The contextual issues associated with sexual harassment experiences reported by registered nurses.

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to explore contextual conditions in Australian health care workplaces that make sex-based and sexual harassment (SB&SH) a relatively common experience for registered nurses (RNs).

DESIGN

Unstructured, in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of Australian RNs.

PARTICIPANTS

The informants were 16 RNs (15 female and one male), working in health care, who were students enrolled in advanced tertiary preparation in nursing, counselling, and health care management at an Australian university.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Experiences described by the interview informants identified four conditions present in their workplace when they experienced SB&SH.

RESULTS

Informants noted: 1) the silence that surrounds harassment; 2) that they could not expect support from their peers and professional colleagues; 3) that education did not exist in their workplaces regarding (SB&SH) and, 4) that traditional stereotypes associated with RNs were closely linked to the experience of harassment in the workplace.

CONCLUSIONS

Inadequate coverage of workplace issues related to (SB&SH) in undergraduate or postgraduate educational programs were identified.