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

Women doctors: Speak up, because #MeToo

Anonymous
Physician
October 29, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share

“Aren’t you cute,” he said as he smiled and squeezed her cheeks. On the start of a new rotation, a medical student walked into clinic and introduced herself to the attending physician.

With all of the news surrounding the Weinstein debacle, Alyssa Milano has urged women to share their stories of sexual harassment or abuse using the words “me too.” What has transpired is that a whole community of women from many different backgrounds and social stratas have spoken out about their own personal experiences with inappropriate sexual advances.

While the field of medicine continues to produce a growing number of female doctors, patriarchal attitudes of the past, unfortunately, remain all too pervasive. If it was only enduring the sexual advances made by individuals, we came in contact with through our personal lives, that would still be an unnecessary burden. But, it is not just in our personal lives, it is not even just at the hands of some of our patients, it is actually at times from our male supervisors, co-workers, and team members.

The story above is true, and I know I wasn’t the only female medical student at that time who experienced the unsolicited touching. Every day for the entirety of the rotation I said nothing as the attending physician would greet me by squeezing my cheeks. I convinced myself that it is just a quirk that is intended to be endearing. I don’t want to insult him by saying I’d rather him not squeeze my cheeks. And after all, if I said nothing then probably I would receive a better evaluation than if I did speak up. Even after I finished the rotation, this is the way he would greet me as we passed each other in the hallway.

Now, maybe you are thinking that really isn’t that bad. Truly, that is what I thought until these experiences continued. I had a clinical supervisor who took advantage of his position and tried to kiss me. There were others who proceeded to massage my shoulders while I typed my progress notes. Worse yet, in a multiple hour hernia repair surgery, I was told that since I am the only female in the room that it is my job to hold the patient’s testicles throughout the entirety of the procedure.

I’m sure my own experiences are far from the many worse experiences that many of my colleagues and fellow women physicians have had to endure. It is hard to speak up, and I can’t say that I took an active part in shining a light and changing the system while the events were occurring. However, in our medical field, these behaviors should not be accepted. They should not be tolerated. They should not be swept under the rug.

Whether you choose to come forward using your name or whether you post anonymously, I want to encourage and support all of the other women doctors and health care providers in sharing their experiences, using the hashtag “#MeToo.” It is never too late to share your story.

So women doctors, speak up! Because I am not the only #MeToo.

The author is an anonymous physician. 

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

We are all just one diagnosis away from a different reality

October 29, 2017 Kevin 2
…
Next

The opioid epidemic: What we can learn from history

October 29, 2017 Kevin 15
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
We are all just one diagnosis away from a different reality
Next Post >
The opioid epidemic: What we can learn from history

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Anonymous

  • Why young doctors in South Korea feel broken before they even begin

    Anonymous
  • Do Jewish students face rising bias in holistic admissions?

    Anonymous
  • Medical students in Korea face expulsion for speaking out

    Anonymous

Related Posts

  • Why doctors should be trained to speak out and lead the movement for social justice

    Teshamae Monteith, MD
  • Why do doctors who hate being doctors still practice?

    Kristin Puhl, MD
  • Doctors die. But the good ones leave a legacy.

    Jaime B. Gerber, MD
  • Doctors: It’s time to unionize

    Thomas D. Guastavino, MD
  • When doctors are right

    Sophia Zilber
  • We’re doctors. We signed the book.

    Jonathan Peters, MD

More in Physician

  • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

    Howard Smith, MD
  • The hidden chains holding doctors back

    Neil Baum, MD
  • 9 proven ways to gain cooperation in health care without commanding

    Patrick Hudson, MD
  • Why physicians deserve more than an oxygen mask

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • More than a meeting: Finding education, inspiration, and community in internal medicine [PODCAST]

    American College of Physicians & The Podcast by KevinMD
  • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

    Trisza Leann Ray, DO
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
    • How conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

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

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why young doctors in South Korea feel broken before they even begin

      Anonymous | Education
    • Measles is back: Why vaccination is more vital than ever

      American College of Physicians | Conditions
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Physician job change: Navigating your 457 plan and avoiding tax traps [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden chains holding doctors back

      Neil Baum, 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

Leave a Comment

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

    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
    • How conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

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

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why young doctors in South Korea feel broken before they even begin

      Anonymous | Education
    • Measles is back: Why vaccination is more vital than ever

      American College of Physicians | Conditions
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Physician job change: Navigating your 457 plan and avoiding tax traps [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden chains holding doctors back

      Neil Baum, 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

Leave a Comment

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

Loading Comments...