#MeToo in Medicine: Female Healthcare Employees Await Reckoning

Despite a lack of reckoning about sexual harassment in the medical profession, women in the field are hoping one will soon come about, reports NBC News . "Part of it has to do with the culture of hospitals and the whole culture of healthcare in general, which is very hierarchical," notes Oregon trauma clinical nurse specialist Teresa Goodell. "Physicians and top administrators are at the peak and feel free to mistreat nurses" and others they view as subordinate. The American Medical Association describes workplace sexual harassment as unethical and notes in its Code of Medical Ethics that "Sexual relationships between medical supervisors and trainees are not acceptable, even if consensual." Many women in medicine see nothing less than a complete revamp of their entire profession as necessary, with men made aware of what is unacceptable and women looking out for and supporting each other. The problem is partly attributed to the roots of sexual harassment, which often takes the form of intimidation. "It's very hard to speak up," Goodell says. "Sometimes nurses treat other nurses badly for pursuing harassment claims, and that's just wrong. When you're doing something like this, it's so key that you have support, that you have people believe you, and if you don't, it's very, very hard to do because it's an uphill battle the whole way." In addition to the fear of retaliation for speaking up, there are other factors unique to healthcare — including the round-the-clock nature of the job and easy access to beds and call rooms in hospitals — that have allowed harassment to spread in medicine.