How to deal with workplace bullying and discrimination in cardiology
Cardiology is still largely dominated by men, and women still sometimes face workplace issues such as bullying and barriers to promotion. A recent session at the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) 2023 meeting in June focused on how women can work to overcome these issues.
The session was hosted by members of Women in Echo, a community created by ASE to help women network and find allies. It was an open discussion that examined several workplace scenarios, including issues with discrimination, bullying and being held back from promotions.
Ritu Thamman, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, headed the session along with several panelists involved with Women in Echo. She spoke with Cardiovascular Business about the session in the video interview above.
The panel related some of their own experiences during their career and offered suggestions on how some situations might be handled in a professional manner.
"So while you might have a bullying situation, there are ways to stand up to that and call it what it is, after you are emotionally ready to do that," Thamman explained.
Key takeaways from the session included:
• Document everything. This includes getting the language right by speaking with a labor lawyer.
• Remember that work emails are legal documents than can be saved and used later if needed.
• Make sure you do not react from anger and that you are anchored emotionally before you make a response. You can always wait and respond later.
• You need to have allies and friends who will back you up if a complaint is made. It is also good to discuss the situation with peers you feel you can trust to get their take on the situation.
• Consulting a labor lawyer may help delineate what labor laws say specifically about your situation or lead to other benefits. Just because a lawyer is consulted does not mean you have to pursue legal action.
Knowing your allies
Thamman said it is important to understand who your allies and friends are in the workplace and who may be aligned with the person causing problems. If the issues become a bigger problem and the worker wants to bring a complaint to human resources (HR) or department leadership, they are going to need people to back up their story. Knowing who your allies are will help keep you from getting stabbed in the back, she explained. Thamman added you may need to feel people out or have a discussion with them to see if they are willing to help you.
"Not everyone is going to want to expend their political capital on you, so it really depends on the situation. And you really need to assess if it is worth asking someone for their help, so you will have to weigh the pros and cons. But clearly, the larger the network of friends you can create, the stronger you are going to be whenever you are faced with those types of challenges," she explained.
The panel discussed each scenario in the workplace and then opened up discussion with the audience. Many attendees shared personal experiences dealing with similar situations.
"What was particularly interesting was the fact that so many women from the audience really shared very deep stories about how they survived certain aspects of bullying. One of the positive silver linings that came out of it was that you can create community and support outside of your institution. So even if one person is trying to quash you in one particular place, you may have access to so many other friends or allies outside your workplace," Thamman said.
One of the cases discussed in the session was how to deal with a physician creating a toxic environment. One of the audience members shared a similar situation they had experienced, where they did not complain, but a nurse from another department who came in to help with a procedure witnessed what was going on and filed a third-party complaint. Thamman said that third-party type of complaint often changes the narrative, because it is not a "he said" or "she said" uncorroborated story.
"That can be more impactful in a way if it is anonymous because the retaliation can be less direct," she said.
She added that HR should be a last resort, but it is always an option.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: dfornell@innovatehealthcare.com