THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 8, 1994 TAG: 9412080431
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KIRSTEN WILLIAMS, CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
About one-third of fourth-year medical school students surveyed at U.Va. said they had experienced or witnessed some form of harassment or discrimination, according to a survey by the Medical Student Advocacy Committee.
Gender-related discrimination was the most common problem reported.
Chairman Edward Hook said the committee, composed of 17 students and faculty members, found evidence of physical and verbal abuse, including comments such as ``women shouldn't be doctors,'' statements that ``attribute mistakes to the lack of Y chromosomes,'' unwelcome advances and repeated remarks about a student's breasts.
``I don't think it's a surprise,'' said Hook, a professor of internal medicine. ``In medical school, there is ample evidence that medical students' perceptions of harassment and abuse is relatively frequent and widespread.''
Students also reported derogatory remarks about lesbians, gays and Jews.
For the survey, 69 members of the medical school's class of 1995 were interviewed. The students were selected at random except that an effort was made to include equal numbers of men and women.
Despite the harassment and discrimination reported in the survey, the committee received only two formal complaints of such incidents last year, Hook said.
``I know of a fear of retaliation,'' said Christine Peterson, a committee member and professor of obstetrics and gynecology. Students are afraid that reporting harassment could harm their grades and recommendations, she said.
The University of Virginia's medical school is not the only one to grapple with harassment and discrimination. At least 12 other medical schools across the nation have conducted similar studies.
``Harassment here is lower than the national average,'' said Arthur Chaney, a fourth-year medical student and committee member.
Research compiled by the committee included 1990 statistics from an American Medical Association survey of third-year female medical students.
In that survey, 55 percent of respondents said they had been the subject of unwanted sexual advances, 29 percent thought they had been denied opportunities in their training because they were women, and 42 percent reported other forms of sex discrimination.
Janet Bickel, a spokeswoman for the Association of American Medical Colleges, said the problem is rooted in ``our whole society.''
``The reason it seems worse in medicine is because it's very hierarchical. Those at the bottom of the hierarchy are very vulnerable. Most medical schools are making strides in educating students and faculty.''
Chaney, too, cited the medical school hierarchy.
``You can be at their mercy,'' he said, referring to doctors and residents. ``They can say whatever they want to you. That's the potential.''
Second-year medical student Anna Walker said she personally had not experienced any problems.
``A lot of what upsets people, I attribute to human nature and I don't take it personally,'' said Walker, a committee member.
Bickel's association each year collects information from fourth-year medical students. In a survey of members of the class of 1994, Bickel said, 24 percent of women and 3 percent of men said offensive sexist remarks had been directed at them personally.
Gender bias and harassment often result in ``less effective learning'' and could lead to ``patient neglect and inattention to detail,'' Peterson said.
In response to the U.Va. survey, Medical School Dean Robert Carey sent a memo to medical school faculty, staff members and students.
``There are actions we can all take to ensure a professional environment at the Health Sciences Center,'' Carey wrote. ``We are setting the tone and establishing the professional environment of the School of Medicine.''
Carey declined to comment further on the matter.
Meanwhile, members of the committee have stepped up education efforts to address the problem. The committee already has hosted several workshops for students and will conduct faculty and student workshops within departments next semester, Peterson said.
During the workshops, participants watch videotaped examples of harassment and discrimination, then discuss their reactions and how to handle the situations.
Ann Lane, director of U.Va.'s women's studies program, said that for education efforts to be successful they must be conducted at the university level - and not restricted to the medical school. But, she said, ``I think they are on the right path.''
KEYWORDS: HARASSMENT DISCRIMINATION MEDICAL SCHOOL SURVEY POLL by CNB