Consequence for filing complaint for sexual harassment at a hospital?

[coffeesnob]

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I don't know where this thread should belong. So I am posting here...

I will be starting medical school this fall, and currently working as a research assistant (fulltime employee) at a hospital that is also a clinical rotation site for my medical school. I am interested in applying here for residency in the future.

My coworker has been showing forms of workplace bullying and sexual harassment towards me. I told my boss (MD) about it, and I am thinking about filing a complaint. I am also considering to notify human resources about emotional distress that this toxic work environment has inflicted on me. I basically went through adjustment disorder.

Before I officially proceed with the plan, I have to ask if there is any chance I will be blackmailed from this department or the hospital? Would the resident admissions committee not look at me favorably because I have demonstrated I cannot handle bullying and harassment, which are built into the traditional teaching methods in medical training? I am trying to apply for residency at this hospital.

Thanks!

EDIT: I meant to say resident admissions committee.

 

[medicsb]

I don't know where this thread should belong. So I am posting here...

I will be starting medical school this fall, and currently working as a research assistant (fulltime employee) at a hospital that is also a clinical rotation site for my medical school. I am interested in applying here for residency in the future.

My coworker has been showing forms of workplace bullying and sexual harassment towards me. I told my boss (MD) about it, and I am thinking about filing a complaint. I am also considering to notify human resources about emotional distress that this toxic work environment has inflicted on me. I basically went through adjustment disorder.

Before I officially proceed with the plan, I have to ask if there is any chance I will be blackmailed from this department or the hospital? Would the admissions committee not look at me favorably because I have demonstrated I cannot handle bullying and harassment, which are built into the traditional teaching methods in medical training? I am trying to apply for residency at this hospital.

Thanks!

You said you're starting in the fall, so at this point the ad com should be out of the picture since you're "in", right? Also, these sorts of complaints are typically confidential and therefor should not make it to an ad-com as it is not any of their business.

Anyhow, bullying and harassment are bad. You should not have to put up with it. The school would probably by more impressed with the fact that you stuck up for yourself because plenty of people let bad treatment slide. As a third year, I have seen very little harassment and bullying of medical student and residents, so I'm not so sure bullying and harassment is built-in, at least not anymore. It is something that is considered to a be very serious and something that school and residency administrators have been trying to stop for a number of years now.

Good luck.

 

[coffeesnob]

@medicsb,

Oh let me clarify. I meant admissions committee at residency programs, not medical school. Maybe they are called something else.

Thanks for your response. That was relieving to hear.

 

[Rendar5]

@medicsb,

Oh let me clarify. I meant admissions committee at residency programs, not medical school. Maybe they are called something else.

Thanks for your response. That was relieving to hear.

Why would a residency program care that you complained about sexual harassment from a specific individual not known or associated to them? Does make much sense to me.

Now if you bogusly made up these complaints about multiple people and were shown to have a pattern of doing so, that would be a negative on you as a person. But it sounds like this is a singular person and doesn't sound like you have a pattern of this happening around you, so I doubt that scenario would come into play.

 

[coffeesnob]

Why would a residency program care that you complained about sexual harassment from a specific individual not known or associated to them? Does make much sense to me.

Now if you bogusly made up these complaints about multiple people and were shown to have a pattern of doing so, that would be a negative on you as a person. But it sounds like this is a singular person and doesn't sound like you have a pattern of this happening around you, so I doubt that scenario would come into play.

Thanks @Rendar5! Well I was worried that the residency program might see something and think "oh this girl is a troublemaker" or "this girl does not have mental capacity to handle stress". I know many women at work who choose not to report cases of sexual harassment.

But thanks for the confirmation.

 

[medicsb]

Thanks @Rendar5! Well I was worried that the residency program might see something and think "oh this girl is a troublemaker" or "this girl does not have mental capacity to handle stress". I know many women at work who choose not to report cases of sexual harassment.

But thanks for the confirmation.

Sexual harassment does occur and it is widely known to be under-reported, likely because of reasons you mentioned. Anyhow, it is something that is taken very seriously. Again, it is not something that should make it to the program director, etc. of the residency in which you are interested. Any good residency director and anyone involved in ranking applicants should know to completely disregard that information if they do hear of it and judge you as an applicant based on your app and interview alone.

(As an aside, do consider that you have 4 years of medical school ahead of you and you may no longer be interested in whatever specialty when it comes time to applying. Also getting in to the place of choice for residency is never a done deal until you are accepted, even if they directly tell you that they are ranking you high on their list. Don't put all your eggs in one now or ever.)

 

[coffeesnob]

Sexual harassment does occur and it is widely known to be under-reported, likely because of reasons you mentioned. Anyhow, it is something that is taken very seriously. Again, it is not something that should make it to the program director, etc. of the residency in which you are interested. Any good residency director and anyone involved in ranking applicants should know to completely disregard that information if they do hear of it and judge you as an applicant based on your app and interview alone.

(As an aside, do consider that you have 4 years of medical school ahead of you and you may no longer be interested in whatever specialty when it comes time to applying. Also getting in to the place of choice for residency is never a done deal until you are accepted, even if they directly tell you that they are ranking you high on their list. Don't put all your eggs in one now or ever.)

Yup you are right. I am over-thinking. Thanks for the assurance.

 

[JP2740]

What actually happened?

 

[evilbooyaa]

Short answer: Don't worry about reporting someone who is sexually harassing you. It's not going to hurt your chances of matching for residency there.

 

[45408]

Would the resident admissions committee not look at me favorably because I have demonstrated I cannot handle bullying and harassment, which are built into the traditional teaching methods in medical training?

No, because neither bullying nor harassment should be standard fare in residency.

 

[ZGX]

File a criminal report. That might flag their background check.

That would be a scary thought for the harasser.

 

[Guillemot]

did not read thread.

complain. if repercussions , complain again

 

[coffeesnob]

Short answer: Don't worry about reporting someone who is sexually harassing you. It's not going to hurt your chances of matching for residency there.

No, because neither bullying nor harassment should be standard fare in residency.

File a criminal report. That might flag their background check.

That would be a scary thought for the harasser.

Thank you. I just wanted to make sure. So I filed the report on Monday, so they are investigating now.

 

[coffeesnob]

What actually happened?

It's a pretty sensitive topic. So I would prefer not to describe what happened. It's mostly bullying with nice bites of harassment. All I hope for is justice.

 

[coffeesnob]

No, because neither bullying nor harassment should be standard fare in residency.

But don't you agree that a person going through rotations or residency should be "thick-skinned" to some extent? Well, I am still only a pre-med but I can imagine that a trainee would be subject to some forms of bullying from their superiors.

I don't think it's ethical. But it's the hierarchical structure in medicine that results in a such learning environment in my opinion.

 

[mehc012]

No, because neither bullying nor harassment should be standard fare in residency.

Sadly, bullying and harassment are often standard fare in life 🙁
You deal however works best for you...for some, reporting it is helpful, for others, it's a hassle with little chance of payoff.

If you feel uncomfortable enough to be willing to jump through all the hoops required for a complaint, then it is likely justified. I hope it turns out to be more use than hassle!

 

[ucsfstudents]

There is no place for sexual harassment anywhere. Make sure your boss is supportive of your actions to file a complaint, which s/he should be. I have not heard about negative repercussions from filing such a complaint, as you can imagine the culture of medicine, and of academics in general, has taken huge steps in preventing these types of things from happening and making people aware that sexual harassment is 1) wrong 2) has negative consequences 3) is without question present once the victim says that it is.

 

[ortho2014]

Sexual harassment is completely unacceptable.

Make sure you go through the appropriate channels and hierarchy. Discuss with your boss first (again if it's still an issue) and make sure you relay the seriousness of the situation (don't just say he's being mean, use the words sexual harassment). Let the boss talk to your co-worker. If the co-worker's behavior does not improve or change, then you talk to your boss again and ask him about other options and whether you should take it to the next level. If there is a lot of gray area due to something he may have said then don't jump to criminal filling or reporting to human resource without discussing first with your boss because he will undoubtedly have to get involved in the case. It's unfair to the victim to have go through these loops but this approach will minimize any potential and unfair repercussions against you.

Also, if the coworker continues just being a mean and bullying (without the sexual harassment) then that you should ignore, especially if you're not going to be there for very long it seems.

Whatever you do, don't go out just looking for revenge--this mindset will come back to bite you.

Unfortunately, you will have to deal with toxic individuals in medicine for the rest of your life, but sexual harassment crosses the line.

 

[GUH]

how about instead of us dishing out advice, OP goes and talks to an attorney?

 

[coffeesnob]

I wasn't really looking for legal advice here. All I asked about was: would filing a report affect my chance at residency at all? This answer that screams out to me is: it won't. So I am relieved. Thank you everyone for confirmation and clarification.

As I wrote earlier, I filed the report to HR. The case is being investigated. I will let them handle it. If I am not satisfied, I will seek legal action then.

 

[medicsb]

But don't you agree that a person going through rotations or residency should be "thick-skinned" to some extent? Well, I am still only a pre-med but I can imagine that a trainee would be subject to some forms of bullying from their superiors.

I don't think it's ethical. But it's the hierarchical structure in medicine that results in a such learning environment in my opinion.

Yes, being "thick-skinned" will be helpful, but not because of "bullying". There's a difference between being bullied and taking criticism that may be harsh, or being pushed in order to learn. Some superiors can be curt an/or ornery but that is not necessarily bullying. Does bullying occur? Yes, as you have now experienced first hand. However, it is not something that is considered acceptable or something that must be put up with. I've seen attendings take residents to task and senior resident chastise lower level residents, etc., but, I haven't seen anything that I thought was beyond the pale.

I imagine you'll do just fine. Come fall, focus on your studies and worry about rotations and residency later.

 

[45408]

But don't you agree that a person going through rotations or residency should be "thick-skinned" to some extent? Well, I am still only a pre-med but I can imagine that a trainee would be subject to some forms of bullying from their superiors.

I don't think it's ethical. But it's the hierarchical structure in medicine that results in a such learning environment in my opinion.

I'm not saying it doesn't happen. I was working with an attending today who can be pretty verbally abusive. I've started to fire back, because I'm not going to take it passively.

But you should be thick-skinned for other reasons - you will occasionally have to make unpopular decisions, deal with irate/distraught family members or patients, and so on.

 

[CysticFibrosis]

I know of a hospital that the attending/program director is known to walk around and run his fingers through some women's hair. He is too well connected to get into trouble which results in minimal complaints (and those that complain dont get anywhere except a bad name for themselves). Sad!

 

[JGimpel]

Any kind of harassment is bad and I'm fully with people getting repercussions of this sort of action. That being said, you must understand that until you are hired by a residency program, you are not truly a full employee; research assistants may be paid by the hospital, or may work for free but you should not just expect to have your case handled in the same exact way as if you were. Trying to mess with a doctor's FCVS (his lifeblood) for any reason should only be done after extensive alternatives to doing so have been tried and this should be handled by professionals. This is where you went wrong.

If it were up to me, I wouldn't do something that could be looked upon as "anti-staff," no matter how bad what was done to you may seem. If they have to choose between staff that is already hired and is doing their job properly and someone they are guaranteed to have a problem with that they could have replaced with a lot of other candidates with no issues, they will do the most logical thing.

For the benefit of the other readers, you need to go through the rotation office at your school with these complaints if you're on rotation there or could be in the near future and let them handle it from there. They will either pull you out of that rotation or change who your supervisor is with a lot less trouble for you. If you've already filed a report and didn't tell your school first, it will reflect poorly on you to the institution that ultimately will be giving you your medical degree. At this point, you and your school may have to do some damage control, but there is little more you can do.

Not the easiest news to take, but I'm speaking from what I've seen happen in the past. Move on to another hospital system and don't look back. Different shades of this happen all of the time in medicine, you do have to be prepared for what you would do differently the next time.

 

[Danbo1957]

If it were up to me, I wouldn't do something that could be looked upon as "anti-staff," no matter how bad what was done to you may seem. If they have to choose between staff that is already hired and is doing their job properly and someone they are guaranteed to have a problem with that they could have replaced with a lot of other candidates with no issues, they will do the most logical thing.

Agreed. That the OP can't handle a "harasser" herself by now is troubling. As for "bullying", please. 🙄 In "my day", residents were routinely torn to threads; all part of the teaching/learning process.

Let me put it this way, I would not allow anyone under the age of thirty to attend me medically.

 

[coffeesnob]

If anyone is still following this thread, I have an update. Over the last four weeks, HR interviewed more witnesses and finally interviewed the alleged harasser. He was suspended for four days following the interview, and then my boss announced to the team that he has been terminated. He is not even allowed on the medical facility to pack his things; he will never be able to work at the hospital again. It seems like some sort of restraining order has been placed on him...

Isn't the repercussion too extreme and severe for just one person's allegations? I thought the worst case scenario would be a transfer to a different division, discipline or temporary suspension without pay. I feel like HR found evidence for more violations other than harassment/bullying. I did report to HR about his unethical practices regarding work hours and personal solicitation at work.

 

[theshellyb]

If anyone is still following this thread, I have an update. Over the last four weeks, HR interviewed more witnesses and finally interviewed the alleged harasser. He was suspended for four days following the interview, and then my boss announced to the team that he has been terminated. He is not even allowed on the medical facility to pack his things; he will never be able to work at the hospital again. It seems like some sort of restraining order has been placed on him...

Isn't the repercussion too extreme and severe for just one person's allegations? I thought the worst scenario would be a transfer to a different division, discipline or temporary suspension without pay. I feel like HR found evidence for more violations other than harassment/bullying. I did report to HR about his unethical practices regarding work hours and personal solicitation at work.

Well, maybe it's extreme for one person's allegations, but you didn't give us the exact nature of the offense so maybe it's not extreme at all (not saying you *should* tell us, mind you).

Also who knows what other stuff they dug up in the investigation from other interviews that was additionally damning.

Thanks for the update- I think this is a good lesson for people who are worried about speaking up. For all you know, all of the other people HR interviewed could have been facing similar problems with this guy and were just reluctant to come forward, but once specifically asked had something to say. You may have even helped someone else out of an uncomfortable situation with this guy that you didn't even know about.

 

[RockinRoll]

No, because neither bullying nor harassment should be standard fare in residency.

Surgery clerkship rotations?

 

[45408]

If anyone is still following this thread, I have an update. Over the last four weeks, HR interviewed more witnesses and finally interviewed the alleged harasser. He was suspended for four days following the interview, and then my boss announced to the team that he has been terminated. He is not even allowed on the medical facility to pack his things; he will never be able to work at the hospital again. It seems like some sort of restraining order has been placed on him...

Isn't the repercussion too extreme and severe for just one person's allegations? I thought the worst case scenario would be a transfer to a different division, discipline or temporary suspension without pay. I feel like HR found evidence for more violations other than harassment/bullying. I did report to HR about his unethical practices regarding work hours and personal solicitation at work.

You even pointed out there were more witnesses. Maybe there was a pattern of behavior. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that someone who is harassing one person is harassing a few others as well.