BY: CLAIRE KIM
According to the official Dictionary, bullying is the “use of superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants.” This topic of bullying has always been an important subject discussed in the classrooms to help inform children and young teens about the consequences this act of abuse can bring. Because most youths are still at a ripe age where they are still growing and overcoming a lot of hardships, it is not surprising to see bullying occur because they are so unaware of the world around them. However, for adults, this excuse cannot be acceptable. Being an adult, one of the most amazing privileges we receive is having a larger range of freedom and control over our lives. But with this freedom, we are also limited in what we do because we have to consider the fact that we have a responsibility for the actions and words we portray. Although many may assume that adults adhere to the basic rules of respect due to the years of mistakes and lessons learned from their childhood, many of them still repeat their misconduct in their adult life. One prime issue being talked about right now is the bullying conflicts between staff doctors and medical students who are constantly being criticized offensively for their lack of skill in comparison to veteran employees. In some cases, they are looked down upon because they are so new to the industry while other cases show a more extreme version of harassment in terms of abuse or offensive sexual skinship. When we compare an experienced doctor to an incoming doctor, it’s obvious that the skill level and know-how of the interns can be a lot shakier because they are not used to the environment. With this in mind, many doctors take advantage of this weakness and berate them with harsh comments criticizing every little mistake from the way they put on their mask to how they stand in an OR (operating room). Sexual harassment has also been witnessed in medical facilities with excessive touching and inappropriate behavior as well. In fact, many of these situations closely resemble what occurs between businessmen and young entrepreneurs which was a hot topic a couple of months ago. Although it’s unexpected, around 42% of American medical students reported being harassed in their final year proving that this bullying case is not something to be looked so lightly on.
claire kim. 