Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

A culture of misogyny at a VA hospital

Mary Branch, MD
Physician
June 28, 2016
Share
Tweet
Share

This is a very controversial essay, but I am going to express how some women physicians, like myself, feel at the VA hospital.

I came home one day after my clinic and was perturbed. I called my significant other and the emotion of the day unraveled. I was reporting an uncomfortable interaction I had with an older male patient. During this patient encounter, his tone and comments became sexually charged and suggestive. In the residency clinic, we report to an attending physician. After my encounter earlier that day, I blurted out that I was feeling uneasy to my attending. His quick response was, “You are an attractive resident, you can expect to get hit on by your patients.”

I paused in disbelief. I am expected to work in a sexually charged environment without much support.  All of the feelings of the day and my lack of support was articulated to my significant other. He was sympathetic to my plight; however none of us had a solution.

This was not the only time I felt this way throughout the year.  I found that I am not the only female resident physician who has dealt with this issue. I voiced my concerns to fellow, more senior, residents and they had uncomfortable encounters of their own. One resident told me about a patient who asks her to squeeze his prostate. He asks her to perform this task, not for health related concerns. He asks her so that he can have an erection.  Overhearing our conversation, another resident piped in while shaking her head with a burden she bears. She explained her misogynistic experience. She takes care of a patient who asks her if he can squeeze her breasts. She reported this to her attending, and although there was sympathy, she continues to see this patient in her clinic. She must work alone, with the door closed, in her clinic room: bracing herself every time the patient arrives.

I take no pride in speaking about our veterans in this light. My brother is a judge advocate general and is a major in the Marines. I have full respect and am humbled by how they protect our country. I am by no means detracting from that. Most of the patients are very kind and respectful.

I am speaking about those that do not respect their female physicians. We are working hard to take care of current and former military men and women. We don’t deserve to be gawked at as we walk through the entrance of the hospital. We should not have to endure unprofessional and misogynistic comments in clinic. There should be monitoring for our protection. There should be more support from the medical community and teaching to patients.

If this essay offends people, then they know how we feel.

“Dr. Mary” is an internal medicine resident who blogs at Diverse Medicine.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Some doctors do it for the money. Here are some reasons why.

June 28, 2016 Kevin 18
…
Next

Do hospitals need a formal appearance policy?

June 28, 2016 Kevin 3
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Some doctors do it for the money. Here are some reasons why.
Next Post >
Do hospitals need a formal appearance policy?

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Mary Branch, MD

  • Family principles of COVID-19 heroes

    Mary Branch, MD
  • Quotes and songs to help you survive COVID-19

    Mary Branch, MD
  • The story of a new physician mother

    Mary Branch, MD

Related Posts

  • Don’t judge when trainees use dating apps in the hospital

    Austin Perlmutter, MD
  • When physician pay packages become hospital kickbacks

    Jordan Rau
  • 5 challenges of working in a county hospital

    Pranav Sharma, MD
  • Hospital administrators thinking about no-cost treatment which really helps patients

    John Corsino, DPT
  • What do hospital discounts really mean?

    Robert S. Berry, MD
  • Redefining what a hospital library should be

    Abeer Arain, MD, MPH

More in Physician

  • When rock bottom is a turning point: Why the turmoil at HHS may be a blessing in disguise

    Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD
  • How grief transformed a psychiatrist’s approach to patient care

    Devina Maya Wadhwa, MD
  • Fear of other people’s opinions nearly killed me. Here’s what freed me.

    Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD
  • What independent and locum tenens doctors need to know about fair market value

    Dennis Hursh, Esq
  • How one simple breakfast question can transform patient care

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • Nurses are the backbone of medicine—and they deserve better

    Matthew Moeller, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Why no medical malpractice firm responded to my scientific protocol

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • A world without antidepressants: What could possibly go wrong?

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Meds
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • Bridging the digital divide: Addressing health inequities through home-based AI solutions

      Dr. Sreeram Mullankandy | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • What happened to real care in health care?

      Christopher H. Foster, PhD, MPA | Policy
    • Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?

      Jacob Murphy | Education
    • How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Recent Posts

    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • Reimagining diabetes care with nutrition, not prescriptions

      William Hsu, MD | Conditions
    • Why funding cuts to academic medical centers impact all of us [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • When rock bottom is a turning point: Why the turmoil at HHS may be a blessing in disguise

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • How grief transformed a psychiatrist’s approach to patient care

      Devina Maya Wadhwa, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 4 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Why no medical malpractice firm responded to my scientific protocol

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • A world without antidepressants: What could possibly go wrong?

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Meds
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • Bridging the digital divide: Addressing health inequities through home-based AI solutions

      Dr. Sreeram Mullankandy | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • What happened to real care in health care?

      Christopher H. Foster, PhD, MPA | Policy
    • Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?

      Jacob Murphy | Education
    • How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Recent Posts

    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • Reimagining diabetes care with nutrition, not prescriptions

      William Hsu, MD | Conditions
    • Why funding cuts to academic medical centers impact all of us [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • When rock bottom is a turning point: Why the turmoil at HHS may be a blessing in disguise

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • How grief transformed a psychiatrist’s approach to patient care

      Devina Maya Wadhwa, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

A culture of misogyny at a VA hospital
4 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...