A FEMALE doctor has penned a brave blog post exposing the prevalence of sexual harassment in the medical community inspired by controversial comments from a Sydney surgeon.

Sexism and harassment in hospitals and the wider medical profession were thrown into the spotlight over the weekend when it was reported Dr Gabrielle McMullin encouraged women in the field to “just accept unwanted advances”.

The comments have enraged the medical community, and one doctor, Ashleigh Witt, is worried she might lose her job after publicly exposing the profession that she says runs by the tagline “keep your mouth shut and you’ll be fine”.

media_camera Dr Gabrielle McMullin has come under fire for her comments.

“Dr McMullin is not the problem here. She is simply the messenger,” Dr Witt writes.

“The problem here is a system where reporting sexual harassment is vehemently discouraged. A system where a young doctor successfully takes her assailant to court and is never employed by that system again. A system where big names have stood up this week and said sexual harassment is not a problem in medicine.”

The medical registrar says she and fellow female doctors have discussed the topic and disagree.

“We all have stories about sexual harassment at work — some of them subtle, some of them shocking. And yet person after person (mostly men, although I can’t imagine why), have stood up and said sexual harassment is not a problem in medicine.”

As a woman medicine you get used to dealing with a baseline of low-level sexual harrassment. But if you complain- you lose your job. — Ash Witt (@dr_ashwitt) March 7, 2015

Should I write a blog on this. Why being a moderately pretty blonde doctor means I have been taught to accept sexual harrassment at work. — Ash Witt (@dr_ashwitt) March 7, 2015

Describing herself as a “moderately pretty blonde doctor”, Dr Witt has admitted she has faced sexual harassment herself, and has “been taught to accept it”.

She suggests perhaps understanding of what sexual harassment is, is part of the problem.

“Sexual harassment is every time you call me ‘blondie’ or barbie,” she writes.

“Sexual harassment is two weeks ago when I lead a code blue which save a woman on the labour ward & my male colleague arrived after the fact & said ‘they shouldn’t send you up here, you’re too clucky.

“It’s the consultant who commented that I’d ‘obviously gotten to where I was at a young age because I was pretty’ (Um, maybe I’m actually good at my job?).

“It’s that I’m a little bit scared I’ll lose my job for writing this blog post.”

Dr Witt has received praise from fellow doctors who have been prompted to speak up about harassment in the industry online.

Her blog has had more than 2000 views and 200 shares on Twitter.

She says she hopes to begin “tiny ripples of change” in the industry from her blog.

media_camera Dr Gabrielle McMullin is at the centre of the controversy. Pic: www.leadershipforwomen.com.au

Dr McMullin’s comments have inspired other doctors to come forward and share their experiences with sexual harassment in the medical profession.

A doctor told Fairfax male surgeons had routinely called her a “dumb b****” and a surgeon had told her to “get some knee pads and learn to suck c***”.

Another said there was a long history of reports of sexual assault and harassment being dealt with poorly, and that surgical futures of victims who spoke out were “obliterated”.

These doctors spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of their professional futures.

In a statement prepared for news.com.au, President of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons said it was “very disappointing and quite appalling that recent media reports have suggested that it is preferable for female surgical trainees to silently endure sexual harassment”.

“The college of Surgeons refutes this advice emphatically,” he said.

“The inference is that this is what successful female surgeons and trainees have done in the past and this is deeply insulting.”

Originally published as ‘I’m a little bit scared I’ll lose my job’