I'm currently struggling with a bit of a dilemma. There's a particular doctor (I work in the OR) who seems to think it's perfectly acceptable for him to walk up to various female nurses and kiss them. I'm not talking about the cheek-to-cheek air smooch some folks/cultures do as a matter of greeting. This is more of the lingering type that an intimate couple would engage in. I've witnessed this on two occasions so far, and each time, the nurse on the receiving end walked away with the squinched-up face of someone who's just eaten something that they've found to be disgusting.
The first time I saw this, I asked my preceptor about it. She explained that this was par for the course with this particular person, and that he'd been known to do this for some time. She didn't have any answer as to why the behavior was put up with and noted that she'd also been a recipient of the rougue kiss.
I saw it happen again the other day. This time, it was the nurse anesthetist that was assigned to the OR that I was working. The kiss took place in pre-op holding and when she turned around, she had the afore mentioned look on her face. I later asked her about it to see if it bothered her. She noted that she'd known the guy for a long time, and that he'd taken care of her kids. "So you don't mind?" I asked. To which she said "no." However, her body language, tone, and expression during her explanation indicated that it was more of an action she tolerates rather than one of any shared enthusiasm. (By the way, the times I've seen him do this have been right out in front of the nurse's station, surrounded by people and in some cases patients. Apparently, nobody has been bothered enough to say anything - at least not to my knowledge).
So here's what's bugging me...
During my previous career, such an action would be a firing offense. In fact, I have seen people given their walking papers for much, much less. Having been a corporate manager, I am sensitive to actions and behaviors that could be construed as something that creates a "hostile work environment." Standing by and watching this behavior goes against my instincts to do otherwise.
On the other hand, the people this particular person is kissing (assaulting?) are adults and as such, are more than capable of stepping up to their own defense. While I feel that it would be a cop-out for me to use that fact as a reason for inaction, I don't want to usurp anyone's right to self-determination.
Another concern is that as a new person in the field, I really don't have a good feeling for what sort of retaliation this particular doctor could bring against any nurse he might think had "narc'ed" on him. I'm not concerned for my own sake as I could return to my previous career. However, I obviously can't assume the same degree of freedom for my coworkers. So I don't want to be cavalier about taking any action.
I don't know what sort of feedback I'm looking for here. I know the channels to work through should I choose to pursue the matter. I guess I'm just a bit stunned at the blatant nature of this guy's actions as well as the seeming reluctance (even general acceptance) the people on the receiving end seem to have regarding this guy's activity. The fact that he's so blatant about it coupled with the fact that it's right out in the open, in front of scads of witnesses, makes me wonder if I'm just being overly sensitive. If so many have been affected, and if so many have seen it and not sought to do anything about it, perhaps my impressions of the matter are skewed in some manner. Am I just missing something? (I'm also weirded out by this guy being an OB and showing such obvious ignorance of how it might be received.)
Anyways, I was curious about whether anyone else has seen this sort of thing and what the repercussions were, if any, resulting from any complaint.
