Jeb in my area an open meeting is just that "Open", any one is welcome as long as they are respectful of peoples anonymity.
We have had people from the medical profession attend some of our open meetings in the years I have been in the rooms. Even though a meeting is open people who are there for "Observation purposes" out of respect for the alcoholics present do introduce them selfs and state thier purpose there.
AA is a program of attraction and not promotion, in my area any one who is a healthcare professional is always welcome in "Open" meetings because it allows them to be able to tell a client/patient what an AA meeting and the people there are like.
95% of stigmas and stereotypes about AA are generally in the heads of active alcoholics who are not quit ready to quit yet but are almost there.... Do not get me wrong I am sure there are a few stigmas by folks who have no idea what alcoholism really is or even what an AA meeting is like.
I will tell you what mine was before I started going.
I thought AA meetings were full of broken down old men sitting around crying in thier coffee, smoking and dreaming of the days when they could handle thier liquor.
That was so far from the truth today I laugh at myself. Some other say "Oh AA is religous." Spiritual yes, religous no. Yes many meetings do have prayer as part of the opening/closing of the meeting, but you know every sprtiing event I have been to has many times been opened with a prayer....... does that make them religous? Congress opens with a prayer every day, does that make congress a religous body?
If you were in my area you would be more then welcome to an "open" meeting and even more welcome if at the beginning of the meeting you introduced your self and what you were doing there. For some folks who come to AA thier anonymity is important to them and this would give them an opportunity to either leave or not share.