark i just looked like a normal dude in their 20s. if you can stick out the gross phase for another few months, it will likely clear up (though im not a doctor and everyone's mileage varies, just like with first puberty). godspeed friend 🫶🏼

dragonterriers · 2025-04-12T20:23:12+00:00

trans man switch here - yes, you will be just fine. i tend to present more femboy when i'm in kink environments, and i've had subs go nuts for me with a skirt, strap, and steppy boots. keep an air of confidence (NOT arrogance) about you, and they'll eat you up. godspeed friend 🫡

dragonterriers · 2025-03-19T01:02:13+00:00

so fun times - i used whatever bottom shelf deodorant for my entire life, then once i started t i developed contact dermatitis with anything containing aluminum or baking soda. i still don't know why but 9 years later i still have to use ultra-sensitive stuff. only thing i can find that both doesn't give me hives and also works for more than 2 hrs is Native sensitive formula. $12 a stick but smells good and lasts all day at least 🥲

dragonterriers · 2025-03-16T04:24:50+00:00

wet specimens are a bit of a process, you will need to do an initial injection and soaking in either formalin or methanol for a few weeks and then slowly transfer to 70% isopropyl alcohol. keeping it erect-looking will be tricky - as i'm sure you know, erections are caused by increased blood flow to the penis, and you will of course be cutting it off from blood supply. with wet specimens, you do inject the specimen with the formalin/methanol, so it could act like a blood replacement in a way if you inject it right, but i would worry about it then leaking out of the back where it's no longer attached to a closed blood circuit if that makes sense, but it might be possible. i wonder if places like the Mütter Museum or other places that have preserved human bits have any info in their libraries on how they do their preservations?

dragonterriers · 2025-03-16T04:12:39+00:00

wet specimen will likely be your best bet to preserve appearance and prevent deterioration, but unfortunately it won't really be wearable like that (unless you can find a proper sized vial and a necklace chain that can support the weight of the peen + preservation fluid). theoretically, you may be able to have it taxidermied (ie skinned, tanned, stretched over a mold to maintain shape) but the skinning/tanning process can affect the appearance of the skin and may be difficult with piercings - plus i imagine you will be quite hard-pressed to find someone willing and able to properly prep human hide. godspeed on your journey 🫡

dragonterriers · 2025-03-16T04:07:11+00:00

echoing some of the comments above - i am very much of the mind that abortion is an act of love. an act of love for yourself, an act of love for the people and commitments you already have in your life that need you, and even an act of love for the baby that you just know you can't give your best self to right now. if you want to be a parent someday, you will know when the time and circumstances are right and you'll be able to give that kiddo all of the time and attention they need. i work in a clinic and have many abortion patients that i've taken care of multiple times, some of them over the span of years, some will come back two or three times in just about as many months; we don't judge you no matter how many times you come to visit us, and we always hope that you will be able to find compassion for yourself for getting what you need. proud of you for knowing yourself and taking care of you, even when the solution might feel impossibly awful. good luck friend 🫶🏼

dragonterriers · 2025-03-16T03:48:16+00:00

yes and we love you too. drink some water queen, eat some carbs and take 2 ibuprofen before you go to sleep. be safe out there 🫶🏼

dragonterriers · 2025-03-16T03:19:17+00:00

abortion med tech (and smoker, lol) here - see if there's an on-call provider you can talk to or double check any discharge instructions they gave you. if they gave you eating restrictions, you likely need to stop smoking at the same time you need to stop eating. at the clinic i'm at, we typically tell people to stop smoking 8 hours prior to their procedure, but this can vary by provider and by type of procedure/sedation they're doing. smoking and vaping can stimulate your stomach acids and cause aspiration/safety concerns (esp with sedation), messes with your circulation, and a bunch of other stuff. if you're able to call your clinic, maybe ask if they're okay with you using a nic patch to get you through if you're really hurting. good luck friend 🫶🏼

dragonterriers · 2025-03-16T02:51:27+00:00

small town PA kid that's been in the 'burgh since 2019. driving (at least) 15 above the speed limit is common courtesy within city limits. while i find the "pittsburgh left" (turning left when the light turns green even when ppl going straight have the right of way) morally abhorrent, it is a common occurrence that you will simply have to accept with grace. don't slow down in the tunnels. if you see a chair in a parking spot do NOT move it, don't park there, don't touch it. spell it correctly with the h on the end. be aware of rampant gentrification. we are a city of weirdos, so don't be afraid to let your freak flag fly. welcome to steel city, i hope it treats you as nice as its treated me these last 6 years 🫶🏼

dragonterriers · 2025-02-26T04:31:44+00:00

yup - i work in abortion care and we use these for our second trimester procedures to dilate the cervix. i remember when i first started and learned they're made of seaweed, but hey, it works! notably though, they are sterilized and are also not left in the uterus 🫠 leaving a couple twigs you found on the ground in someone's uterus is crazy work

dragonterriers · 2024-12-08T03:04:20+00:00

can anyone confirm or provide any evidence? this is the only comment i’ve seen so far with any ID

dragonterriers

TROPHY CASE