Naked at the doctor's office

This could be an interesting topic... I've read on various forums about people having awkward encounters during intimate exams where random interns show up just to observe. It reminded me of my recent trip to the dentist; suddenly, there were five people staring at me like I was some sort of lab specimen. I honestly wonder why doctors don't bother asking patients, "Would you mind if someone else observes?" or at least provide some kind of warning. Has anyone else dealt with this? A friend told me her friends had similar issues when unannounced interns showed up during gynecological exams, leading to heated arguments and one of them practically fleeing the room 👍. What are your experiences regarding this matter?

Look, just pay a private provider—then you won't have people poking around like that. When you're at a major teaching hospital affiliated with a medical university, students and interns basically have a free pass to examine whoever they want.

Michelle Cook83 said:Look, just pay a private clinic and nobody will barge in on you. When you're at a teaching hospital affiliated with a medical school, students and interns have a right to observe patients.

Well, nobody actually barged in on me; I didn't mind while I was at the dentist, but it just occurred to me how people feel when fifteen different people are staring at their most intimate parts.🙄

It was such an incredibly awkward situation. I was over at some clinic for an exam a while back—just a routine thing, you know? I walk in, and the door stays wide open. There’s a nurse in the next room, but she doesn't seem to care. So, I go ahead and get undressed for the exam, taking off my bra and everything once the doctor finishes his part. As I'm pulling my clothes back on, the doctor just casually asks, "So, guys, did you catch everything?" I whip my head around, and there they are—four of them, sitting right there on the exam table behind those open doors, just nodding along with these massive, smug grins on their faces. Unbelievable. Absolute madness. 😠

It actually happened once while I was doing my internship; they would call us in to observe procedures, though I honestly wonder if they ever even bothered to ask the patient first. I remember one specific instance where there were about five of us, including one guy, when a woman was brought in for a procedure and she looked completely bewildered, just staring at us in total silence, clearly feeling incredibly uncomfortable 😢 It felt even more mortifying for us once we realized the poor woman had absolutely no idea we were going to be standing there watching... it was truly awful... 👎

Patients have every right to turn down a procedure like that.🙂 The real issue is that everyone stays dead silent about it, and then they turn around and complain on forums later. That’s why I only stick with doctors I actually trust.🤣
Generally speaking, people don't even know what their rights are, let alone how to actually use them.🤷

If you choose to go to a teaching hospital, you have to accept that there will be residents and interns on staff, which means you might receive care from someone still finishing their training... That's just how the system works, and if that doesn't sit right with you, then a private clinic or a standard community hospital is probably a better fit for you.

Honestly, it drives me absolutely crazy too. I haven’t really had anyone staring at me naked before, but even just going to the dermatologist can be such an ordeal. Take a clinic over in downtown Chicago, for instance—there's always this massive crowd of college students hanging around, just loitering in the waiting area. So, there I am, trying to have a serious conversation with the doctor about a skin issue—nothing intimate, mind you—but then these kids start peering over, watching the exam, scribbling things down in their notebooks like they're watching a live performance... 🙄 It’s a total circus. You honestly just want to tell them all to get lost and find a different doctor where you can actually have some privacy. ☕

Arthur Wright3 said:This could be interesting... I've seen people talking on forums about how some clueless interns just show up during intimate exams to learn... reminded me of being at the dentist recently when suddenly five people appear out of nowhere staring at me like I'm an alien specimen... I wonder why doctors don't even ask the patient, like, "hey, you mind if they watch?" or at least give a heads-up... have you guys dealt with this? A friend told me some interns crashed her OBGYN appointment and she ended up getting into a huge fight and just bolted 👍. Anyone else have stories about this?

Yeah, when I was in labor, three guys and one girl studying medicine were all staring down "there"... And the doctor is just going, "okay, this is this and that..." (not even gonna list everything 😁), while they’re all nodding along looking super serious, and I'm over here practically dying of laughter...🤣
And yeah, the doctor did ask if I cared... personally, even though it wasn't exactly comfortable, I didn't mind... I mean, those kids gotta learn somewhere, I guess...

Arthur Wright3 said:Nobody’s actually bothering me—I mean, even at the dentist I’m totally fine—but it just got me thinking about how people react when fifteen different strangers are staring at their most intimate parts.🙄

What do you even do when the numbers just don't add up for smaller study groups? We’ve got way too many students enrolling every year—it's honestly overwhelming.

Kevin Morris12 said:LOL, I totally get that—it drives me crazy too. Honestly, I haven’t really had anyone staring at me naked before, but even just going to the dermatologist... it’s annoying. Like, if you’re at a clinic in downtown Chicago, there’s always this huge pack of med students hanging around. They all just swarm in and sit there while I’m trying to talk to the doctor about my issue—which isn't even anything private, by the way—but then they start poking, prodding, and scribbling everything down in their little notebooks. 🙄 It’s like a whole damn production. Sometimes you just want to kick them all out and find a different doctor who actually respects your space.. ☕

Sorry, but if everyone felt like that, doctors would never be able to finish their training....☕

Personally, I feel like a patient’s right to privacy—having some actual dignity during an exam and not feeling like they're being stared down by a dozen sets of eyes—should always come before a group of students getting a front-row seat to their business.

The prestige of the hospital or medical school doesn't change the ethics here. A doctor should be asking for consent first, plain and simple. If the patient says no, then the students need to just step out and that's that.

In my experience, if you look at a hundred people going through exams, maybe 10% might actually say no to having students in the room. So, honestly, no student is going to miss out on a life-changing lesson just because someone decided to keep things private behind a curtain once in a while.

Honestly, I don’t understand why anyone would feel embarrassed or awkward about this, because when you consider all these students training to become the doctors of tomorrow, they aren't exactly naive; they’ve seen more anatomy in textbooks and clinical diagrams than most people can imagine, so where is the issue? My concern is much deeper than mere modesty—I worry about what kind of physician they’ll actually be when they eventually step into a practice to treat someone you truly care about, like your daughter or even your grandchild, if they missed out on those crucial, hands-on demonstrations from an experienced mentor during their residency. It’s about that essential transfer of practical knowledge that simply can't be replicated through a screen or a page, yet some people seem to make things so unnecessarily complicated 🙄

Kevin Morris12 said:LOL, I totally get that—it’s infuriating. Honestly, I haven't really had the experience of being naked in front of people before, but even at the dermatologist, it drives me nuts. Like, if you go to a place like Mayo Clinic, there’s always this swarm of med students hanging around—just a whole pack of them—sitting there while I'm trying to explain my issue to the doctor (which isn't even an intimate area, but still). Then they start poking, prodding, and scribbling everything down in their little notebooks... 🙄 It’s quite the little production; honestly, you just want to kick them all out and find a different specialist. ☕

But how exactly are they supposed to gain any actual experience if they aren't interacting with patients and learning from real cases?🙄 If it bothers you that much, just pick a hospital that doesn't partner with medical schools or pay for a private clinic.

On topic: the nursing interns—those ones doing their rotations—practiced a few small things on me, and it never even crossed my mind to complain or make a scene. They were incredibly sweet and kind, so I tried my best to stay relaxed and give them as much support as possible.

The last time I saw an internist, he actually brought some students along because the case was particularly interesting 😁 and started quizzing them. They were sort of winging it—mostly just guessing—and I actually knew the answers to about 80% of their questions. I asked if I could chime in.😂 Anyway, thanks to the fact that students were present, the doctor ended up giving this mini-lecture, explaining everything in detail and testing them thoroughly, which meant everything was crystal clear to me too and I didn't have to ask a single question.🙏 My takeaway? It’s actually better to see a doctor when students are around because there's zero guesswork involved.😉

Look, I’ve got a few people staring at me while I’m in here with my OB-GYN—absolutely not. 2up: Either they leave, or I am.
As for other "non-sensitive" departments, maybe it's doable, but only if the doctor actually warns you or asks first. Of course, I'm not talking about seeing a dermatologist when you're dealing with an STD🙂 or similar issues.

Sam Castillo7 said:How on earth are they supposed to get any real-world experience if they aren't allowed to work with actual patients and learn from real cases? It feels like such a catch-22!🙄 If you're really that unhappy with the situation, just head over to a private hospital or find one that doesn't have those university affiliations! Honestly, I had to switch to a private clinic last year for a quick checkup, and it made things so much smoother.

I honestly feel like every single hospital around here is constantly swarming with medical students! It’s like they’re everywhere you look.
Patients really do have the right to choose! It’s just common courtesy to ask them if they’re okay with students tagging along.
People say "free" healthcare isn't actually free, and they're right! I know plenty of folks who set aside a few thousand dollars every month for their coverage, so we definitely expect some real rights in return.
During my first pregnancy, they actually brought in about ten medical students just to watch me go through the labor process! It felt like a little classroom session right there in the delivery room.
I gotta say, I think you're right—it’s better to aim for that perfect middle ground, neither too much nor too little!
Honestly, I’ve just had enough of my own nonsense lately!
I honestly regret not standing my ground more when I should have! 😬
Honestly, there are definitely other situations where I wouldn't mind—like if I were seeing a rheumatologist, for example!

Hmm... I remember back in high school, they sent us to observe a delivery. Fast forward to now, and we’re standing there in the pre-op area, and the women are giving us these absolute death stares—you know the look, like, "Oh great, just what we needed, more spectators." So, there we are, just awkwardly staring at the floor or the ceiling, silently praying to God that at least one woman would actually go into labor so we could finally leave. We stood there for maybe fifteen minutes before our professor showed up and told us to gather in front of the last bay because a patient had given the okay for us to watch. Hmmm... what now? You have to go in. So, there we were—six girls and one guy—watching, and then some of the girls actually fainted. It ended up being just me and this one guy left. In the end, we didn't see a thing because those overeager medical interns and students jumped in and took over everything... But... well, in the end, we were actually the first ones to see the baby. 😉

swiftpanther52 said:Hmm... back when I was in high school, my parents used to let me go watch family events.

Honestly, I would have just let them watch if that's all they wanted to do!😬

Sam Hall15 said:If you choose to go to a teaching hospital, you have to accept that there will be residents or students still completing their training, which means there’s always a chance you might receive care from them... that's just how the system works, and if someone isn't comfortable with that, they should probably stick to private clinics or a local community hospital.

I can't help but wonder why we assume this doesn't happen in community hospitals? In smaller towns across the US, people rely entirely on those local facilities, where medical students are often seeing all sorts of things too.🤷

Michelle Cook83 said:Look, sorry—but if we followed your logic, doctors would never actually finish their training...☕

I just had this mental image of med students at the morgue asking the "patient," "Excuse me, sir, if you don't mind, we'd just like to..." 😁