NEW YORK - GYNECOLOGICAL TEACHING ASSOCIATE

Have you ever wondered how gynecologists practice getting all up in 'dem guts before seeing their first patient? Well, you've probably never met a gynecological teaching associate (GTA). Their job is to receive educational pelvic and breast exams from medical students who would otherwise be lost in the sauce.

Sheila Bishop has worked as a GTA in Gainesville, Florida, for the past five years. The gig allows her the time and money to pursue her passion for performance art, filmmaking, pornography, and a whole bunch of other stuff revolving around sex and gender, which you can see on her site. We asked her what it's like to have strangers muck with her junk on a frequent basis:

VICE: So, how did you fall into this line of work?

Sheila Bishop: A good friend of mine was studying at a midwifery school and mentioned that she taught the pelvic exam to help pay her bills. I needed work that paid well, was flexible, and left me plenty of time to focus on my art or activist projects. I had done nude modeling for art classes before and was comfortable with my body being used as a teaching tool. So I went in for an interview, got trained, and soon afterwards did my first session as a GTA.

Do they hide your face?

I am dressed from the waist up with a drape over my legs. My face is in plain sight because part of what we want to teach the students is to check in with their patient and make sure the woman isn't in pain. Some women think the exam is inherently painful and won't tell their doctor if they experience pain. The only clue that the patient might be experiencing pain might be her facial expressions.

Have you ever felt embarrassed?

The only thing that I've found embarrassing is the one or two times that a little toilet paper was clinging to some of my pubic hairs, which can happen to anyone, but it was still a bit embarrassing. Or when I teach the breast exam (we do that separately), I sweat a lot at first, not because of being naked but because of teaching and wanting to make sure that I really help the students learn the technique for the exam. So, the students have to put their hands in my sweaty armpit.

How often do you see the same students?

We teach the pelvic and the breast exam separately, so sometimes I will have the same students for the different activities. Gainesville is a semi-small community, so some of the students I'll see around town. It isn't a big deal to me to chat them up. But part of that is thinking about the work professionally. I don't squeal like a little girl and say, "Oh, that person's seen my vagina, there is no way I can talk to them!"

How much does it pay?

The pelvic exam pays $60-a-student, and it's $30-a-student for the breast exam. I make $120 every teaching session, which lasts three hours. During a session, I'll have two to three pelvic exams performed on me.

How many exams have you had?

I've probably had at least 150 pelvic exams, maybe 200 or more, but I'm not sure. And because I also tested students on their breast exam skills for a number of years, I'd say I've had close to a 1,000 breast exams in the past five years.

Holy shit, that's a lot. Have you ever had a recto-vaginal inspection?

They seldom do this—if they need to teach a rectal exam, they generally do it separately. We don't teach this to the students. They learn the rectal exam when the learn how to do the prostate exam on men. I've had a couple of rectal exams because I have a minor case of hemorrhoids.

What are the students' reactions to examining your vagina the first time?

I've only had one or two students who were grossed out about having to touch my vagina. I've had a number of students so nervous that they've had a very difficult time doing the exam.

Do you trust female gynecologists more than males?

Not particularly. I've had horrible gynecologists and pretty dang good gynecologists regardless of their gender.

Have you ever been turned on during an examination?

Once or twice during the breast exam something about the person touching me stimulated me, and they were being completely professional. I figure since I've had so many breast exams, it seems probable that I'd have some sort of chemistry with one or two people. But in those cases, I've distanced myself from the sensation and focused on doing my job, which is to teach to test the student's breast exam skills.

One of my favorite parts of teaching the exam is when a student palpates an ovary for the first time and gets the excited, "Oh, oh, I feel it" face. They couldn't make that face in a clinical setting—it wouldn't be professional. So it's nice that they get to be excited about the slightly tricky business of feeling an ovary.

Do they put that shoehorn-looking thing in you all the time?

The "shoehorn-looking thing" is called a speculum. And yes, every time a pelvic exam is performed on me, a speculum is used. I always say that it looks a bit like a medieval torture device.

Do you ever get self-conscious of how your undercarriage appears to the students?

I don't do any fancy grooming. I have a fairly tidy thatch, and I'm lazy and figure it is good for the students to appreciate the diversity of pubic hair.

Tell us something about vaginas that most people don't know.

The labia minora is bigger than the labia majora in close to 50 percent of women, which is why many of us call them the inner and outer labia instead. There are actually plastic surgeons performing labia reconstructive surgery to make women's labial tissue to more "normal." As if there is a normal look for labial tissue.

Also, the whole pelvic area including the vagina has some very powerful muscles. I know why people use the word pussy to mean weak, but when you think about it is kind of silly because real live pussies are incredible strong. They are designed to push babies, head first, out of the body.

Do you participate in examinations when you are having your period?

I will say I am not available to teach on days that are most likely to fall during my period. But this is not an exact science—sometimes another teacher has to cancel at the last minute, and I will end up teaching even though I am bleeding. It isn't a huge deal. I just let the students know that I am bleeding.

What do you hope the students are taking away from the experience?

I think the most important thing is that the students get to learn to do the exam in a setting where they could take their time and be guided through the process and not have to worry that the person they are examining has an illness that they might miss. It is OK for them to make mistakes. It might not be the most comfortable thing for me, but the chance to do the exam in a non-testing, non-patient setting helps them for when they do have to do the exam on a patient. They report back that it makes the first "real" exam so much easier. And in helping the students, I'm helping the women who will be their patients.

ROCCO CASTORO