Florida residents expect their doctors to be professional and caring. Sadly, sometimes, doctors and other medical professionals can abuse their power and violate their patients in a sexual manner. You should know how to handle the situation if you are the victim of sexual misconduct by a medical professional.
What are examples of sexual misconduct by a medical professional?
Sexual misconduct perpetrated by a doctor or other medical professional is divided into the categories of sexual impropriety and sexual violation. Sexual impropriety involves behaviors, expressions or gestures that are sexually suggestive to the patient that make them feel uncomfortable and demeaned. Examples of it include the following:
- Examining a patient's genitals without the use of gloves
- Deliberately watching a patient undress and failing to respect their privacy
- Attempting to use doctor-patient relationship to solicit a romantic relationship or sexually harass the patient
- Making sexually explicit comments about a patient
- Asking sexual questions when unrelated to the examination
- Refuse to tell you what they're doing and why they're doing it
- Refuse to let you another person be present during the examination
- Request you to remove clothing from areas of the body that are not being examined
Sexual violation refers to any kind of sexual contact that is not initiated by a patient or that is unwanted. Examples of this type of sexual misconduct include the following:
- Sexual assault
- Oral to genital contact
- Sexual kissing
- Fondling the breasts or genitals for reasons other than a medical examination
- Offering drugs or services in exchange for sexual favors
What can patients do?
If you have faced sexual abuse by a doctor or other medical professional, you have the right to immediately report it to local law enforcement. You can also contact the facility where the incident occurred and report the doctor to the state's medical licensing board.