Sexual Harassment in Healthcare Workplaces

Why Healthcare Workers Often Feel Trapped by Sexual Harassment

Healthcare professionals work in high-pressure environments with physical proximity, emotional stress, and rigid hierarchies. These conditions often create an atmosphere where inappropriate behavior is overlooked or tolerated. Even in patient-first settings, the culture of silence can discourage victims from coming forward.

Medical workplace sexual harassment affects employees across all roles and levels:

• Nurses and Nurse Practitioners – Often spend long hours with patients and supervisors, making them vulnerable to unwanted comments, advances, or inappropriate touching during patient care or late-night shifts.
• Physicians and Residents – Face harassment within hierarchical medical settings, where power imbalances and career dependence on senior doctors can lead to coercive situations or retaliation.
• Medical Technicians and Therapists – Provide hands-on treatments and physical care, creating blurred boundaries that some patients or co-workers exploit through inappropriate remarks or conduct.
• Front Desk and Administrative Staff – Work in highly visible roles and may be subject to harassment from vendors or physicians, with limited reporting channels.
• Billing and Support Staff – Though often isolated from frontline care, workers in these roles are still at risk of harassment from supervisors or office managers who control schedules and career opportunities.

What Sexual Harassment in Hospitals and Other Healthcare Settings Looks Like

Sexual harassment in healthcare isn’t always physical or overt. It can take many forms—some of which may be dismissed as jokes, personal interest, or just “how that doctor is.” But these behaviors can make the workplace uncomfortable, intimidating, or unsafe. Inappropriate behavior in medical settings may be perpetrated by almost anyone.

Sexual Harassment by Doctors, Supervisors, or Practice Owners

Sexual harassment by superiors can include:

• Inappropriate comments or sexual jokes during rounds or meetings, such as “You’d get better patient reviews if you smiled more.”
  Lingering or unnecessary physical contact presented as guidance or “comfort,” like standing too close during a procedure.
• Late-night texts or invitations framed as career mentorship but carrying romantic or sexual undertones.
• Excessive compliments focused on appearance or personal life, such as “You’re the most attractive nurse on the floor.”
• Pressure to tolerate or ignore harassment from colleagues or patients because “it’s just part of the job.”
• Grooming behaviors that blur professional boundaries and lead to coercion into a sexual relationship.

Sexual Harassment by Co-Workers

Sexual harassment from colleagues may look like:

• Sharing explicit jokes, memes, or sexual content in group chats or over hospital email.
• Repeated suggestive remarks, such as “I bet you look even better under those scrubs.”
• Flirting that continues after clear boundaries are set, making collaboration uncomfortable
• Gossip or speculation about supposed romantic involvement with co-workers, such as “She only gets the good OR shifts because the surgeon likes her.”

Sexual Harassment From Patients or Visitors

Visitor and patient harassment of nurses and other healthcare workers may take the form of:

• Unwanted touching during exams, procedures, or physical therapy sessions.
• Sexual comments like “You’d make a better model than a nurse” or “Are you single?” during treatment.
• Indecent exposure during appointments or inpatient stays.
• Inappropriate requests for personal contact information or private visits disguised as medical needs.

Sexual Harassment at Social or Off-Site Events

Harassment can occur outside the workplace and off-the-clock, and may include:

• Boundary-crossing behavior during office parties, holiday celebrations, or industry conferences where staff feel pressure to attend.
• Alcohol-fueled misconduct dismissed by others as “just joking around,” such as making lewd comments at a holiday party.
• Inappropriate advances that continue after the event through text messages, social media, or persistent invitations.

Examples of Sexual Harassment in Healthcare

Some of the most harmful and stressful experiences come from repeated, low-level harassment that may not seem serious at first—but over time creates a hostile work environment. These are especially common in small practices and departments with little oversight.

Inappropriate Comments, Nicknames, and Jokes

• Referring to co-workers as “sweetheart,” “honey,” or “cutie”
• Making sexual or flirtatious jokes during shifts
• Commenting on someone’s body, clothing, or makeup
• Repeatedly asking about your relationship status or dating life
• Using humor to disguise sexual interest

Off-Hours or Personal Messaging

• Late-night texts that aren’t work-related
• Flirting via personal phone numbers, social media, or encrypted messaging apps
• Sending memes, jokes, or images with sexual content
• Asking invasive personal questions outside of work

These interactions are often framed as “friendly,” but they cross professional boundaries and can escalate quickly.

Unwanted Touching and Physical Proximity

• Brushing up against someone “accidentally”
• Placing a hand on the back or shoulder unnecessarily
• Initiating hugs or personal space violations under the guise of support or stress relief
• Standing too close or blocking exits or pathways

Touch is a natural part of healthcare—but when it’s not medically necessary or invited, it can feel threatening or manipulative.

Excessive Attention and Flirtation

• Giving gifts or compliments with romantic undertones
• Making efforts to always be alone with the target
• Ignoring subtle or direct signals that the attention is unwelcome
• Showing up at a person’s station, break area, or social gathering uninvited

These behaviors can create confusion and pressure—especially when there’s a power imbalance.

Coercion and Manipulation in Unequal Relationships

In healthcare, supervisors and senior staff sometimes exploit their authority to initiate sexual or romantic relationships. These interactions often begin under the guise of mentorship or protection:

• “You’re not like the others.”
• “Stick with me—I’ll help you get ahead.”
• “I believe in you.”
• “I’m the only one who has your back.”
• “Nobody else likes you—but I can protect you.”

This form of manipulation is especially dangerous because it isolates the employee, creating a false sense of dependency and loyalty. By undermining the employee’s confidence in others and positioning themselves as the only ally, the supervisor deepens the power imbalance.

These tactics—often described as grooming, coercion, or emotional entrapment—are common in workplaces with rigid hierarchies or closed environments, such as clinics, private practices, and med spas. In many cases, the supervisor also controls:

• Licensing or professional recommendations
• Shift schedules and performance reviews
• Access to training, mentorship, or promotions

Even if a relationship appears consensual on the surface, the power dynamics involved make it inherently exploitative.

Over time, the dynamic shifts. The praise becomes more personal, the boundaries more blurred, and the employee may feel unable to say no without risking retaliation, being cut from the schedule, or losing professional opportunities.

Grooming and Power Imbalances in Healthcare

Many coerced relationships begin through a slow process of grooming. The harasser builds trust and emotional dependency, often positioning themselves as a mentor or key to the employee’s advancement. In hierarchical environments like hospitals and clinics, the imbalance of power makes it hard to speak up or even recognize the behavior as coercive.

What makes grooming especially dangerous is its subtlety—it rarely begins with outright demands. Instead, it manipulates the victim’s ambitions, insecurities, and desire to succeed. The more dependent the employee becomes, the harder it is to walk away.

Retaliation After Consensual Relationships End

Even when a relationship appears consensual, power dynamics often make them inherently imbalanced. Once the relationship ends, retaliation is common—especially in private practices, med spas, and dental offices where one individual holds all the authority.

Common retaliatory actions include:

• Removing the employee from prime shifts or duties
• Reassigning them to less desirable tasks or locations
• Spreading gossip or undermining their work
• Encouraging resignation through subtle or overt pressure
• Delegating discipline or exclusion to another manager to avoid direct confrontation

These are not just workplace disputes—they are legally actionable forms of sexual harassment and retaliation.

Who We Are – HarassmentHelp.org

HarassmentHelp.org is a project of Phillips & Associates PLLC, a law firm focused on workplace sexual harassment and employee rights. Created by award-winning sexual harassment lawyers, we provide confidential support and safeguard employees from retaliation to end harassment, recover compensation, and protect their careers.

The HarassmentHelp.org RGA Approach

We guide you through RGA — Rights, Guidance, and Action, a safe and supportive process designed to help you protect yourself, preserve your career, and stop the harassment.

• Rights – Understand Your Protections
  We help you understand what’s acceptable in the workplace, what crosses the line, and how the law protects you from harassment and retaliation.
• Guidance – Build Your Case Safely
  We offer confidential, nonjudgmental support before any formal action, helping you evaluate the safest and most effective steps for your situation.
• Action – Take Steps With Full Support
  You never have to face harassment on your own. We can help you create a plan that feels safe and manageable, and connect you with trusted sexual harassment attorneys who can draft complaints, handle communication for you, or work toward a private resolution.

Risk Factors for Sexual Harassment in Healthcare Workplaces

Sexual harassment of healthcare workers is shockingly common. According to one study, around 43% of female nurses have experienced sexual harassment, whether from a patient, patient’s family, or co-worker. Several factors contribute to the increased vulnerability of healthcare workers:

Physical Proximity

Healthcare workers often work in close physical quarters, making it easier for boundaries to be crossed—intentionally or otherwise.

Hierarchical Structures

Medical workplace power dynamics mean that doctors, supervisors, and practice owners often have significant influence over nurses, assistants, and technicians, which can discourage reporting.

Understaffing and High Turnover

Low staffing means fewer witnesses and less follow-through on complaints. High turnover can make it difficult to hold harassers accountable.

Culture of Silence

Workplace culture in healthcare emphasizes patient care and loyalty and can lead workers to tolerate inappropriate behavior or avoid reporting misconduct—especially when patient-staff boundaries are crossed

Fear of Career Repercussions

Many healthcare workers fear they’ll lose their job, reference, or reputation if they speak out—especially in close-knit fields or small practices.

Know Your Rights as a Healthcare Professional

You deserve a workplace where professionalism and patient care don’t come at the cost of your personal safety or dignity. Whether you’re a shift nurse, a scheduler, or an esthetician in a med spa, the law protects you from harassment, coercion, and retaliation.

How HarassmentHelp.org Supports You Every Step of the Way

Here’s what working with us looks like from start to finish:

1. Confidential Conversation – Share your story in a safe space — no pressure to act right away.
2. Evidence Building – We help you keep detailed records of incidents, messages, and witnesses.
3. Strategy – Connect you with top sexual harassment attorneys who can help with preparing complaints, filing complaints on your behalf, or pursuing private resolutions.
4. Protection from Retaliation – Take proactive steps to safeguard your job, career, and reputation.