22 | Nursing in Practice | Autumn 2022
Q & A : SURVIVING IN SCRUBS
‘ Sexism is healthcare ’ s worst-kept secret ’
Dr Chelcie Jewitt talks about her campaign to use the power of shared stories to take on the culture of workplace sexism
The campaign ‘ Surviving in Scrubs ’, launched in March this year , is aiming to help tackle incidences of sexism , harassment and sexual assault experienced by healthcare staff .
‘ The strength in our collective voices will allow us to campaign and push for change in healthcare to end the culture of misogyny ,’ says the campaign ’ s opening statement .‘ Sexism , sexual harassment and sexual assault are commonplace in the healthcare workforce . Too many of us have witnessed or been subject to it .’
The brainchild of Dr Becky Cox , a GP specialist working in gynaecology , and Dr Chelcie Jewitt , an emergency medicine trainee , the campaign is collecting and anonymously publishing healthcare professionals ’ stories of sexism and assault .
The majority of the accounts gathered on the campaign website are from women and , while previous studies have mainly looked at the experiences of doctors , it is hoped the project will shed light on the experiences of nurses and other non-doctor staff .
Dr Jewitt took the time to sit down with Nursing in Practice to talk about Surviving in Scrubs and the broader challenges of sexism in the healthcare professions and in patient-facing roles .
What are the aims for the Surviving in Scrubs
Q campaign ? There is a culture of sexism in our healthcare system .
A This is healthcare ’ s worst-kept secret , and no one talks about it . We want to keep people talking about it .
The ideal scenario is that no sexism happens in the workplace . We want women to feel comfortable at work , because it ’ s exhausting navigating the culture of sexism .
I think that if people take the time to read the stories on the Surviving in Scrubs website , they will be shocked to see how many there are – we ’ re nearing 130 already .
Writer : Wiliam Hunter . View the accounts , or contribute your own , on the Surviving in Scrubs site ( tinyurl . com / Surviving-in- Scrubs ). Dr Cox and Dr Jewitt can also be reached by email at survivinginscrubs @ gmail . com or via social media .
We need others to come forward because I think there is something we are missing . I just don ’ t see that doctors can be in isolation with this problem . They might just feel more empowered to have the conversation .
We are keen to push something forward in nursing .
Are there any trends emerging in the responses
Q so far ? AAt the moment we ’ re seeing a lot of , for want of a better phrase , extreme examples . We ’ re seeing a lot of stories of sexual assault and inappropriate touching ; women being forced upon by male colleagues .
There are also a lot of stories of women being belittled , or that healthcare is a ‘ boys ’ club ’ so that when some incident does happen the rumours spread like wildfire .
We also see a lot of embarrassment , and people fearing to speak out , moving trusts or leaving healthcare altogether .
Why do you think you are seeing such extreme
Q examples ? I think it ’ s because there is a frustration with the
A reporting system and people don ’ t feel safe .
The fact that Surviving in Scrubs is anonymous just makes people feel comfortable enough to say what ’ s happened to them and hope it won ’ t happen to others . The reporting system is flawed - either it ’ s nonexistent or it ’ s not psychologically safe for the victims , so it ’ s very hard for them to report .
In GP practices , you would usually report to your supervisor or line manager , but the difficulty is when incidents of sexism , harassment and assault actually occur within a close working team . If your supervisor is the perpetrator , who do you go to when others are often working closely alongside them ?
In my own experience of reporting , I was told by a consultant : ‘ Well , you ’ re moving trusts soon but I have to work with this man for the rest of my career – I don ’ t know what I can do .’ I do understand where that consultant was coming from , but it ’ s not good enough .
What has the reaction been to the project
Q so far ? ABecky works in a predominantly female environment and has had a lot of positive responses . There are more men than women where I work so I ’ ve had a more mixed response .
A lot of people are really shocked . A lot are really positive , but on the flipside there is also , not hostility , but some scepticism and sarcasm .
Some of the men I work with say ,‘ Oh there ’ s Chelcie , this medical feminist who ’ s going save the world ’. So sarcastic and belittling , but I just laugh it off because I was expecting to get that .
What advice can you give to nurses wishing to make
Q their workplace safer for themselves and others ? The first thing they can do is submit their
A experiences to Surviving in Scrubs – we want a collective narrative and to show that this is continuously happening . We ’ re trying to take on some big governing bodies so the more evidence we have , the better .
And speak to your friends and colleagues , as you ’ d be surprised what ’ s happening and people aren ’ t talking about it . As soon as you start talking , the flood gates open , and that ’ s actually supportive for them and for you .
It might even lead to some ideas of how you can fix things in the environment in which you work , because reporting systems are different everywhere .
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